The Forest Keeper

Prologue: IN WHICH A Keeper is Chosen

Tuesday, October 16th

The rain pattered on the windowpane, mirroring the tears that fell down Kaylie Alton's little face. The dark of night obscured the clouds above, but the rain itself was easy to see in the light of the lampposts lining the driveway.

Kaylie rested her elbows on the sill and placed her chin on top of her folded hands. She watched the rain fall, watched it drip, drip, drip down the glass of her window. On any other night, the rain would have helped her fall asleep. This night, though, there was no hope of sleep. Not with her mother gone.

"Kaylie?"

She turned to see her father standing in her doorway. He wrung his hat in his hands with a worried frown on his face. Once she saw it was him, and once she saw the emotion on his face and in his eyes, she turned back to the window. She sniffled, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her nightgown.

Her father, Kyle Alton, walked across the room to her side and sat down in a chair beside her. He put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Kaylie. I wish there was something I could have done for her."

She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could hide her tears. The words of the doctors, the ones they wish she hadn't heard, echoed through her mind: "I'm sorry, Mr. Alton, but the tumors are so far advanced that there's nothing more we can do. We've tried chemo and radiation, and nothing is working. She's going, too fast. We can't do anything more for her."

"They did what they could. It was time for her to go. You heard what the doctors said." He rubbed her shoulder. "I'm sorry, girly. I'm so sorry."

Her nose wrinkled as she fell apart in sobs, falling against her father's chest. "Why did she leave? Why did she have to leave?" she cried, hiccupping. "Why would God let this happen to us? We didn't do anything wrong!"

"Sometimes," Kyle whispered with tears in his voice, "God lets bad things happen to good people. It's His way of reminding us that we are here to learn and grow, not just to have fun." He sighed. "You are young, Kaylie. I don't expect you to understand right away. Just... Just remember how much God and Mommy love you. Always and forever." He kissed the side of her head. "You need to get some sleep, baby girl. You have school in the morning, and you should tell Mrs. Cooper that you'll be gone for the next little while. You remember what we talked about?"

She nodded, still crying. They were going to take her mother's body to a cemetery between Aspen and Grand Junction, Colorado, where the rest of the Berkeleys were buried. There, they would have a wonderful graveside service and a nice funeral. It's what Mom would have wanted...

Kyle kissed her head again and rubbed her shoulder. "Love you. Get some sleep." He let her go and stood up so he could leave.

Kaylie grabbed his hand and looked up at him. "Daddy... Will you read me a story? Like Mommy used to do?" she asked, tears still burning her eyes. "Please, Daddy? I'll go right to sleep."

He smiled, a watery thing that made his face look tight. "What would you like me to read?" he asked, squeezing her hand.

"We were reading Harry Potter."

He smiled and picked her up. "Of course you were," he sighed, kissing her cheek. She could feel the tears on his nose as he held her tightly. "Come on. Where is the book?" he asked as he set her on her bed.

She reached under the bed and took out the old, dearly loved copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. She looked at it for a second, and then started to cry again. She held the book against her chest. "I miss Mom," she sobbed, almost falling forward. "I miss her..."