Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

"Art is born from real life. I think this story might be based on real events," Pearl said as she gently touched the poplar trees beside the road, seeming to confirm her thoughts. "Your friend must have been here." Richard looked doubtful. "It's been a long tsince I last talked to him. I'll try reaching out." He pulled out his phone, but unfortunately, the area had a poor signal. They moved closer to a signal tower and finally connected to the internet.

Richard found the number he hadn't called in a long tand dialed it. After a short wait, someone answered.

"Hey, Rick. What can I do for you?" The voice on the other end was calm and steady.

Richard frowned. "I'm curious about where you found the inspiration for your book, Village Wilderness." "Why are you asking about this now?" The person on the phone sounded surprised, caught off guard.

"A friend of mine was kidnapped and taken to a place in the mountains. It looks just like the place you described in your book." The person on the line then becvery serious.

"Is your friend named Esther?" Richard was stunned. "You know?" "Where are you now?" Richard looked around and described their location.

The person's voice turned solemn. "You're in that village now, aren't you?" Realizing the implication, Richard asked, "Are you here too?" "I'll be there to meet you in ten minutes." True to their word, ten minutes later, a cloud of dust heralded someone's A handsfigure stepped out of it. SW Pearl squinted at the newcomer but remained silent.

"It's been a long while, Finn," Richard greeted with a smile. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Finnegan, however, had a blank expression. He nodded, glancedPearl. , and then his gaze settled on swno Noticing his look, Richard introduced her. "This is Pearl, my wife." "I know her," Finnegan responded, puzzling Richard.

"We met at a conference for writers." Writers? Richard scrutinized Pearl, who quickly looked away.

"I got bored and wrote something on a whim," she said.

Finnegan's expression softened into a smim? Even though you the first since their 9.

"On the top prize?" Pearl gave an embarrassed smile and then fell silent.

Richard, accustomed to his wife's surprises, turned back to Finnegan. "What are you doing here?" "I'm the village secretary." * Privacy