When the old keeper forgot one latch, the 400-pound silverback reached through the steel

mesh, close enough that his breath fogged one small square of steel, and waited.

This time Tom moved first.

He leaned his shoulder against the barrier. After a moment, Winston curved both arms toward him and slipped two fingers through the openings to rest against the seam of Tom’s sleeve. The gesture was so careful it made my throat ache. There was continue reading …