October 8, 2023 – 6:18 PM
The grass crunched softly beneath Lin's boots as she crossed the field.
The casserole dish was still warm through the thick oven mitt wrapped around it.
Halfway to the property line, one of the children spotted her.
"Dad!"
The youngest boy pointed excitedly.
"The neighbor's coming!"
Mike looked up from unfolding a camping table.
He smiled.
"Evening."
"Evening."
Lin stopped a few feet from the trailers.
Close enough to talk.
Far enough not to intrude.
She lifted the casserole dish slightly.
"My mom made too much lasagna."
She smiled.
"She thought moving day probably wasn't the best time to cook."
Karen's face immediately softened.
"That's incredibly thoughtful."
Mike looked genuinely surprised.
"You really didn't have to do that."
"We know."
Lin laughed.
"She wasn't taking no for an answer."
Karen smiled knowingly.
"Moms are like that."
"They are."
Mike accepted the dish carefully.
It was heavier than he expected.
"Please thank her for us."
"I will."
The smell of grilled hamburgers drifted from a portable barbecue.
Cardboard boxes sat stacked outside both trailers.
Coolers.
Plastic storage bins.
Folding chairs.
The organized chaos of moving.
Karen brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"We're still trying to figure out which box has the plates."
Lin looked toward the mountain of boxes.
"Good luck."
Karen laughed.
"At this point..."
She shrugged.
"...I'm just happy we found the coffee maker."
"That's usually the important one."
Mike grinned.
"See?"
He looked toward Karen.
"I told you."
The youngest boy limped over carefully.
His fresh bandage peeked out beneath his pant leg.
Helen's work.
He smiled shyly at Lin.
"Hi."
"Hi."
She crouched slightly so they were closer to eye level.
"How's your leg feeling?"
He thought about it.
"Better."
"Still hurts."
"That's normal."
He nodded as though that made perfect sense.
Karen gently rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Say thank you."
The little boy looked at his bandage.
Then back at Lin.
"Thank your mom."
Lin smiled.
"I'll tell her."
The older brother wandered over carrying two cans of soda.
He offered one to Mike before opening the other himself.
He still had fresh scrapes across both palms.
Lin noticed they hadn't been cleaned particularly well.
Tiny bits of gravel still clung near one edge of a bandage.
Mike noticed her glance.
He smiled casually.
"Kids bounce back."
Lin smiled politely.
"Usually."
She left it there.
There wasn't any point pushing.
Not today.
Karen looked toward Lin's property.
The farmhouse lights glowed warmly through the trees.
The hotel stood beyond it, surrounded by workers finishing up for the day.
She smiled quietly.
"It's beautiful here."
Lin followed her gaze.
"That's one of the reasons I bought it."
Karen nodded.
"Feels..."
She searched for the right word.
"...safe."
The word caught Lin's attention.
Safe.
Not peaceful.
Not quiet.
Safe.
Karen seemed to realize it too.
She laughed softly.
"Listen to me."
"I sound ridiculous."
"No."
Lin answered honestly.
"I know what you mean."
Karen smiled.
A genuine one this time.
Mike looked toward the hotel.
"You've got a lot going on over there."
"Trying to."
He whistled.
"That place must've cost a fortune to renovate."
Lin laughed.
"Don't remind me."
Mike grinned.
"Construction's never finished."
Richard had said almost the exact same thing a week earlier.
Lin smiled.
"I'm starting to believe that."
One of the trailer doors opened.
The little girl appeared carrying three mismatched paper plates.
She looked at her father.
"Daddy..."
"Can we eat now?"
Mike laughed.
"Yeah."
He ruffled her hair.
"We can eat now."
Karen looked back toward Lin.
"Thank you again."
She held up the casserole.
"This probably just became tomorrow's dinner too."
"That's what leftovers are for."
Karen smiled.
"We'll return the dish."
Lin nodded.
"No rush."
She turned to leave.
As she reached the fence line, she glanced back one last time.
Mike had already cut generous portions of lasagna onto the children's plates before serving himself.
The younger boy smiled so widely his earlier tears seemed forgotten.
Lin smiled back and turned to leave.
As she reached the fence line, she paused and looked back.
Mike was already setting paper plates on the folding table.
Karen was helping the youngest boy into a camping chair so he wouldn't have to stand on his sore leg.
The older children were wandering toward the edge of the property again, curiosity pulling them toward the neighboring fields.
Lin smiled politely.
"One more thing."
Both Mike and Karen looked up.
"Sure." Mike said.
Lin gestured toward the hotel behind her.
The sounds of construction still echoed across the property.
A nail gun fired.
A forklift backed up with a warning beep.
Workers carried lumber between the buildings.
"We've got construction going every day for a while."
She pointed toward the temporary fencing surrounding the work areas.
"There are trucks coming and going heavy equipment..."
"...building materials stacked around the site."
She smiled warmly at the children.
"I'd really appreciate it if the kids stayed on your side of the property unless one of us is with them."
Karen immediately nodded.
"Of course."
Lin glanced toward the youngest boy's bandaged leg.
"I'd rather not have a repeat of today."
Mike looked toward the construction crews across the fence.
Then back at his children.
He gave a single nod.
"Fair enough."
He raised his voice just enough for the children to hear.
"You three hear that?"
The teenagers looked over.
The youngest boy stopped halfway through climbing onto a tree stump.
"Until Ms. Zhang's construction is finished..."
Mike pointed toward Lin's property.
"...nobody crosses the fence without permission."
Three voices answered at once.
"Okay!"
Karen smiled apologetically.
"They're curious."
Lin laughed softly.
"I'd be worried if they weren't."
She gave them one last smile.
"Welcome to Maple Creek."
Karen returned the smile.
"Thank you."
Lin turned and headed back across the field.
Behind her, she heard Mike directing the children toward the picnic table for dinner.
The conversation faded into the evening breeze.
As she walked home, Lin felt a little better.
Children were naturally curious.
Construction sites weren't.
Hopefully...
Today's accident would be the last one.
October 8, 2023 – 10:34 PM
The farmhouse was dark except for the small lamp beside Lin's bed. She sat cross-legged on the floor with her notebook open. A pencil rested between her fingers.
Today's date filled the top of the page.
October 8
She slowly reviewed everything that had happened.
Not because she expected trouble.
Because details faded with time.
She refused to let important ones disappear.
She wrote neatly.
Neighbor moved in.
• Mike Carter
• Karen Carter
• Three children
• Two fifth-wheel trailers
• Construction background
She paused.
Then continued.
Observations
• Organized move.
• Temporary generator installed immediately.
• Utilities planned before unpacking.
• Food-grade barrels.
• Evening equipment check.
None of those meant anything by themselves.
She turned the pencil over in her hand.
Then added another line.
Karen almost said something before correcting herself.
Lin stopped writing.
She replayed the conversation again.
"It'll be nice letting them run around while they still..."
Then...
"While the weather's still nice."
Maybe she had simply misspoken.
Maybe.
Lin drew a small question mark beside the note.
Nothing more.
No assumptions.
Only observations.
Next...
She wrote another heading.
Medical
• Youngest boy—deep abrasion.
• Older boy—scraped palms.
• Mom recommended urgent care.
• Father declined.
Lin frowned.
That bothered her more than she cared to admit.
Not because Mike disagreed.
Parents made decisions every day.
It was how quickly he'd decided.
Almost as though he had already weighed the risk...
And dismissed it.
She tapped the pencil lightly against the notebook.
Perhaps he disliked hospitals.
Perhaps money was tight after buying the property.
Perhaps it was nothing.
Another question mark.
No conclusions.
She underlined it once.
She closed the notebook and stood.
Instead of climbing into bed, she quietly walked downstairs.
The farmhouse was completely silent.
She unlocked the pantry door.
The motion-sensitive light flickered on.
Rows of shelves greeted her.
Perfectly organized.
She walked each aisle slowly.
Rice.
Beans.
Canned vegetables.
Cooking oil.
Salt.
Medical supplies.
Nothing had changed since the previous night's inventory.
Still...
She checked.
One habit reinforced another.
When she finished, she quietly closed the pantry door.
Before heading upstairs again, Lin stopped beside the kitchen window.
Outside...
The security lights illuminated the driveway.
Beyond the pastures...
A single porch light still glowed on the neighboring property.
One trailer had gone dark.
The other remained lit.
She couldn't make out any movement from this distance.
Only the warm rectangle of light against the night.
Eventually...
That light switched off too.
Darkness settled over both farms.
Lin checked the deadbolt on the back door.
Then the front.
Both secure.
She smiled faintly.
Richard always checked before bed.
So did General Fang.
She had simply made it a habit to check after them.
Old instincts were difficult to silence.
Back upstairs, she set the notebook on her nightstand.
Tomorrow would be the final day before the large deliveries.
One more chance to prepare.
One more chance to catch anything she'd forgotten.
She reached over and switched off the lamp.
The room fell into darkness.
Outside...
The autumn wind stirred the maple leaves.
Inside...
The farmhouse remained quiet.
Exactly the way she liked it.