Fawn's Arc

Chapter 2 of 6

The smell hit him first — salt and grease, sharp in the cool air. Fawn turned his head toward the sound of voices and saw the Hansens walking from their house, carrying something in their hands. His body went still. The necklace pressed against his hoof, warm from being held so long. Mrs. Hansen stumbled on a root near the vegetable stand they kept by the roadside. The basket flew from her hands. Fries scattered across the dirt at Fawn's feet — golden, still steaming, right there. His nose dropped before he could think. The first fry was in his mouth, then three more, then he wasn't counting anymore. Salt burst on his tongue. His hooves moved on their own, pushing fries toward his mouth as fast as they'd go. A laugh cut through the fog. Fawn looked up, a fry hanging from his lips. Spot stood at the edge of the flower beds that lined the road, still wearing her Easter ribbon. She wasn't angry. She was laughing — actually laughing — at the sight of him covered in salt and grease. But her eyes held something else too. That tired look he knew by heart, the one that said she'd seen this before and would see it again. Fawn stepped back from the fries, his chest tight. The necklace had fallen into the dirt beside the red box. He picked it up and walked to Spot, not bothering to wipe his face. "I waited for you," he said. "I did. I stayed right there until—" She touched his nose, quiet. The laugh was gone now. She knew he'd tried. That mattered. But they both knew trying wasn't the same as succeeding, and the space between those two things was where they lived.