The heavy oak door clicked shut.

The silence that followed was broken only by the frantic scratching of the cat and the squawking of the birds. But standing there in the entryway, the silence didn’t feel lonely anymore.

It felt like a blank, expansive canvas.

Chapter 3 — The Key

I walked into my bedroom, past the framed family photos, and opened the heavy double doors of my closet.

From the very back I pulled a dusty blue suitcase.