Wendy places one hand on my shoulder now. With her other, she reaches out into the sea of faces. Hands reach back, grasping her. Grasping me. Crawling over my shoulders, layering atop one another, knuckle on palm on wrist, so that I’m knotted into the center of a monstrous, heavy huddle. It happens so quickly I can’t even think about running. And then it all goes quiet. All the eyes close. All sound ceases except for the crackling fire and the calls of loons off the lake. I am overcome with the urge to shout into the silence. I don’t want more silence surrounding Caroline. I’m going to be
...more
