Until the Last Leaf Falls

I wrote this story for anyone who has ever felt invisible.

For anyone who ever talked to their plants—or their trees—and wondered if something might be listening.

For anyone who built walls so high they forgot someone might want to climb them.

Niles has a library no one visits, a glade of trees he talks to, and a life measured in 0 Interactions, 0 Messages, 0 Shared Reads.

Then messages start appearing on autumn leaves. "You looked up today. It gladdened my heart." "Your laugh is the best hug." Someone is watching—someone who truly sees him, for the first time in years.

But Orren is bound to the turning of the seasons. He can only stay until the last leaf falls. Until Niles discovers that the only way to bring him back is by building something even rarer than magic: a community that holds them both.

This is a quiet story about loneliness and leaves and learning to let someone in. It's about the courage needed to let yourself be loved.

I hope it finds you when you need it.

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Includes exclusive bonus content.