Kathryn Bromwich

Laura lives alone in a cabin deep within the forest, making her living translating medical documents and tutoring the children of affluent locals. She spends her days climbing the mountains outside her door and roaming the woods, and soon begins a relationship with a waiter some years her junior, which brings new rhythms to her life. But late one night there is a knock on the door, and on the other side stands someone from her past who has finally found her.

At the Edge of the Woods

Amelia

The sea whirls ceaselessly back and forth, majestic and wild and indifferent.

I have, over these months, grown exceedingly fond of each flower, plant and tree in my clearing, and I believe the sentiment is returned-inasmuch as it can be, of course. I greet my tomato plants in the mornings, and I tell them about my plans for the day. My mode of address toward tropical flowers is one of respect and flattery, a bit of learned discussion about the arts, while the potatoes prefer a more informal repartee, even the odd rude joke or two. They are my companions, after all, and I value their presence above all else. So letting them know how I feel seems the only reasonable, and polite, thing to do. Sometimes, if I am to tell the whole truth, I even sing to them: silly little songs derived from those of my childhood, the words amended for the occasion, other times ditties of my own invention. My journeys away from the house become longer: I roam the mountains and lakes for two, three nights at a time, meandering wherever my feet see fit to take me. I have slept in caves, in meadows, under waterfalls. But if I stay away any longer than that, I am gripped by a deep longing for my garden and its inhabitants. The flowers in the woods are not particularly chatty, you see, and I miss the conversation.

Water continues to exert a powerful hold over me: the sight of a lake's shining surface can be enough to wash away days of accumulated tension, while bathing in its waters reconfigures my thoughts anew. Then there are times when nothing but the most strenuous exercise will do, when I push myself as hard and as far as I can go, then go farther. By the evening, my body is heavy and my thoughts are light. 

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