Levi’s mind was blank as he marched off into the woods. It didn’t take long to feel wrapped in the familiar existence of the past three years. He wanted the rest of the world to disappear, except he knew that Grandma Daley wouldn’t be waiting at the cabin. A shiver swept through his body when he thought about staying there for days, weeks, even months alone.

He tried to sweep from his mind the idea that she wouldn’t be returning to Lone Cedar Lake. Unfortunately, his mental image of the helpless old woman confined to a hospital bed barely able to speak didn’t offer much hope for a future in the little cabin in the woods. He wasn’t sure if she would ever leave the hospital. Returning to the woods was a huge leap beyond that.

As Levi pushed his canoe into the first lake and dipped his paddle into the water, a sensation of calm swept over his body and mind. He was back in the world of water, pine trees, stone, and the ever-present loons. It was the only environment that never let him down. It was the closest to home that he’d ever known.

The time passed quickly on the trip back to the cabin. Levi stopped himself from thinking about Brandon. There would be plenty of time for that in the future. Instead, he focused on what he could do for Grandma Daley. He wondered if there was anything else he could gather up from her bedroom that would make her feel more at home in the hospital. She smiled when Brandon set her favorite books on the table by the side of her bed.

When Levi returned to the dock, there were no signs of any other human presence. The grassy undergrowth continued to flourish along the path between the dock and the cabin. One of the first things Levi noticed when he stepped into the clearing was the pieces of chopped wood scattered around the woodpile. He hadn’t taken the time to stack everything neatly the last time Brandon helped chop wood.

Levi found salami and hard cheese in the small refrigerator charged by the generator. He bought it for sandwiches knowing that it would keep much longer than standard lunchmeat and American cheese. A few slices of sandwich bread remained wrapped tightly beneath the salami and cheese.

Sitting at the table, Levi suddenly realized that he was exhausted. He decided to eat the quick sandwich and then climb into bed for a nap. It was only mid-afternoon, but the need for sleep nipped at his heels.

Levi awoke at 11:00 p.m. disoriented and yelling out for his grandmother. He sat up, opened his eyes, and remembered that she was almost fifty miles away in a hospital. Fishing a flashlight out of the nightstand, he climbed out of bed and padded his way to the bathroom before lighting a kerosene lamp to chase away more of the darkness.

He wanted to leave early in the morning for the long trip back to the hospital. Instead of going back to bed, Levi decided to look around Grandma Daley’s bedroom for items to take in a pack in the canoe.

The light of the lamp didn’t spread far into the murky dark filling the cabin. Levi walked gingerly through the small house to avoid stumbling over unseen objects or furniture. He found his way to Grandma Daley’s dresser. He wondered if she would like to see any of her jewelry. Years after Grandpa was gone, she still wore necklaces and frequently added on clip-on earrings even though Levi was the only person who would see them.

She stored her small jewelry box in the top drawer of her dresser. Levi remembered standing behind her as she tried on earrings and assessed their appearance in the mirror attached to the wall. The drawer squeaked as it opened. Peering through the dim light, Levi reached in to lift the box out. The drawer also contained scarves, an old hairbrush, and three lipstick tubes. Levi set the jewelry box on the top of the dresser and reached down to close the drawer.

As he slowly pushed the drawer closed, Levi spotted something unusual. It looked like the corner of an envelope poking out from beneath a tangle of two brightly-colored scarves. Levi reached in and drew it out. In the low light, he read the name, “Walter,” on the front scrawled in Grandma Daley’s handwriting.

He couldn’t remember ever seeing the envelope before. Levi pushed the jewelry box to one side of the surface of the dresser and laid the envelope beside it. It was stiff and brittle with age. He speculated that it was hiding away in the furniture for years. Levi set the lamp on the surface of the dresser as close to the envelope as possible. He lifted the flap with trembling fingers. He found a folded, yellowed sheet of ruled notebook paper inside.

Levi unfolded the paper on top of the dresser. The handwritten script was scratchy and difficult to read in the dim light. Levi turned the flashlight on to provide as much light as possible for reading. By the time he reached the last sentences, he didn’t want to read the rest, but he forced himself to digest the meaning of the entire message. He read:

With the fragile letter gripped tight in his right hand, Levi stumbled backward to the bed. He released the sheet of yellowed paper and let it float to the floor as he lowered his head into his hands. Levi whispered, “No.”

He didn’t know how long he sat sobbing with his head in his hands. He wasn’t sure why he cried either. Perhaps it was for the fracturing of his grandparents’ all-encompassing love for each other. Perhaps it was for Grandma Daley’s sickness. Maybe some of the tears were even for Brandon.

Once the tears ceased, Levi folded the letter and placed it back into the envelope. He gathered some of the prettiest pieces of jewelry and carefully packed them up. A few minutes later, he paddled his canoe into the center of Lone Cedar Lake.