Echoes of the Vanished Boy

Previously

…The officer nodded. “It’s a very unusual carving, ma’am. Not something you see every day.” Sarah took the bird, her fingers tracing the smooth, cool wood. It felt strangely heavy in her hand. This wasn't a dropped toy. It wasn't an accidental discard. It was a clue. A deliberate offering. A silent message left behind. And as she clutched the tiny bird, a new kind of fear, cold and sharp, pierced through her panic. This wasn't just a child lost. This was a child taken. And the mystery, she knew with a terrifying certainty, was only just beginning. The woods held their breath, and so did Sarah, waiting for the dawn, and for answers that felt increasingly distant and dangerous.