Liam squatted down and studied the wooden plaque carefully. There was no doubt that this was Quentin's
handwriting.
He had been one of the most favored children in the Lambert family, and Quentin had personally taught him how
to write. Liam could recognize Quentin's lettering instantly.
He brushed sof the snow away from around the grave marker and called over his shoulder, "Dr. Coleman,
this isn't someone from your family, right? Is it someone from mine? But why didn't my dad ever mention we
have a relative buried out here?"
Wyatt's expression stiffened, his gaze darting away. "Liam, con. Snow's picking up again. If we don't get
moving, the path up the mountain will be impossible."
But Liam wasn't ready to let it go. He leaned in, squinting at the smaller lettering near the bottom of the plaque,
until Wyatt suddenly tugged him upright by the basket strap on his back.
"That's enough. Quentin never mentioned this person to you, so clearly, they weren't important. Let's go," Wyatt
insisted.
Still unsure, Liam got to his feet and followed Wyatt up the snowy trail.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
The storm had picked up. By the tthey reached the herbs, they'd been hiking for over an hour.
On the way back down, Liam sniffled and rubbed his nose. "Dr. Coleman, can you tellmore about my dad? |
only know bits and pieces-he started running a street stall and worked his way up. Did he do anything big around
here?"
Wyatt pushed aside a snow-covered branch as he spoke. "Quentin was a good man. Everyone here liked him.
These roads? He built most of them himself. When your sister Grace was very sick, he cleared and rebuilt dozens
of paths-hoping that he could earn skind of blessing by doing good."
Liam suddenly remembered that Grace had been sick a lot as a kid. He barely saw her. She was always in
treatment or being shuttled between hospitals.
It was a miracle she'd pulled through.
Back at Wyatt's place, they began processing the herbs, a task that took the rest of the afternoon.
By the tLiam had his bunch of medicine ready, the sky was already going dark. He was planning to leave
soon-it wasn't far from where he'd been told to visit.
But Wyatt stopped him. "The snow's gotten heavier. It's better to stay the night and leave first thing. If your car
gets stuck out there, there's no one to help you."
Liam looked outside. The snow really was piling up again. He nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Dr. Coleman. And hey,
earlier you mentioned Grace was really sick as a kid... | remember she and Dad coming to Bensville and staying
for a long time, right? A whole year?"
Wyatt's hand paused as he chopped vegetables. "Yeah, your dad ctowhen he was out of options. The
hospital had already issued a critical notice-he was desperate, figured he had nothing to lose, so he gavea
shot."
"You saved her? For real? The hospitals couldn't help, but you did?"
Wyatt suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Don't be silly," he muttered, turning away to light the stove.
Liam didn't push it. Instead, he helped set the fire.
That night, after dinner, Wyatt set him up in a guest room. The snow had stopped, but the mountain air was
bone-chilling cold.
In the middle of the night, Wyatt stirred. Something felt off.
He grabbed a flashlight and peered out the frosted window. In the distance, by the mound covered by daisies,
someone was standing completely still.
His heart skipped a beat.
After throwing on a coat, he grabbed the flashlight and rushed outside. "Liam?"
As he got closer, he saw that it really was Liam, standing silently in front of the small grave.
"What are you doing out here? It's the middle of the night!" Wyatt scolded, panting a little. "You scared the life
out of me. | thought | was seeing ghosts!"
Liam glanced over his shoulder and rubbed his eyes. "Sorry. | couldn't fall asleep.
| just needed to clear my head. I'm heading back in to get srest now."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked toward the house.
Wyatt stood there for a while, eyes drifting back to the grave.
He didn't know if Liam had seen those tiny carved words. But his gut told him...
he probably had. He then let out a sigh.