The entry had been dated seven years earlier.
Daniel did not sleep much.
Neither did Elena.
The following morning, the library stood quiet beneath a sky washed pale by overnight rain.
The building was red brick with tall windows and stone steps darkened by moisture. Inside, the familiar scent of paper and polished wood softened every sound.
The community room had been arranged simply.
A round table.
Four chairs.
A box of tissues no one mentioned.
Daniel and Silas arrived first.
Silas carried his backpack even though there was no school. Inside it was the book Elena had helped him find—the story of a boy following a map through a forest.
He placed it on the table.
“Do I have to hug her?” he asked.
“No,” Daniel said.
“What if she wants to hug me?”
“She’ll ask.”
“What if I don’t know?”
“Then you can say you don’t know.”
