What the moon takes

en differe

een us, heavier than the

ood carried on as if the world were perfectly ordinary. A woman laughed near the counter. Someone dragged a chair acr

ary t

remember what o

nt how?"

n me, steady and uncomfortable in the way they

el plans, then pretend you never made them. Last week, you c

d. "I ca

es

did

f I could he

ept beneat

gh. "That soun

funny at

re was something beneath it.

you tell m

ld hear you

nd

you starte

oked

r asking about trees. The only thing I remembered from last week was fall

as exhaust

ay

t sound

a moment, I wanted to tell him everything: the missing hours, the blood beneath my nails, t

t would

ke up feeling as if

sionally smelled of

ud on my bedroom floor even though

find answers. Mine, apparently, was

fine,

fingers. "You a

use I

or

his

e everything," he said. "I'm

oice hurt more than an

't mea

kno

of us spoke. Then his phone

screen, and his e

rmth disappeared from his eyes. His

?" I

ne face down. "So

have

afrai

y disappointment. We had barel

rything

esit

an incident ne

st made my st

nd of in

ound so

im to explain,

one d

ooked

es

d too warm. I loosened

ho

ed early this morning by a man walking hi

ppened t

iscuss the

ou can tell me if so

narrowed

e you a

just told me

ive investig

orry. I forgot I'm not a

n't what

s what y

rying to keep things from you. I just don't wa

down at

thumb. I rubbed it with the edge of

mal attack?" I

ent s

ld you a

st, the body... It coul

one poss

wer was

care

ere bite

or

ust as

g you that I ca

y hand awa

in

ment before standing.

ka

d reached for his jacket. Before leavin

get so

wil

thing about last night,

e a sudden,

ember something

udied

tened every time someon

dn't a

me one last worried

climb into his silver SUV. He sat behind the steering wheel fo

table long after h

een found dea

t me as though he ex

ned home, the morni

and the low hum of the refrigerator. I dropped my keys int

ld hav

nt straight t

they looked worse than they had that morning. Three narrow lines ran

xamining them from

deep to be ord

for the antiseptic. As I cleaned the wou

eath it caugh

cent of d

top

I'd noticed on my cl

ser to my ar

th

was imag

age around them. Then I washed my hands twice, chang

zed on the b

age fr

rying, but please be careful t

d it

n a

ld I go nea

ame almost

st prom

d at th

I pr

he phon

I had no intent

hat was wha

came s

ove against the windows. Every few minutes, a bra

sed m

fted between dream

I hea

ho

in the distance. It rose into the air and str

at

tment. On a clear day, I could see the t

howl f

sounded

se qui

dow. The sky was grey, and the trees i

othing unus

. No animal

e the feeling that som

away from

e buzze

e, it wa

n unknow

p pretending you don't k

at the

d text

full moon is clo

th wen

eleted it. Typed anothe

ly, I

ho is

e showed a

spons

ed the

ore going straig

ied

ame r

eturned to the first message, re

one

ut the nights I

t was had bee

se came from

ft s

fr

g dragged slowly across the fl

d my

me thre

lo

hurr

elibera

r, every instinct tell

here?" I

le

hrough the

lway wa

pped

vibrated

er me

n't open th

d turne

then slowly lifted my

e was

who knew

had just warned me