happen?”
Her mother had looked downhill, toward town.
“Because men get stupid when they think a secret can make them rich.”
Now Lily found the broken fir at 11:43 p.m.
She knew the time because her phone still had 8% battery and no service.
The tree was dead but standing, its top split by lightning.
Beyond it, three stones rose from the moss like steps built for a giant.
Lily climbed them.
The wind changed.
Not stronger.
Hollower.
It moved through the pines with a low, steady hum,
