The magical journey of a countryside boy

Rob looks at the sorry state of his wife, tightens his grip over her shoulder, and pulls her closer. Her crying and self-doubt sends a deep ache down his heart.

​“You are not selfish, Gretchen,” he replies softly. “You just don’t want to lose him. And believe me, neither do I.”

​He wraps his arms around her. Gretchen buries her face deeply into his chest and finally breaks, weeping openly as her shoulders tremble while catching breaths.

​“I just want him to be safe, Rob,” Gretchen sobs against his shirt. “I just want him to be safe.”

​“I know. I know,” Rob says gently, stroking her hair as he stares down the empty path. “I want him to be safe too. But we can’t protect him forever, Gretchen. He has to leave one day to grow and make his own family.”

But he is still so young,” Gretchen says, her voice trembling as she pulls away slightly to look up into Rob’s face. “I am scared. What if something happens to him? And what about that stranger?”

​“I am scared about it too,” Rob admits softly, holding her gaze. “And as for that guy, we will go and meet with him ourselves. We have to pass through Arindale anyway if we want to get to Riverstead safely.”

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​Meanwhile, back in the small bedroom, the silence is torturous.

​William sits at the edge of his straw bed with his hands clamped tightly between his knees. He hears the distant clatter of his brothers, Matt and Craig, quietly clearing away the broken dishes in the kitchen. The complete silence in the house feels like a massive weight pressing down on his chest.

‘​I ruined everything,’ he thinks, staring blankly at the rough wooden floorboards.

‘​I know she loves me and wants to protect me,’ he tells himself, his chest tightening with guilt. ‘But I don’t want to be protected all the time. I want to grow strong enough to take care of her, too.’

​His internal thoughts get interrupted as the sound of the main door clicking open echoes through the hallway.

The soft sound of walking on the floorboards echoes like the hammering of iron to him. William stands up from his bed, his heart hammering against his ribs in an erratic beat.

But the shouting and screaming never come; instead, a gentle knock breaks the terrifying silence.

​William swallows the lump in his throat, steps forward, and pulls the door open.

​Uncle Rob quickly enters the room, closes the door behind him, and gives William a tired but warm smile.

​“We will be leaving for Arindale the day after tomorrow to move to Riverstead,” Rob says, staring intently at William’s face. “And as for your job, we will talk about it after meeting with that stranger in Arindale.”

William blinks, the tension completely draining from his shoulders as he looks at Rob in surprise. ”Okay,” he says, softly with a genuine gratitude filling his voice. ”Thank you”