she had pressed
the
autumn leaf
between
pages 578
and 579
of her
college
dictionary,
a reminder that she
had visited there
to
better understand
the word
nuance.
weeks later
a Seattle detective,
hunting for subtle
clues
as to her
whereabouts,
shook out the book
and watched the
leaf flutter to the floor.
"let's go," he muttered.
"nothing here."

John E. Irby
July 9, 2019