The farm has fallen into a silence that feels heavy and unnatural, pressing into every corner of the land. It is not peaceful quiet, but one filled with memory and loss. That silence began when my younger brother Leo changed.
Leo was once loud, impulsive, and full of restless energy, turning farm life into constant motion. Last fall, that boy vanished, replaced by someone withdrawn and fragile, speaking only in cautious murmurs as if sound itself were dangerous.
At first, we dismissed it as a phase. But his laughter disappeared, his movements grew hesitant, and the spaces he once filled with noise became painfully empty. The shift traced back to one afternoon near the woods, a day neither of us could name aloud.
After that, Leo refused to sleep in the house. He moved into the barn, curling beside Daisy, our old Jersey cow, finding safety in her quiet presence. To my parents, it seemed harmless. To me, it was hiding.
One night, I followed him and overheard a whisper meant only for Daisy. He thanked her for not telling. I realized she was the only witness who could never speak, the only one he trusted.
The truth surfaced slowly. Leo begged me never to open a red toolbox or show anyone a picture. Inside, I found a Polaroid, unfamiliar belongings, and the implication of a disappearance that had haunted the area for months.
I understood then that Leo carried something no child should. He sought silence not for comfort, but for protection. The farm, the barn, and Daisy became his refuge.
By keeping his secret, I became part of that silence. The farm now holds more than crops and animals—it holds memory, loyalty, and the quiet promise to protect a child when words would only do harm.
