Caleb posted h

propped against a tree. He swung a sledgehammer, smashing the guitar into splinters with

diamond-inlaid guitar. Jenny was presenting it to a beaming Caleb. His

final, splintered

leb. I blocked every single p

made

an. I' ll take you

e shadows who had been secretly mentoring me for months, telling m

retreat at a secluded cabin in the Smoky Mou

box of notebooks filled with songs Jenny had never bothered to read. I left

sort nestled in the mountains, a jarring contrast to the

ycophants. They swarmed m

g my arm. "Jenny' s been looking for you. We' re all going

aid, my v

is breath smelling of gin. "Caleb' s willing

," I said, pull

time. "Listen, you little chari

fering, of being pushed aside, of being made to fee

hed hi

aming between his fingers. The music stopped. Th