Page 14 of When the Woods Go Silent

CHAPTER SEVEN

ROSE

By late afternoon, I've completely reorganized and cleaned the biography and memoir room and compiled a long list of new titles to stock, but really I'm just watching the clock impatiently until it's time for Ruby to get back.

I’m already restless when a text message comes through.

Ugh stuck in traffic jam, eta after 6 now

Huffing out a sigh of defeat, I grab my bag and a handful of new books. I lock up the shop and head out to one of the local coffee shops, hoping the different ambiance will distract me until Ruby arrives.

A cloudy sky makes sitting outside a chilly option, so I settle into a small booth inside, which is empty at this time of day. The barista wanders the room, wiping down tables and looking bored, and as she nears my booth, her eyes scan my stacked titles.

“Are you in town for some ghost hunting?” she asks with a grin, pointing to the one on top.

I put down the smutty time-travel I’d been looking at and pick it up instead. It’sSpirits of Clearwater, and I didn’t even realize I’d grabbed it.

“Any good ones to see around here?” I ask, happy to have an actual conversation with someone close to my age.

She leans against a table, tucking her pink hair behind one ear. “Well, that book is shit - I’ve read it before. But there’s one story in it worth checking out. ‘Sweet Dreamer.’ Definitely something there, if you’re here to find a ghost.”

I skim the table of contents and find the story, but she’s already launching into her own version.

“The woods at night are usually full of raccoons, deer, whatever, right? But when everything goes silent, people say you can hear the Dreamer singing. Kind of like the Pied Piper. And if you hear it, you start to follow it.”

“Sounds like a siren,” I say, thinking of mythology.

“Yeah, except the Dreamer only sings to sleeping people. She climbs in your mind at night, calling to you through your dreams. And you sleepwalk your ass straight into the forest, never to be seen again.”

Her grin is infectious, and I already know I’ll be reading the story later.

“And there’s actual evidence, or something?” I ask, flipping the pages and seeing some supposed first-hand accounts.

“There’s a list of people who have gone missing over the years. Tourists, mainly. Hard to track and prove, so we get to keep our rep as a safe little vacation town. But yeah, there are a few people who woke up before they got too deep in the forest. They’re in that book.” She gestures to the page I have pinned open.

“I’ve had the dream before,” she boasts. “A few times, but it always ended with my mom shaking me awake before I could make it out the door.”

“Sounds creepy,” I say, and she nods, lifting an eyebrow in agreement. “I’m Rose, by the way. My friend and I just bought the old bookshop.”

“Oh, awesome. Got any horror? I only read that. Oh, and I’m Abby.”

“We have a few things, but I’ll definitely stay on the lookout for more. Let me know if you have any favorite titles I should stock.”

“For sure.” She nods, the ring in her eyebrow glinting. Before we can continue our conversation, a young couple comes in, and Abby heads to the counter to take their orders. It feels good to have made a connection - I need to get out and meet more of the locals, get to know our neighbors better before the season starts and we’re even busier.

I start the “Sweet Dreamer” story, but I’m only a few paragraphs in when another text from Ruby comes in.

Moving again, 20 min and I’m freaking starving I want pizza nowwww

I snort and open the app for the pizza place we’ve been using way too often, placing our standard order. I give Abby a little wave as I collect my books and coffee, heading eagerly back to the bookshop.

The delivery driver is just pulling away when Ruby's black car slides into a parking spot across the street.

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