For now, the sky was clear, but there were clouds on the horizon, ushered in by the harsh, cold wind. Lenore cursed it as she made her way, by foot, up the long drive towards her house. The wind cut through her, despite her thick hoodie and her arms wrapped around herself. It wasn't even officially autumn yet, but she guessed she'd have to get out her winter coat sooner rather than later. At least the wind wasn't fighting against her but at her back, as if it was urging her on.

As she made it to the edge of the yard, she noticed her mother's SUV wasn't parked in its usual spot in the driveway. Lenore found that odd, but maybe she had moved to the garage because of the weather.

But when she got inside the house, it felt suspiciously quiet.

"Mom?" Lenore called out.

There was no answer. But the house was large, and there were many corners where you could hide, unable to hear someone calling.

Lenore debated searching for her until she spotted a small scrap of paper sitting on the narrow table beside the stairs. It was a note scribbled in her mother's distinctive handwriting.

Lenore, it read, I won't be home for dinner. You can order from whatever place you like. Beneath the note was a stack of take-out menus from what looked like every restaurant in Eden.

Lenore released a long, heavy sigh. Her mother couldn't even be bothered to make an excuse for her absence. Something twisted together in her stomach, making her feel slightly sick. She didn't know why she was so bothered by her mother's absence. It wasn't like she wanted to talk to her mother. But it would've been nice to have someone here, even if it was her mom, after the first scary day at school.

Her father had said that her mother was going to 'try'...

This wasn't trying.

She scrunched up the note and tossed it on the floor, dropping her bag beside it. She scooped up the menus and headed off to sort through them.

Dropping down at the kitchen table, she leafed through them like a dealer at a poker table, sorting them out on the table. Unsurprisingly, Eden did not have a wide selection. The town had just gotten a sushi restaurant after all, though she did not see its menu on the table. Not that she trusted small-town sashimi, anyway—

CRACK.

Lenore shot up from her seat.

It sounded like something had fallen hard. But as Lenore looked around, nothing in the room looked like it had been disturbed. She crossed the kitchen and stuck her head into the parlour.

It was back to being an ordinary living room, the couch and TV back in their usual spots, but after her grandmother's funeral, the room still made Lenore uncomfortable. Despite that, nothing seemed out of place.

Lenore wondered if maybe it had been the slam of a car door. Maybe her mom had decided to come home after all—

CRACK.

Hearing it for the second time, Lenore knew it wasn't a car door. The sound was sharper, almost like the snap of a whip. And it was closer, too. Just outside, at the back of the house.

Lenore went back to the kitchen and crawled onto the built-in bench that sat around the edge of the large bay window that looked over the backyard. She pressed her hands to the glass and looked out, trying to see what could be making that noise.

The wind was worse, whipping up the overgrown grass and ripping through the forest, making even the thickest trees sway back and forth like they were at sea. But there was nothing she could see that would make that sharp...

CRACK.

It was even closer now, just below the window. When Lenore looked down, she couldn't see much. There was movement just beyond the frame, but she couldn't pinpoint what.

She had to go outside.

She didn't want to—it was already quite cold in the house, and it was sure to be worse out there. But she couldn't just ignore that—

CRACK.

With a huff, Lenore clambered off the bench and went to the back door, stepping out onto the porch. She went to the edge of it, where it ended just before the bay window, and peered over the railing. Instantly, she understood the sound.

Beneath the large house was an old, dank cellar. The cellar was old-fashioned, made of stone and only accessible from the outside by two wooden doors that angled directly out of the ground. One of the doors had come free, and the wind was tossing it around, pulling it back into the grass only to throw it closed again. As it slammed against its frame, it made a loud—

CRACK.

A groan came through Lenore's teeth as she realized she would have to be the one to close the door. She couldn't leave it like this. The clouds didn't quite seem to be threatening rain just yet, but it wasn't safe to leave the doors hanging open.

She hurried down the porch steps and went over to the doors. In the strange corner against the house where the edge of the porch met the foundation, the wind seemed to swirl together, almost in a miniature cyclone. The wind played with the door, tossing it back and forth, almost as if on purpose. As she approached the wayward door, the wind worsened as if it was trying to pull her in.

The door dropped again with another loud, snapping crack, and Lenore leapt on it, holding it in place. The wind fought back, whipping around her, pulling at her hair and clothes. But once she was there, she realized she didn't know how to keep it closed. She felt around for something—a lock, or bolt, or something.

Her hand landed on a long chain, and as she pulled it up, she found that it had been screwed into the side of the cellar. But there was nothing to bind it with, just a single metal rod affixed to the end. Then she saw that the two doors met with a pair of rings that slotted together. She slipped the bolt through the holes, and the door was fastened.

The wind died as if it was upset that she had taken away its fun.

In the sudden quiet, Lenore realized she was panting. She clambered off the doors and stepped back. The doors were surprisingly sturdy, and the metal bolt, while a little rusted, was solid. Even the wind, as violent as it was, shouldn't be able to pry them apart. So, she wondered...

How had the door come open?

"I thought I heard someone back here."

Lenore jumped, startled, and looked around.

Up on the porch was a man. He was older, around her grandmother's age, though he had all his faculties. He smiled at her, his white teeth matching his half-head of white hair. He was carrying some kind of casserole dish covered in tin foil.

It took Lenore half a moment, but she recognized him.

"Mr. Zhang?" she said. The Zhangs were longtime neighbours of theirs, down in the cul-de-sac. His wife had been good friends with her grandmother, even after everything went down.

"And here I was worried you wouldn't remember me," he said with a chuckle. "Sorry about spooking you. I didn't mean to creep around on your porch. No one answered when I rang the doorbell, but I heard some commotion around the back, so I figured someone had to be home."

Lenore didn't mind. If it were anyone else, she'd want to throw them off the property. She dusted herself off before climbing the steps to the porch.

"Of course I remember you," she said. "You and your wife Gina were one of the few who didn't...." She stopped herself. There was no need to dredge that all up. "Do you still live on the cul-de-sac with your wife?"

"Sort of," he said, wincing slightly. "My daughter owns the house now, but I still live with her and her family. Gina passed away a couple years ago."

"Oh no," Lenore said. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I didn't know that. Gina was a wonderful woman."

"She was. And it's okay. Your mother and grandmother sent over some lovely flowers and a very nice card. Which is why I'm here." He raised the dish in his hands like she might've missed it.

"Is that for my mom?" Lenore asked, looking it over. She noticed there was another, smaller plastic container on top of the tinfoil of the other, and this one filled with chocolate swirl cookies. "She's not here right now, but I'll take it in and let her know you stopped by—"

"Not quite. It's for you."

"Me?"

"I know your mother is out tonight, so I figured you probably needed a nice home-cooked meal after your first day at school."

Lenore wanted to ask how he knew that, but she figured it was just the usual network of town gossip. "Oh, you didn't have to...."

But he pushed the dish at her, and she had no choice but to take it. It was still warm.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all. It's just lasagna," Mr. Zhang insisted. "Your grandmother always helped us out, and I thought the best I could do was return the favour. Say what you like about Eden, but we look out for each other." He smiled.

Lenore wasn't sure about that last part, but she smiled back. "Thank you," she said. "It smells amazing. I didn't realise you were a cook!"

He waved the compliment off, but the papery skin of his cheeks still went a little pink. "Oh, now, you're too kind. I'm no great chef, I'm still learning. It was something I took up after Gina passed, to keep me busy... and sharp." He tapped at the side of his head and laughed.

"Well, I'm sure it's great," Lenore said. "I'll go put it inside. Would you like to come in?"

"Oh, no, I can't. I need to get back and finish my other cooking. Maybe another time, for tea or something, when you're mom's around."

"Right. Mom." Despite the kindness, Lenore was relieved she didn't have to invite him in. After today, she was looking forward to curling up somewhere nice and quiet. "I'll let you go then. And thank you, for everything."

Mr. Zhang said his goodbyes and made his way back along the porch to the front of the house. Once he was gone, Lenore looked down at the lasagna and cookies in her hands and smiled. At least now she didn't have to figure out what to have for dinner.

Balancing the casserole on her hip, she went to open the screen door with her foot, but at that exact moment, the wind pulled at it, almost as if it had opened it for her. She laughed at the idea and caught the door with her foot. Maybe it would behave itself now.

She glanced back towards the cellar doors. She hoped they would stay shut until her mother got home.