What Lies in the Woods

by Kate Alice Marshall

There is a wilderness in little girls. We could not contain it. It made magic of the rain and a temple of the forest.

I’d crawled across the forest floor because in my blood loss–addled brain, I was trying to get away from the pain, like I could leave it behind if I got far enough.

supposed to trust anyone ever again?” “That’s the thing about trust, isn’t it?” Ethan said. “You gather all the evidence you can, use your brain, weigh character and past actions. But the final inch of it—that’s faith. Trust means believing in someone. It’s not just a conclusion. It’s a choice.”