The Tree’s Bones Hold His Sweetheart’s Crime

Rosalie's POV: Kaden Henderson knelt before the colossal ginkgo tree, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. "Be careful," he urged, his voice echoing slightly. "Examine everything thoroughly, and make sure we don't damage the branches." Awakened by the sudden clamor drifting into the hollow, I drifted outward, disoriented. As my gaze fell upon the massive trunk, the crushing weight of reality hit me. I suddenly remembered. I was dead. "Professor Henderson, there is something wrong with this tree," a graduate student murmured, crouching nearby as he brushed away a thick layer of fallen leaves from the base. "Look at the bark here. It is blackened and soft, almost as if it is rotting from the inside out." At the sound of the student's voice, I turned. The man he was addressing was none other than my former mentor, Kaden Henderson. Tears immediately welled in my spectral eyes and spilled over. Kaden said nothing. He simply reached out and touched the trunk. The bark felt unnaturally damp. He had spent his entire life protecting ancient trees. One touch was enough for him to know that this tree did not have long left. Rising to his feet, Kaden walked halfway around it. "Strange," he muttered, half to himself. "I personally inspected this tree three years ago, and it was perfectly healthy. How could it suddenly..." He trailed off, freezing in his tracks. A faint c***k ran along the trunk, stretching from the base to about waist height. It looked less like natural weathering and more like something inside had expanded, forcing the wood apart. "Bring me the tools," Kaden commanded, turning to his assistant. The student quickly handed him a handsaw. Kaden hesitated for a fraction of a second before carefully guiding the blade along the grain of the split bark. The sharp, splintering screech of cutting wood shattered the heavy silence of the forest. The moment the cavity was exposed, the entire team froze in collective shock. "What on earth is that?" The hollow was packed tightly with dark mud and crumbling, decayed wood. But wedged deep within the mire, something else was peeking through. It was stark white and segmented. The color instantly drained from the students' faces. They stumbled backward in unison, their voices trembling with sudden dread. "Professor Henderson... are those human bones?" Kaden's hand hovered in midair, completely paralyzed. Slowly, he knelt down. With gloved hands, he began to gently brush away the damp earth. A single finger bone emerged. Then a second, and a third. Within moments, the skeletal structure of an entire human hand was laid bare. The bones were perfectly embedded in the dirt, curled tightly as if clawing desperately at the dark. "Call the police," Kaden choked out, his voice raspy and laced with panic. "Call them right now!" He had no idea he was looking at the remains of his favorite student. But I couldn't blame him. After all, three long years had passed, and the ants had left nothing behind but a hollow skeleton. Who could possibly recognize me now?