An Nman. The letter had been written by a real Nman. With her pulse speeding up, she turned the letter again and read his message from the beginning.
It wasn’t until Nellie pushed at my arm and gave me a blameful look that I came out of my writer’s bubble.
“You want to go out? What time is it?” A quick glance at the clock made me gasp. “It’s almost two o’clock. Nellie, I’m so sorry.” Nellie had a dog door and could get out whenever she wanted but our daily walk in the forest was one of her favorite things.
I checked her food bowl, but there was still something left from last night. Over the years she had grown picky and preferred human food to her own dry food.
“Here you go.” I shared a banana with her and then I remembered that I’d promised to write Wilma and Tyton to let them know I was safe.
After scribbling a quick note, I trotted through the forest to deliver my message.
When I got to the place where I’d first found Wilma’s letter, there was a bottle with a one-sentence letter waiting for me.
You promised to write.
This had to be from Tyton. Wilma would have never written something this short and the handwriting was more masculine.
A shiver ran down my spine because all morning I’d written about letters from an Nman and here I was holding the real deal in my hand.
Admittedly, this one was much shorter and not as exciting as the letters Deidra was getting from Mark in my book, but never the less, the message was written to me by a real Nman.
Don’t smile,I scolded myself, but the thought that someone cared about my safety warmed me from inside. Even if the one caring was a brute of an Nman.
Using the catapult, I delivered my letter and went straight back to my house to continue writing. It was so much fun to allow Deidra to do all the things I could never do in real life. Tyton’s one-line letter was next to me on the table and at least ten times my eyes strayed to the paper.
What if there’s an answer for me?
I didn’t want to be running back and forth between my house and the border, but my foot was tapping like it was just waiting for the rest of my body to come along.
“Nellie, what do you say? Do you want to see if there’s another letter?”
It was a rhetorical question since she always welcomed the chance to be outside.
Therewasa letter!
Sitting down on a fallen tree log, I opened the bottle and pulled out the paper.
Dear Devina,
I’m so happy to hear you made it back without any problems. We worried about you.
To be honest, I’m still in shock that you came to rescue me. It’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, except for the time my sisters threw me a surprise party when I turned thirteen.
I’m not going to lie. Of course, I’m disappointed that you’re not really writing a book about me, but it’s good to hear that your visit here has inspired you to write another book about the Northlands. If you need help with your research let me know.
Peace and Love,
Wilma
Turning the letter over, I found an added message in Tyton’s writing.
Hey D,
Mind if I read what you’ve written? I’m curious.
T
Lowering the letter, I leaned my head back and looked up through the tree crowns to the clouds drifting by.
