The Shakespeare Garden was silent and still as Matt and I crossed through the hedge into the patch of ground.\u00a0 Snow lay in drifting piles, half burying the wreck the space had become, providing the illusion that perhaps it wasn\u2019t as damaged as I remembered.<\/p>\n
Still, I knew better.<\/p>\n
I could see the footprints in the snow where Phelan had undoubtedly walked, possibly with my brother trailing behind.\u00a0 One of the stone benches had been cleared of snow, facing the ruin of the PAC and the burial ground.\u00a0 I took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.\u00a0 It felt warmer here, somehow.<\/p>\n
Matt reached over and squeezed my arm, his expression grim.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s here,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI know he is.\u00a0 He must be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s all well and good,\u201d I said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cBut how do we find him and bring whatever fragment is here back<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n Matt sucked in a breath.\u00a0 \u201cAt the worst, I can remember finding something to hide in, something to inhabit until I felt safe again.\u00a0 There must be something here that he\u2019d do that with, right?\u201d<\/p>\n I just stared at him for a long moment, brow creasing as I tried to make sense of his words.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust…just trust me, okay?\u00a0 Look for something that would have resonance for Phelan, something that would make him feel…I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Whole.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at him for a moment longer before I sighed and nodded. \u201cRight.\u00a0 Safe and whole.\u201d\u00a0 My eyes skipped over the bench, the broken trellis, the dormant roses and the snow-covered stones toward the old, dark fountain with the Robin Goodfellow finial.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fountain,\u201d Matt and I said in the same breath.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d I murmured, picking my way through the hummocks of snow and buried debris.\u00a0 \u201cFucking Puck,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n As soon as I touched it, I knew.<\/p>\n We\u2019d found him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Shakespeare Garden was silent and still as Matt and I crossed through the hedge into the patch of ground.\u00a0 Snow lay in drifting piles, half burying the wreck the space had become, providing the illusion that perhaps it wasn\u2019t … Continue reading