#Chapter 219 – Missing

“Come on, mama,” Alvin says, tugging at my hand and leading me towards the broken-down old house. “Alvin,” I hiss, pulling him back. “We can’t go in there – it’s a ruin –“ He frowns at me, confused. “Mama,” he says, “the forest brought us to this house. Don’t you think it wants us to go in?” I screw up my face at him, looking around at the forest. All my anger from yesterday is gone – drained from me. The questions…well, they’re still there. I certainly want answers. But I’m starting to suspect, really, that what tipped me over into anger in the first place yesterday was the forest. The magic of this place might be mostly invisible to me, but it’s certainly working its will in its own mysterious ways. “I don’t know if I trust this forest anymore, Alvin,” I say, looking down at him with concern. “I mean, it just separated us from your dad and your brother. How do we know that it’s friendly?” “Can’t you feel it, mama?” Alvin asks, giving my hand a squeeze. Then he closes his eyes