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“Neighbor,” she corrects. “His name is Arlow—the one getting out of the passenger side.” She nods across the driveway. “He lives alone as far as I know.”
I can’t make out any of his features, but I’m struck by his height as he closes the door and starts toward his house. He must stand over six and a half feet tall.
“I don’t know him personally. The last tenants said he keeps to himself. They lived here for two years and never met him. He comes to the diner occasionally to pick up an order, but he isn’t the type to sit and chat, I suppose. Maybe because he draws some stares.”
“Because he’s so tall?”
“And he appears to have some kind of skin condition on his face. People can be such assholes,” she says, shaking her head. “Anyway, he owns a good chunk of the land behind his place along with everything west of the driveway to the end of the street.”
“He owns the graveyard, then?”
“Yeah, and past it, actually. I know because Mom was looking at buying that property too since it was adjacent to this one, but he beat her to it.”
“How far back does this property go?” I ask.
She nods towards the forest behind the cabin. “If you follow the path into the woods, you’ll find a creek, then a field that was previously used for crops. Mom hires a guy to mow back there a few times per summer so if you hear a motor, it may be him. Keep going and there’s a tiny patch of woods that runs along the edge of a cliff. You don’t want to be out there at night. It’s a sheer drop to a rocky ravine that’s hard to see, even in the moonlight.” She raises her arm to point in the opposite direction of the farmhouse. “If you go to the east through the forest, you’ll hit a wire fence that separates it from the adjacent property owned by the Daltons. No one lives on it anymore.”
We chat for another few minutes before the truck descends the driveway from Arlow’s place, minus the passenger. After he passes and turns back out onto the road, Silver heads for her truck. “Welcome to Sunwood. Stop in the diner sometime. We serve breakfast and dinner all day.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you.”
Once the sound of her motor has faded away, I take a deep breath and just stand there for a moment. It’s so peaceful, if not exactly quiet. The wind makes a soft whooshing sound through the trees, rattling the leaves. Birds sing back and forth. A big bugbuzzes past me. After living my life in cities, this is going to be an adjustment, but I think I’m going to enjoy it.
Most small town businesses close early and there’s shopping to be done, so I waste no time unloading my car. It doesn’t take long. Boxes and bags are all I have. And the container of my mother’s ashes. During the drive, I couldn’t resist peeking back at it a few times. It’s such a comfort to see.
One thing I’m going to like about living here is how efficiently errands can be accomplished. I manage to shop for furniture, get my internet turned on, buy groceries, and stop at a fast food restaurant to pick up dinner before dark.
When I return to the cabin, the sun is starting its descent, stretching the trees’ shadows across the ground. It’s so quiet. A few bats swoop and dive overhead, feasting on bugs. As I turn to go inside for the night, movement catches my eye from the neighbor’s place.
A tall figure walks away from the house. He pauses for a moment, looking up at the sky, then continues without hesitation, winding his way between the headstones. Why is he going into the graveyard at night?
It’s eerie. Unnerving. Goosebumps rise on my arms.
Time to go inside. It’s my first night in a new place. Of course, I’m a little spooked. It’ll be fine.
After dinner, I get my internet working, put on the TV for company, and unpack some bedding, clothes, and bathroom stuff. My last move was much more chaotic, and I got rid of a lot of my possessions. Once the couch is made up with my pillows and a blanket, and I’m freshly showered, I can’t resist stepping outside before bed despite my earlier nervousness.
My breath catches at the sight of the sky. A solid inky expanse, painted with so many stars, it seems impossible it could hold them all. It’s gorgeous.
From this distance, the lighted windows of the farmhouse are visible, but the graveyard has faded into the night. The forest draws a dark boundary around our homes, where the pale moonlight can’t penetrate the canopy.
It’s not scary as I feared.
It’s peaceful. It’s perfect.
One of my first priorities is to find some things to do that will get me out of the house and make me socialize. I’m not going to spend any more time closing myself away like I did for the last two years. It was a nice break after years of working multiple jobs and being surrounded by people—a needed break—but it gets too comfortable. Anxiety I can manage. I don’t want to end up agoraphobic.
Instead of making the pasta I had planned, I decide to have dinner at Lucky’s Diner and Donuts. Silver spots me when I enter the diner and take a seat at the counter. “Hey! Is everything alright?”
“It’s great. I really like the place.”
She beams and slides a menu to me. “Nina will get your order when you’re ready.”
“Thank you.” Someone calls for her and she disappears back into the kitchen.
The dinner rush is dying down, but a few tables are full. Others are being cleared and cleaned. The waitress, Nina, puts in my order then goes to sit at one of the tables, talking and laughing with the customers. It’s odd to be in a place where it seems like everyone knows each other. Like being the new kid at school.
It doesn’t feel unfriendly. Lots of looks, smiles, and nods are tossed my way as people leave, and others come in and out to pick up their orders.
