Marlene stood there without an answer.
Eventually, she turned and walked away.
Watcher watched her leave.
Then he leaned against my leg.
Part Six: The Long Way Home
I stayed in Unit 34 until the afternoon light faded.
I read every letter.
Some were only a few lines long. Others filled entire pages. Ethan wrote about his favorite cereal, the nurse with the purple glasses, and the dream he had about flying over the ocean.
He also wrote about me.
One letter said:
“Mom is tired, but she smiles when I tell jokes. I want her to smile more.”
Another read:
“If I can’t tell her myself, someone has to tell her that I’m not mad. I know she loves me.”
I pressed that letter to my lips.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to hear you.”
Watcher sat beside me.
I had no idea where he had come from or why he had chosen Ethan’s grave. I did not know whether he had belonged to Ruth, followed her, or simply carried some invisible memory from the past.
