All the things we did not think of

All the things we did not think of

My feet were dry against the smooth sand, and it stuck between my toes. I wiggled them out and returned to the forest road. Aunt was sleeping inside, and darkness had fully enveloped the forest. It has been four hours since I saw Uncle in the forest, and since then, nothing has happened.

I had sneaked out again—past my aunt’s ‘nit-tight’ security—and now I was at the mouth of the forest, staring at the blackness that covered it.

Bypassing my aunt’s security had been quite easy. I knew my aunt well and thought she was sad now; she still followed the routine she had created and slept before the clock ticked eleven. I had waited patiently, and once I saw that sleep had finally succeeded in drawing her into its embrace and her head had stopped its occasional nodding, I stood up and ran into her room.

I collected blankets and pillows and made her as comfortable as possible. If she was comfortable, she would not wake up, and if she did not wake up,