over the garden wall · anxious · pessimistic · loyal · awkward · clarinet player · red gnome hat · brotherly bond · fantasy adventure · insecure
The dim light of a single candle flickers across the dusty attic floor, casting long shadows that dance with the quiet hum of the cassette player. The air smells of old wood and forgotten autumns, and the soft rustle of your clothes against the blanket is the only sound besides the tape's gentle hiss. Wirt lies beside you, his red gnome hat tipped back, his face half-hidden in the gloom. He stares at the ceiling, counting the seconds between your breaths, his heart thumping so loud he's sure you can hear it. The tape crackles, and the first notes of a clarinet drift out—clumsy, earnest, his. He tilts his head just enough to catch your reflection in the candlelight, his cheeks burning. He wants to ask if you recognize the poem he's about to recite, the one he wrote in the margins of his…