In 1990, a young girl from a small town in the Appalachian Mountains disappeared without a trace, leaving her parents without answers for a long 22 years. But after those years, her father, flipping through an old school yearbook, noticed something that turned everything upside down. The fog, rolling in from the Appalachian hills, enveloped the small town of Misty Ridge, nestled in West Virginia, in its usual morning haze.

John Peterson stood at the window of his daughter’s room, watching the fog swirl around the old church in the distance. The picturesque beauty of this small town, with its green hills and steep cliffs rising above the river, had always been a source of comfort for him, until 22 years ago when his daughter vanished without a trace. John turned away from the window, his gaze sliding over the untouched room.

Everything remained as Mary had left it on that spring day in 1990, a few weeks after high school graduation. Posters still hung on the walls. Her desk stayed neatly organized, with textbooks and notebooks, the closet full of clothes no one had worn for over two decades.

«It’s time,» he whispered to himself, recalling the conversation with his wife Nancy the night before. They had finally decided that after 22 years, they needed to accept that Mary wasn’t coming back. Today was the day they planned to sort through her things, donate what could help needy children, and move the rest to the attic.

John opened the window to let in fresh air, immediately stirring up a cloud of settled dust. He sneezed, wiped his eyes, and approached the closet, starting to remove his daughter’s clothes. Each item brought back memories.

Her favorite blue sweater, the dress she wore to prom, worn jeans with patches she sewed herself. He worked methodically, sorting things into boxes: one for donations, another for storage, a third for keepsakes. When he reached the school supplies, he hesitated.

These items symbolized his daughter’s dreams, her future that was never to be. She had been accepted to West Virginia University, planning to study ecology. Sorting through textbooks and notebooks, John came across a book he didn’t recognize: it was Mary’s school yearbook.

Surprisingly, he realized he had never opened it before. In those difficult days after her disappearance, neither he nor Nancy could bear to see Mary’s smiling face on those pages, captured alongside classmates who went on to live their lives. John sat on the edge of the bed and opened the yearbook.

Its weight in his hands felt significant, as if he held an unexplored part of his daughter’s life. He flipped through the glossy pages until he found Mary’s senior portrait. Her smile, so bright and full of hope, pierced his heart with familiar pain.

«22 years,» he whispered, tracing his finger over her face. «I need to learn to keep you in my heart without this pain, sweetheart.» His gaze slid to the photo next to Mary: her best friend, Olivia Kowalski.

Olivia’s face brought back memories of sleepovers, dinners at their table, the girls laughing and whispering secrets. John realized he hadn’t heard anything about Olivia in a long time. After Mary’s disappearance, she visited for a few months, but then the visits stopped.

Out of curiosity, John turned to the section with individual student profiles. Each graduate had a page with a short biography and personal quotes. He found Mary’s page and read her words, written when her whole life was ahead….

«Thanks to Mom and Dad for always believing in me. To the teachers who pushed me to be better, and to my best friend Liv. Don’t forget to return my copy of ‘The Secret Garden.’

Old lady, love you forever.» John chuckled, the sound bittersweet. The playful teasing of Olivia was so typical of their friendship.

He turned the page to find Olivia’s profile and read about her dreams and aspirations. Her biography spoke of determination, following dreams, and standing up for herself. John’s thoughts returned to the book mentioned by Mary.

«The Secret Garden» had been her favorite since childhood. She collected different editions of it. Did Olivia return it? He couldn’t remember seeing it among his daughter’s things.

Driven by curiosity, John began searching through the boxes of books. The dust in the room made his eyes water and his nose itch, so he decided to move the boxes to the living room where it was easier to breathe. In the living room, he methodically laid out books and magazines on the coffee table and floor.

There were fantasy novels, science textbooks, nature magazines, but the illustrated edition of «The Secret Garden» was nowhere to be found. John wondered if Olivia might still have that book after all these years. On a whim, he checked the back of the yearbook and found a section where students left their contact info.

Olivia had scribbled her phone number with a note: «Call anytime, pillow.» John picked up the phone and dialed the number, not expecting it to still work after 22 years. As expected, the automated message said the number was no longer in service.

At that moment, the front door opened, and Nancy entered with grocery bags. She froze, seeing the books and magazines scattered across the living room. «John, what is this?» Her voice was sharp with surprise and something deeper.

«Pain. I’m just sorting Mary’s things like we planned,» John explained, standing up. Nancy’s face tightened.

«We agreed to pack and store her things, not spread them all over the house. I thought we were finally moving forward, not diving back into the past. I’m not diving, Nan.

I found her yearbook and was looking for something. What could be so important?» Nancy set the bags on the kitchen table, her movements stiff with anger. John showed her the yearbook, pointing to Mary’s note about the book.

She mentioned a book she lent to Liv. I got curious if it was among her things. Nancy sighed heavily…