Pride

1

He reached the pier across the Silky River after he searched for a few hours. As her siblings said she'd been visiting the place, he figured she might be there. Her house, their favorite snack bar — he'd been to both. No one had seen her at any places she used to go to. Deborah seemed to have vanished, so Steve checked the pier out. She wasn't there.

Still, a fine notebook called his attention. He opened it and recognized the handwriting right on the first page. He leafed through it and realized it looked like a set of letters she started writing a few months before, as she got home. Only a notebook remained; he believed she intentionally left it. He skipped to the last pages. Her handwriting was ‌unreadable. He felt a chill go through his bones. Dawn was cracking, so he took it home and started reading from the beginning.