\n
\nWhen Andrew takes his son, Ethan, along on a work trip to the woods, the outing takes a terrifying turn when Ethan disappears. Later, Ethan reappears, only to lead Andrew to an abandoned cabin where a desperate woman and her child await\u2026\n
Three years ago, my life split in two.\n
One half revolved around the past \u2014 a life involving my wife Julia and our daughter Belle. The other half was defined by the emptiness they had left behind after the accident.\n
Somehow, I\u2019d managed to hold onto Ethan, my nine-year-old son. He was the reason I got out of bed, though some days, I wasn\u2019t sure I deserved to.\n
Photography became my lifeline. Framing the world through a lens helped me filter the chaos of reality. Sometimes, I took Ethan along when I had to travel for work.\n
And look, it wasn\u2019t ideal, but he loved being outdoors, and when my mother wasn\u2019t available to look after Ethan, I couldn\u2019t stand the thought of leaving him with strangers.\n
So, he\u2019d come with me.\n
\u201cHomework has to be done the day you get it, Son,\u201d I told him one day as I was making pasta for dinner. \u201cThat way, when I get any projects coming up during the weekends, you can come with me. Agree?\u201d
\n\n
He grinned at me.\n
\u201cOf course, Dad. And you can always just help me to make it go quicker,\u201d he added cheekily.\n
On the day that changed our lives yet again, we\u2019d driven to a remote forest just outside of town. There was a lake I needed to photograph for a client. And it was the absolute perfect location, the mirror-like expanse surrounded by the towering pines.\n
\u201cDad, it\u2019s beautiful here,\u201d Ethan said.\n
I set up my camera near the shore, while Ethan entertained himself by gathering sticks and skipping rocks. The forest was quiet, save for the occasional birdcall or the rustle of leaves in the breeze.\n
I wondered whether Julia and Belle would have come along with us. Or whether Julia would have insisted on keeping the kids home, making sure that she cooked up a spread for me when I got home.\n
\u201cSit down, Andrew,\u201d she would say the moment I walked in. \u201cEthan, take Dad\u2019s bag. And let\u2019s eat!\u201d\n
I smiled to myself as I focused on framing the perfect shot when the silence behind me became deafening. I glanced up, expecting to see Ethan nearby. Instead, the spot where he\u2019d been playing was empty.\n
\u201cEthan? Son?\u201d I called, scanning the shoreline.\n
My voice echoed across the water, but there was no response.\n
My chest tightened.\n
I couldn\u2019t lose my son, too. No. I just couldn\u2019t.\n
I walked up to the bank, searching through the trees.\n
\u201cEthan!\u201d I shouted, louder this time, but only the forest answered.\n
My heart raced as I grabbed my phone to call for help. There was a ranger\u2019s tent at the beginning of the forest. They could know what to do.\n
\u201cOh, hell,\u201d I exclaimed. \u201cOf course.\u201d\n
No bars.\n
\n
The woods suddenly felt enormous, as though they were swallowing me whole.\n
For thirty agonizing minutes, I tore through the trees, yelling his name. My thoughts spiraled. What if he\u2019d gotten hurt? What if\u2026\n
Then I heard it.\n
\u201cDad!\u201d\n
His voice, faint but unmistakable, came from somewhere deeper in the forest. Relief hit me like a wave, and I stumbled toward the sound, branches scraping at my arms.\n
When I found him, standing wide-eyed between two towering trees, I wanted to scold him for wandering off, but the words caught in my throat.\n
\u201cEthan,\u201d I gasped, dropping to my knees. \u201cWhat were you thinking? You scared me half to death!\u201d\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Dad,\u201d he said, his voice trembling. \u201cBut I found something. There\u2019s a cabin, and I heard a baby crying inside.\u201d\n
I stared at him, unsure if I\u2019d heard him right.\n
\u201cA baby? Are you sure?\u201d\n
He nodded, tugging on my sleeve.\n
\u201cCome on, I\u2019ll show you!\u201d\n
I wanted to question him further, but the urgency in his voice wouldn\u2019t let me. He took off through the trees, and I followed, my legs struggling to keep up with his small, determined strides.\n
Ten minutes later, we broke through the thicket and into a clearing.\n
The cabin stood hunched in the middle, as if the woods had tried to reclaim it. Its wooden walls were warped and weathered, the roof sagging under the weight of moss and neglect.\n
One of the windows was shattered, and the front door hung crooked on its hinges. From inside came a faint sound that stopped me cold.\n
It was the unmistakable cry of a child.\n
Ethan looked up at me, his face pale.\n
\u201cSee? I wasn\u2019t lying! I didn\u2019t imagine it!\u201d\n
I swallowed hard and stepped toward the cabin, my hand on Ethan\u2019s shoulder.\n
\n
\u201cStay close, son,\u201d I said.\n
The door creaked as I pushed it open, and the smell of damp wood hit us.\n
The cabin was sparsely furnished. There was a small table, two chairs, and a fireplace filled with ash. In the corner, on a threadbare mattress, sat a woman cradling a toddler.\n
She looked up as we entered, her face pale and tired. Dark waves of hair framed her features, and her eyes, ringed with exhaustion, were wary but not unkind.\n
The little girl in her arms clung to her, her cries quieting as she buried her face in her mother\u2019s chest.\n
\u201cWho are you?\u201d the woman asked. \u201cWhy are you here? We don\u2019t have anything for you!\u201d\n
\u201cI\u2019m Andrew,\u201d I said, holding up my hands to show that I meant no harm. \u201cThis is my son, Ethan. We heard\u2026 we thought someone might need help.\u201d\n
Her shoulders sagged, and she let out a shaky breath.\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t mean to scare anyone. She\u2019s been crying all morning, and I\u2026\u201d Her voice trailed off. \u201cI\u2019m doing my best. I don\u2019t have much to give my child, but I\u2019m doing my best.\u201d\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay,\u201d I said gently. \u201cMy daughter used to have difficult days when crying seemed like the only option. Do you live here?\u201d\n
She hesitated, then nodded.\n
\u201cIt was my grandfather\u2019s cabin. He passed away years ago, but this is all I have to my name. My husband\u2026\u201d She stopped talking, her gaze dropping to the little girl in her lap.\n
\u201cHe kicked us out. Said he didn\u2019t want to be a father and husband anymore. But I\u2019m sure it had everything to do with the woman from work that he\u2019d been not-so-secretly seeing.\u201d\n
Her words hit me like a punch to the chest. Who would do that? Who would leave their wife and child?\n
Willingly?\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been trying to get by,\u201d she continued. \u201cI embroider things. Tablecloths, scarves, whatever I can. And I sell them at the flea market. But it\u2019s not enough. I just need to make sure that Lila has enough food to eat. And that she\u2019s warm.\u201d\n
Tears welled in her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away.\n
\u201cDad,\u201d Ethan whispered, tugging on my arm. \u201cWe can\u2019t leave them here.\u201d\n
\n
I looked down at them, at the way she held her daughter, at the little girl\u2019s tiny fingers clutching a worn blanket\u2026 it all made my chest ache.\n
I saw Julia in the woman\u2019s tired eyes. I saw Belle in the way the child curled into her mother\u2019s arms.\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t stay here,\u201d I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. \u201cCome with us. At least until you figure things out.\u201d\n
The woman\u2019s eyes widened.\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t! You don\u2019t even know us! We don\u2019t even know you!\u201d\n
\u201cI\u2019m a photographer. That\u2019s why my son and I were in the woods to begin with. I\u2019m working on a project involving the lake. My wife and daughter passed away in a car crash. Ethan is my biggest blessing. Does that help?\u201d\n
Still, she looked wary.\n
\u201cWe know enough about you,\u201d Ethan said. \u201cWe know that you need help.\u201d\n
I nodded.\n
\u201cHe\u2019s right, let us help. If you\u2019re still uncertain by the morning, then we can get you to a shelter. Okay?\u201d\n
She stared at me, her expression a mix of fear and hope. Finally, she nodded.\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d she whispered. \u201cThank you. I just want Lila to be cared for.\u201d\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll get Lila into a hot bath, and I\u2019ll make dinner while you do that. My daughter\u2019s clothes are still in the house.\u201d\n
She nodded.\n
\u201cAndrew?\u201d she called, as she picked up their few belongings. \u201cI\u2019m Grace.\u201d\n
Over the weeks that followed, Grace and her daughter, Lila, became part of our lives. Ethan adored Lila, playing with her the way he used to play with Belle.\n
Grace found work as a seamstress at a local atelier, and I watched her confidence bloom. She was stepping into the woman she always wanted to be.\n
\u201cMy husband told me that my talent for sewing and design was only for the house,\u201d she confessed one day as she made a stew for dinner. \u201cHe hated the thought of me being successful by myself.\u201d\n
\u201cHe sounds delightful,\u201d I said, chopping coriander for her.\n
\u201cHe was the worst side of me,\u201d she said softly.\n
Somewhere along the way, our conversations became longer and considerably deeper. We shared our grief, our dreams, the scars we carried. I thought my heart had closed itself off after Julia, but Grace showed me it could open again. And do you know the best part?\n
Grace stepped in with Ethan, playing the role of mother when he needed her to be just that. Julia and Belle were sorely missed, but Grace and Lila had helped heal us.\n
A year later, we stood in our backyard as the sun set behind us. Grace held Lila in her arms, Ethan stood beside me, and I slipped a ring onto her finger.\n
Sometimes, what you\u2019ve lost has a way of finding you again. Just not in the way you expect.\n
This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.\n
The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided \u201cas is,\u201d and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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