At first, I thought I had everything under control. It was hard being a single dad. Nevertheless, I tried to clear my head to walk through the woods.

My brown, dirty boots crunched the leaves on the trail I was on— then I paused. My eyes slowly moved to my side and my jaw clenched. I continued a few steps, then paused again, my hand resting on the hilt of my axe.

“Lurking is a bit rude,” I chuckled, rubbing the side of my beard. “Just come on out, it’s alright.”