*

Joel and I climbed the cliff that housed the meeting place and sat on a rock near the edge of the waterfall’s beginning. Nobody else was around. The sun warmed my shoulders, the top of my head, and the stone on which we sat. Mist from the swirling water kept us cool. I bathed my paws in the stream that turned into the fall and enjoyed the breeze that ruffled my fur.

Joel and I talked about the meeting and how I felt going back. When he asked me to tell him about my journey outside, I told him everything even though some things were hard to talk about. Of course, he already knew some of them, but he didn’t react the way I expected. He didn’t look disgusted or upset. He nodded along and made comforting sounds, but that was it. So, when I finished telling my story, I a...

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