By chance, she had stumbled upon the remote cabin owned by Mrs. Thorne, a kindly but near-deaf elderly woman who had not seen any news of Mia’s disappearance. She took the lost child in, saving her life. But a worrisome detail emerged that cast a shadow over the joyous reunion…
In the weeks after her return, Mia finally began sharing the full story behind her mysterious disappearance. She explained that she had spotted an ivory-billed woodpecker, thought extinct, while exploring the woods near her home.