After their conversation, Shawn left the mountain village.
Yara breathed a sigh of relief, yet a faint, hollow ache lingered in her chest.
It wasn't that she'd gone soft on Shawn. She just couldn't stop thinking about her daughter, gone far too soon.
A dull, heavy pain sat in her heart. After class, Yara stayed behind in the classroom for a long time, sitting alone. She didn't snap out of her daze until dusk settled in and Wesley came looking for her.
"Can you ride me down the mountain one more time? I want to buy some ghost money."
Wesley asked no questions. He just wheeled out his bicycle and carried her down the mountain.
Terrified of ghosts as he was, he stayed up with Yara through the black night, burning the paper toys and ghost money they'd bought until dawn.
Warmth stirred s
