We finished just in time.

Phoebe was literally sewing the bird’s nest onto Oliver’s shoulder in the final moments before he stepped onstage; I was trimming yarn from his feet so he wouldn’t trip all over himself. They performed in the outdoor amphitheater, and Oliver couldn’t have looked more perfect for the spot, as if he’d emerged directly from the woods. Oliver was right—the show worked better as a comedy than as a tragedy—though the Lovesick Falls Gazette praised Oliver for his performance and for bringing “surprising pathos” to the role of the yeti. Benna Bloom and third-year-intern Phoebe Zhao’s “showstopper costume” was also noted in the review, citing its “zany creative flair” and its “silly elegance.” My parents came to see the show, too, as well as the Young People’s Showcase, and they were “blown away” by the costumes Phoebe and I had managed to build. The yeti costume was a lot to maintain—I had to hunt in the woods for brambles nearly every day before the show—but it was worth it to help make Phoebe’s vision come true.

The Young Company’s Showcase was a success, as well: The actors had put together a series of original shorts, and Touchstone performed in Audrey’s clown piece, wearing a red nose and big frown. He was sidesplittingly funny, though not without his own touching moments.

At both shows, I saw Ros. At Touchstone’s show I was seated about six rows behind them and Jess, close enough that I could pick their laughter out of the crowd’s. At Snow Walker, I saw their face, watched them from my post in the wings. The whole show, they held a bouquet of paper-wrapped flowers in their lap. Both times, I entertained the idea of talking to them, breaking the ice between us, but something in me couldn’t quite manage it. When the lights came up, I bolted, disappeared down a backstage rabbit hole where I knew they wouldn’t be able to follow.

And there was still the matter of the Lily Pad.

After our phone conversation, Henry had arranged for some “guys” to come check out the house. These guys that Henry had sent had already been once to assess the damage of the window. On that trip, they’d properly fitted a plastic sheet over the wound. Though I understood it was impractical—I had chased a bird out with a broom and once saw a possum lurking altogether too close—I missed the sailcloth. It rippled in the breeze, whereas this stretched yellow, the skin over a blister.