Two Strangers Knocked During a Christmas Outage. The Moment They Gave Their Names, I Knew Something Was Wrong.

quieted down completely, I sat on the couch staring at the lantern’s diminishing light and listening to the woodstove crackle and pop like something alive and content. The fire made small sounds like a living creature chewing its food, satisfied and steady.

I thought about how quickly a normal night becomes a story you never asked to be part of. How continue reading …