Chapter Fifty Seven

Eira

"I need to explain some things to you," Aunt Meg continued.

We had moved inside the cottage so I sat on the cozy living room couch, and my heart was racing as Aunt Meg began to speak. Her eyes held a mixture of excitement and unease, and I could tell that she was about to reveal something incredible to me, something that would surely send shivers down my spine. I could feel it.

"Eira," she called out. Her voice was hushed as though she was sharing a long-held secret. "I need to tell you something. It's something I have kept hidden from you for a while now about Hana."

As she finished speaking, her gaze shifted to the antique clock on the wall as its pendulum swung back and forth in a rhythmic and hypnotic motion.

I leaned forward as my curiosity and apprehension grew by the second, so I asked, "What is it, Aunt Meg?"

Aunt Meg took a deep breath, as she fidgeted with her hands in her lap before she began to speak. "Some months ago, I was out by the old farm on the outskirts of tow