A Question That Wouldn’t Go Away
I woke up earlier than usual that morning, the question already circling my thoughts.
What had been forming inside that tree all these years?
Standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, I stared out the window at the yard. The bulge caught the light just enough to make it impossible to ignore.
Elena noticed me staring. “You’re thinking about the tree again, aren’t you?” she asked, smiling.
I nodded. “I just want to understand it,” I said. “Whatever’s in there has been there a long time.”
What started as a quiet, personal curiosity was about to turn into something much bigger — drawing in neighbors, unexpected visitors, and a discovery none of us saw coming.
The moment I stepped into the yard, everything changed.