Four years after Maggie’s husband vanished during a solo hike, she had come to terms with his loss. But when their old family dog reappeared, carrying her husband’s jacket in its mouth, Maggie followed it into the forest, uncovering a truth she never could have imagined. I still remember the day Jason left four years ago. He had been depressed for a couple of months then, and it was the first time in a long while I’d seen him so excited, restless.

He said he needed some time in nature, alone. “Just me and Scout,” he said, scratching the dog’s ears as our kids laughed. “Are you sure you don’t want company?” I asked, holding our then-toddler son, Benny, while my four-year-old, Emily, clung to my leg. Jason just smiled and shook his head. “Nah, I’ll be back before you know it. Promise.” At first, I thought he’d gotten lost.

Maybe hurt. The search teams kept trying to find him. Our friends, our neighbors, all showed up to help, calling his name, searching the mountains. It felt surreal, like a bad dream I couldn’t wake up from.

But days turned to weeks, and the search teams started looking at me with pity, as if they’d already made up their minds. People started saying things like, “You’re strong, Maggie,” and “You’ll be okay.” But every word felt hollow. Jason wasn’t just missing; he was gone. After months, they declared him legally dead. I hated those words, but what could I do? Life had to go on. Over the years, little things kept Jason alive in our home: his old hiking boots by the door, his coffee mug with a chip on the rim, the wool scarf he loved. The kids sometimes asked about him, and I would tell them stories, trying to keep his memory alive.

Sometimes, late at night, when the house was silent, I let myself remember. I wondered if I could’ve done something different that day, maybe convinced him to stay. It was a quiet Saturday, sunny with a light breeze. I was lying on a blanket in the backyard, watching the kids play, feeling a rare sense of peace. Out of nowhere, something rustled near the bushes. I squinted, thinking it was a squirrel or maybe one of the neighbors’ cats. But then I saw a dog, thin and scruffy, walking slowly toward me.

At first, I didn’t recognize him. But when I looked closer, my heart skipped. “Scout?” I whispered, hardly believing it. He was older, thinner, his coat dirty and matted, but it was him. “Scout!” I called louder, sitting up, barely breathing. The dog stopped, looking at me with tired eyes. In his mouth, he held a green jacket, frayed and faded. I knew it instantly. I’d washed it a hundred times, seen him wear it on so many hikes. I couldn’t believe it. I felt my whole body tense, frozen between shock and hope.

“Scout, where did you come from?” I whispered, inching toward him. But as soon as I reached out, Scout turned and started trotting away, disappearing into the trees. “No—Scout, wait!” I called, but he didn’t stop. Something inside me said to follow, even if I didn’t know where he was lead.