One of her guitar strings snapped and went plinging into the grass.

“Shit,” she said.

That’s when she saw me.

Cass gave a gasp, like maybe I’d scared her a little. Dammit, I knew I was being creepy just standing there like the goddamn Hobo in my visions or something. I figured she would hate me now, that after this she would never talk to me again.

But Cass just smiled.

“Howdy there,” she said. “Coming to check on your spirit mailbox?”

“I guess,” I said. Come on, Lee. Stop being a fuckup. Say something. “You sounded pretty. I mean, amazing. Did you write that song?”

“Yeah,” she said. Cass stood up and dusted herself off, leaning the guitar up against the Split Tree. “It’s still a work in progress though. I don’t quite have the lyrics right yet.”

“I thought it was perfect.”

“Well, I wish you’d tell the rest of the guys that. They think it’s too depressing. They always think my songs are too depressing.”

We stood there a second in silence.

“So, you going to check?” she said.

“Um, yeah, I guess.” I walked over to the tree and stuck my hand in. Nothing there but damp leaves and slug slime. I pulled my hand out all wet and gross.

“No luck, huh?” she said.

“Nope.”

Don’t let it get awkward again, moron. Say something.

“So how did you wind up here?” I said. “At the Farm, I mean.”

Cass bit her lip like she was trying to figure out how to answer that question. I hoped I wasn’t being too forward, grilling her like that. But I was curious, and I really did want to know. Mostly I just didn’t want her to leave yet.

“To be honest,” she said, “it’s kind of a long story. The short version is, I was in a bad place in my life. I’d just graduated high school, and I hadn’t bothered to apply to college. Just kind of directionless, you know? I was getting pretty fucked up all the time, hanging out with some really sketchy people. But then I heard about the Farm, and I met the other tenant guys, and I thought it might be a pretty good place to try and get my shit together. You know, out in nature and all that.” She shrugged. “Hope that wasn’t too much information or anything.”

“No, not at all,” I said. “I’m glad you came here.”

“I’m glad you came too,” she said. Then it sort of dawned on her why I was there, what had brought me to the Farm in the first place. “Oh shit. I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, about your mom.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “It’s horrible, and I miss her a lot. But I’m kind of glad I’m here too, in spite of everything.”