A beginning.

in , , ,

The forest hushed but for the sound of breaking pine needles beneath his feet. Nothing breathed. The noise left a vacuum. The absence of sound filled his ears. The boy stepped forward again and nodded towards the tree stump. Atop it sat a squirrel, rusty, suspicious, tail curled over the top of its head. Its black eyes marked the child.

He took another step.

A horn sounded in the distance, piercing the air, filling the vacuum. The squirrel was gone.

The boy froze.