Chapter 9
The Oak Tree's Embrace
Beneath the ancient oak, a loose stone catches Maya's eye. Elara remembers placing something precious there for safekeeping, a memory now resurfacing.
The air, thick with the scent of damp earth and sun-warmed leaves, seemed to hum with a quiet anticipation. Elara, Leo, and Maya stood at the foot of the grand old oak tree, its branches reaching out like gnarled, welcoming arms. It was a tree that had seen generations of Strumilaite children climb its sturdy limbs, whisper secrets into its rough bark, and undoubtedly, lose a fair few marbles in its sprawling roots. Today, however, the oak was the focal point of a very different kind of search.
“Right,” Elara declared, her voice a little shaky but still brimming with its usual sparkle. She tapped a finger against her temple, a familiar gesture when her memory was playing hide-and-seek. “I’m sure I put it somewhere safe. Somewhere… woody.”
Leo, ever the explorer, was already circling the tree, his eyes scanning the ground with the intensity of a treasure hunter. “Woody? Like, under a log, Grandma?” he asked, kicking at a pile of decaying leaves with the toe of his sneaker.
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