In the moment of death

The voice was all that was on his mind. Her voice. The clarity and peculiarity. It had been as though he were submerged in an ocean, and her voice was what led him to the shore. He wanted to hear it again. His body longed for it, and his heart ached for it.

It was still black outside, but he had heard Sophie climb up some moments ago. He thought about meeting her but thought against it. Still, his body could not lie still.

He had tossed and turned and turned and tossed, but no position or angle was good enough for him. Alice's story was compelling, yet he did not want it to finish. It scared him to think of what he was going to find there.

What happened to Alice? Did she die then or later? Did they ever find her body? How does it all connect to Sophie? He longed to know, and he knew he had all the answers in his hand, yet he could not bring himself to finish it.

Sophie’s voice, too, was in the corner of his mind. Playing and replaying. He was sure of what he had heard and the