Page 43 of Torin and the Princess

We peeked in the front door.

He wasn’t there. The house was completely empty.

She scanned my property. “Is he off somewhere, relieving himself in the woods again?”

“I don’t think so. He said dawn, I’m sure his idea of dawn is a lot different than ours. If he’s not here, guarding over us, he must have um... you know, gone away.”

“Why can’t you say it?”

“Because it sounds crazy.”

She sipped her coffee leaned on the stoop post like Torin had been last night. “Well, he’s gone, that’s one less thing you have to deal with.” She glanced at her watch. “I really ought to go home. I’ve been away since yesterday. I’m still invited to dinner tomorrow to hear Coop’s tale of conquest?”

“Absolutely, I’m whipping up spaghetti and meatballs, his favorite.”

“When was the last time you talked to him, how’s it going?”

“Who knows, I’m sure it’s going well, he’s busy. We’ll have the whole story tomorrow.”

15

LEXI

2004 - HIGHWAY 64

Iwas forming hamburger mix into little meatballs and stacking them in a small bowl, when my eyes drew to the sky through the kitchen window.No no no!

It was a storm again,what the heck?

I peered out. The wind had risen and was whipping the trees. A huge gust swept up my yard and the screen door, once again, began to bang, bang, bang.

Dude jumped off the counter and sauntered down the hall in the opposite direction, trilling like a maniac. A deserting me maniac. “You’re a terrible watch dog!”

He just kept going.

I put film over the bowl and shoved it into the fridge, washed my hands, then dried them as I walked toward the door, ostensibly to securely latch the door, but also tosee.

By the time I got there it was a furious storm, like a tornado touching down in my yard.

I grabbed the screen door handle and tried to pull it closed when my eyes drew across the yard to the same spot and somehow, against all logic, a body lying there, again.

I froze.

My mind reeled.

I let go of the door, it was hurting my hand because it was so forcefully pulling.

It commenced its bang bang bang.

I had seen something unexplainable.

Had learned something impossible.

Then I had seen the unexplainable and impossible thing happen, again and again.

And here it was, once more.

I watched —how did he appear there?He had not been there a moment ago, I hadn’t looked away, but visibility had been terrible.

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