Hiding in Daylight

Chapter 3

A sense of dread washed over Lena, as she drove down the narrow street, leading to their neighboring town. The questions around her daughter Lily kept lingering in her mind, keeping her nights occupied with restless turns in her bed. She hadn't gotten closer to figuring out the proper way of raising her, and she was wondering if there even was a proper answer to find.

On both sides of the street, were wide open fields and at the end of the asphalt road, drew a wall of trees closer. Seeing a gaping wound in its side, Lena recalled a storm that had passed by their area a few years back. "I can't believe they still haven't fixed everything. Just look at this, all those trees knocked over in this area. If I didn't know any better, I would have believed some giant dashing through it."

As she passed into the forest, she could see the damages more closely. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves, and the sky above was a brooding mass of dark clouds, threatening another downpour at any moment. Even in the denser parts along the road, she should clearly see all the trees laying around. 

In between the dead wood, the sparse sun rays reflected in the pounds that had grown in the untamed areas. It gave insight to the old marshes laying dormant underneath, waiting to break out from the human crafted structures.

"I wonder if this is how it's gonna be now", Lena pondered, seeing all the destruction around her, "is that the world we are leaving our kids? Maybe that's the problem and I haven't been active enough making this world a better place. I don't want to imagine how bad everything will get when all this climate change keeps up."

After another couple of minutes of driving through the dark forest, she broke back out into the open and saw the first houses of Kalberbach appeared. The recent rain had left the fields sodden and waterlogged, turning the rich earth into a patchwork of muddy puddles and glistening grass.

She drove along the periphery of the town and soon, the house of her good friend Oliver was visible at the end of the road. They had agreed to meet up for coffee after a few months of not seeing each other, so Lena was excited about all the catching up they had to do.

Finally, she turned onto the gravel driveway that led to Oliver's house, the crunch of stones beneath her tires echoing through the quiet countryside. The house itself was a quaint cottage nestled among a cluster of trees, its windows glowing warmly in the fading light of the afternoon.

As she pulled up to the old farmhouse, she noticed there was besides his car another unfamiliar one. "Hm, I wonder if one of his patients is still here," Lena wondered.

She decided to check out the praxis on the ground floor and headed to the building. She squished her eyes from the setting sun. As she reached the front porch, Lena noticed a sign beside the door that read "Oliver Hartmann, Dentist." in neat, elegant lettering. She smiled to herself, as she pushed open the door, stepping into the warm embrace of the house.

Inside, the familiar scent of antiseptic greeted her, along with the gentle hum of dental equipment and the soft murmur of voices coming from the back of the house.

Pushing open the door, Lena stepped into the bright, well-lit waiting room, looking around to see if she could find Oliver. As her eyes wandered, she noticed the empty desk. As she settled into the comfortable chair in the waiting room of Oliver's dental practice, she couldn't help but notice the absence of the usual receptionist, Timon. The desk was empty, the computer screen dark, and there were no sounds of typing or phone calls echoing through the room.

"He must be already off to lunch and finished all the usual cleaning. I just hope Olli doesn't have to stay much longer cleaning up a mess."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Lena heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the hallway. The door to the treatment rooms swung open, and Oliver emerged, his wide smile greeted her.