A mute, foundling girl hides from her pursuers with the help of a reluctant recluse. The two of them have nothing in common except deep emotional scars. Who is she? How did she end up unconscious and scantily clothed on Evan's isolated property? Why...
My new work week passed a little easier. I wasn't completely distracted thinking and worrying about Sophie. I made her promise to stay inside and pull the shades when the sun went down, and she seemed to be taking her safety seriously.
It didn't take long for me to get used to having dinner waiting when I got home from work. She would watch me eat and seemed to take great satisfaction when I complimented her on the delicious meals she prepared. I always insisted on doing the dishes afterward and kept saying how she should relax more and not regard herself as my slave.
The girl genuinely enjoyed housework. I would miss the way she took care of me when she left.
Being truthful, I knew I would more than miss her. She was changing me, making me into a better version of myself. I was even starting to talk with some of my coworkers and taking an interest in their lives.
I texted Sophie every day at lunch to check in and again at the end of my shift in case she needed me to pick up something on my way home. The routine worked well for us both. So, I thought it unusual when my phone buzzed on Wednesday in the middle of the afternoon.
A text from Sophie: When are you coming home?
She knew my work hours. I would be home around seven. I wondered what prompted her question and sensed some urgency behind it.
I texted her back asking what was up.
She replied: Don't you ever take off early?
She was avoiding telling me something.
I tried again: What's going on? You're acting strange.
It took a long time for her to respond. I saw the little dots trailing across the message line on my phone like she was typing a lot, erasing, and reconsidering what she was writing.
Her message popped onto my screen: I miss you. That's all. See you when you get home.
Maybe she was just lonely, but our exchange left me with an uneasy feeling.
When I returned home that evening and parked the truck next to the cabin, my headlights illuminated a wash line loaded with clothing. It had been above freezing, so Sophie must have decided to do laundry and hang it out to dry. I thought it strange how she didn't take the laundry down before sundown. The clothes would get damp after dark.
It wasn't like Sophie to leave a chore undone.
She waited for me inside the cabin and hugged me as soon as I crossed the threshold.
"This is a nice greeting," I said as I pulled from her embrace.
She held up her pad and showed me what she written ahead of time. I think we're safe.
A rather ambiguous statement. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't we be safe?"
Sophie sighed and lowered her gaze to the floor. She wrote: I'm sorry. You told me to stay inside, but it was mild today, so I did laundry and hung it out. I saw movement on the side of the mountain. A strange man was trampling around.
"Did he see you?"
She shook her head and wrote: I don't think so. I ran into the trees and hid and watched. I figured he might come to the cabin.
"Good move. Did he come?"
She nodded.
"Did he try to go inside?"
She shook her head and wrote: He looked in windows. I had left the door unlocked, but he didn't go in. The man left the way he came up over the top of the mountain. I came back inside and stayed.
It explained why she didn't bring in the laundry. "Is that why you texted me?"
A nod.
"Did he look like a hunter scouting for deer?"
She shrugged and wrote: He wasn't carrying a rifle.
I wondered if it was the same guy I ran off the weekend before. "The season doesn't open until Monday. He was probably looking for me to ask permission to hunt. That's not unusual this time of year. Did his actions give you any reason to suspect otherwise? I mean, if he was looking for you, don't you think he would've walked into the cabin."
Sophie gave that some thought and wrote: You're probably right.
"I only have one more day of work this week. Do you feel safe enough?"
She nodded. I'll spend a lot of time looking out the window.
"Be sure to keep the door locked."
Instead of the usual fancy dinner, Sophie served up leftovers. She wrote how we needed to make room in the refrigerator for all the anticipated Thanksgiving leftovers.
I couldn't help worrying about the appearance of the stranger. "Hey, since tomorrow is my last day before the long holiday weekend, do you want to come with me? I can drop you off at the shopping mall where you can spend the day. There's a movie theater if you want to take in a film or two." Lots of people too. She should feel safe there, and I'd feel more at ease.
She shook her head and wrote: No fun alone. I'd get bored.
If she was genuinely frightened I suspected she would've taken me up on my offer. By now she should be finishing her journal and promised I could read it. I hoped to soon get to the bottom of things.
The next morning, after getting dressed, I said goodbye and told her to go back to bed. Sophie yawned and gave me a dismissive wave.
"Remember, keep the door locked."
I knew she heard me, but she didn't acknowledge and shuffled into the bathroom sleepy-eyed.
When I stepped outside, I took a deep breath of the cold, clear, mountain air. The milky way was clearly visible. It would be a spectacular morning. I wished I didn't have to work.
The drive to the warehouse was easy since most everyone had off for the traditional Thanksgiving Thursday. Only a skeleton crew volunteered at the warehouse, but I knew there would be plenty to do. The Christmas rush was ramping up and Amazon had a lot of packages to move.
During late November, the sun came up around seven. I happened to be unloading pallets of dog food from a trailer parked at the dock and took a moment to enjoy the sunrise. I looked out over the parking lot and realized how beautiful the day would be. Families celebrating the holiday would be blessed with great weather.
Soon after heading back inside the warehouse, my phone buzzed. Sophie probably needed me to pick up something last minute on my way home. I checked the screen to see what she had written.
In all caps, she had typed just one word:
COME!
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Should Evan have taken Sophie's safety more seriously?
