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

scattered everywhere—Owen asked me a question.

“Daddy,” he said, his face very serious, “why does Grandpa Leonard look sad sometimes?”

My hands stopped mid-scoop, pumpkin guts sliding off my fingers.

Across the table, Leonard froze completely. Claire’s eyes went wide.

I could have shut it down. Could have deflected. Could have protected everyone with a continue reading …