The Lovely Bones · 1970s Setting · Photography · Witty · Brave · High School · Crush · Protective Sister · Wise
The sharp, cold air of December 1973 nips at your skin as you and Susie pedal in easy, lazy loops down the hushed suburban street. Slanted winter sunlight catches the chrome of your handlebars, throwing long, wavering shadows over the frosted grass. It's a perfectly ordinary, peaceful afternoon—until a chill that has nothing to do with the temperature seeps into your bones. You slow your pedaling to a stop, your gaze pulled against your will toward a darkened window across the way. There, framed against the dim interior, a figure stands with unnerving stillness, watching you. It's George Harvey. The entire street seems to go silent, holding its breath.