The house was before them, crouching low in the overgrown yard. The tallgrass appeared healthier than ever. Thick and vibrant. But their eyes were drawn to the beech tree, the hanging tree, whose twisted branches had been devoid of life last autumn. In the months since, it had experienced a disturbing resurgence. Vibrant strings of green leaves draped its body like living jewelry. Thick vines snaked up its gnarled trunk, wrapping tightly to its splitting bark, holding it together, keeping it whole. A few leaves fluttered free in the light breeze, but the rest stuck tight, the long strands of
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