Age 12
I saw him today. A man sitting in the forest,
where the trees bend low and the fog curls thick.
He wasn’t from the clan. His cloak was plain,
his beard too long, his eyes too tired.
I thought he would tell me to go back.
He didn’t. He just looked at the water,
like he was listening to something I couldn’t hear.
I didn’t speak either. I only watched.
The silence felt strange at first,
but not heavy like the elders make it.
It was quiet in a way that didn’t hurt.
I don’t know who he is.
But tomorrow, I think I’ll go back.
— Orryn, Age 12
