Jonathan and Maribel woke before it was light and went to the main house for a quick breakfast. Jonathan was surprised that Molly was not in her room, and that her bed wasn’t slept in.
They found her in the main house, her eyes swollen and red. The tears started to flow again as they approached her.
“Sad news, my lovelies. Linorio passed away last night. He died in my arms. I heard his last gasp and felt his life force slip way, just like the little kitten that died in my arms so many years ago. But he left the way he wanted to. He died in his jungle, in his own time, with the orchestra of the forest, and the energy of Mother Earth around him.
“Just before he closed his eyes, he said ‘It’s up to Jonathan and Maribel now. And it’s up to all of you.’”