“My 76-Year-Old Grandpa Took Me Into the Woods Every Day and Made Me Undress Until I Was Half-Naked. But One Day, My Mother Secretly Followed Us and Heard Strange Screams Coming From Deep Inside the Forest. When She Got Closer and Saw What We Were Actually Doing, Her Heart Couldn’t Take It. She Fell to Her Knees and Burst Into Tears…”

They laughed over old memories.

They cried over the years they had lost.

Sometimes they fell silent, simply looking at each other as though they were afraid the other might disappear if they looked away for too long.

At one point, Mary turned toward me.

“So you’re Emily.”

I smiled shyly.

“You remember me?”

“Of course I do. I saw pictures of you when you were little. Your mother used to talk about the day she found out she was pregnant.”

My mother laughed softly.

“You remember that?”

“I remember everything you told me.”

Mary reached for my hand.

“Thank you for helping your grandfather bring me here.”

I looked down.

“I’m sorry I was so frightened. I thought something terrible was going on.”

“You had every right to be frightened,” she said gently. “Your grandfather should have explained more to you.”

Then she squeezed my hand.

“But I am grateful you helped him. This place means a great deal to me.”