The Return of the Novice

ow for a long moment before moving. The station hadn't changed - not really. The faded blue benches, the crooked clock o

this platform, she had been unsure, naïve - a girl desperate to escape shadows she hadn't yet understood

ne tiles. Familiar voices floated from the distance - vendors calling, a train whistle far o

ay of her return. She wasn't sure if she wanted a welcome, not yet. Part o

ouse on the hill - Lorna's house - where warm bread had once filled the air and wisdom came wrappe

cided what she wo

ect - she couldn't tell. Her fingers grazed the bark of one gnarled tree, memories prickling the surface: laughter, arg

noticed someon

wore - observant, hesitant, hungry for something unnamed. Their eyes met, and something passed between them. Recogn

reached the front gate of Mrs. Lorna's house, the sun

ed before she

rs. Lorna said w

otion as she stepped inside