Nora and the Garden of Small Voices

Chapter 1: *whooo*

The first thing Nora noticed about her new home was that the kitchen window whistled.

Whenever the wind blew from the orchard, it made a tiny *whooo*, like an owl trying not to wake anyone.

Nora liked that sound.

She did not yet know whether she liked the yellow curtains, the ticking clock, or the woman setting two bowls of porridge on the table.

“I’m Rose,” the woman said gently. “You can sit wherever you feel comfortable.”

Nora chose the chair nearest the window.

Rose did not ask her to speak.

That was the second thing Nora liked.

Before coming here, Nora had spent too much time alone, without the care every child needs. Now there were grown-ups helping her find safety and learn unfamiliar things.

But unfamiliar things could feel enormous.