Three Green Notebooks Left in a Cedar Chest on Elm Street

of the plank.

He did not seem surprised to see me sitting there, merely reaching for a clean rag to wipe his hands. He rubbed his thumb against his palm, his eyes tracking the grain of the cedar.

“The wood is dry enough to work now,” he said, his voice low and steady. “It will make a good table.”

“It has a beautiful color,” I said, leaning back against continue reading …