One Heart, Three Sisters

The evening sky was painted with hues of orange and purple as the sun slowly dipped beyond the horizon. The air was thick with the scent of the first rain of the season, and the city buzzed with the usual rush of people trying to get home before nightfall. Mabel, Cecilia, and Phebe had just finished their evening meal, laughing over trivial things as their mother and father prepared to leave for a wedding ceremony in another town.

Their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, were the kind of couple who turned heads whenever they walked into a room-not just because of their elegance but because of the love they exuded. Their marriage was the kind of love story the girls had grown up admiring. A bond so strong, it seemed unbreakable.

"Take care of yourselves," their mother had said, her eyes filled with warmth as she placed a gentle kiss on Phebe's forehead.

"We won't be gone long," their father added with a reassuring smile, ruffling Cecilia's hair playfully. "Be good, girls."

Mabel, the eldest, had been scrolling through her phone, barely looking up. "You both should have fun," she had said casually. "Drive safe."

Their father chuckled. "Always."

None of them knew that it would be the last time they would see their parents alive.

A Call That Changed Everything

Hours passed, and the house grew quiet. Phebe, the youngest, had dozed off on the couch while Cecilia was lost in a book. Mabel sat by the window, checking her phone, waiting for a message from their parents. It was unlike them to stay out this late without at least checking in.

Then, the phone rang.

Mabel picked it up, expecting to hear her father's voice. Instead, an unfamiliar, serious tone greeted her.

"Is this Mabel Johnson?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Yes, speaking."

"This is Officer Daniel from the state highway patrol. We regret to inform you that your parents were involved in a fatal car accident on the expressway."

Mabel felt as if the world had stopped. "What?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am. The accident was severe. The paramedics did everything they could, but..." The officer's voice trailed off, heavy with sorrow.

The phone slipped from Mabel's grasp, clattering onto the floor.

Cecilia looked up from her book, her brow furrowed. "Mabel, what's wrong?"

Mabel couldn't speak. Her hands trembled as she tried to find the words.

Cecilia stood, concern deepening in her eyes. "Mabel?"

It was Phebe's sleepy voice that finally shattered the silence. "Why do you look like that?"

Mabel turned to her sisters, her throat dry, her breath shaky. "Mom and Dad... they're gone."

The words felt foreign in her mouth, like they didn't belong in this reality. But they did.

The Weight of Grief

Phebe let out a small, disbelieving laugh. "That's not funny, Mabel."

But Mabel's eyes held no humor. Cecilia's book slipped from her hands as her body went numb. "No," she whispered. "No, that's not possible."

The room felt too small, the walls closing in on them. Phebe shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake away the nightmare. "You're lying."

Mabel's face was pale, her lips trembling. "I wish I was."

Phebe ran past her, grabbing the phone from the floor. "I'll call them," she muttered, dialing their mother's number with shaky fingers.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Then, the automated voice: **"The number you are trying to reach is currently unavailable."**

Phebe threw the phone across the room, a scream tearing from her throat. Cecilia collapsed onto the couch, hands gripping her head.

Mabel stood frozen, her mind replaying the officer's words.

Their parents were gone.

Forever.

A House That No Longer Felt Like Home

The days that followed were filled with a blur of tears, condolence visits, and a suffocating emptiness. The house, once filled with warmth and laughter, felt like a shell of its former self. The silence was unbearable.

Mabel, forced into the role of caretaker, tried to stay strong for her sisters. She handled funeral arrangements, bank paperwork, and legal matters she never thought she'd have to face at just twenty-four years old.

Cecilia withdrew into herself. She spoke little, her once bright and witty nature dimmed by sorrow. Books, which once brought her joy, now sat untouched on her shelf.

Phebe was the most broken. Being the youngest, she had always been their parents' baby. Now, she was just... lost. She barely ate, barely slept. She would wake up crying in the middle of the night, calling out for their mother.

The funeral was a blur of black clothing, murmured condolences, and the overwhelming scent of flowers. As their parents were lowered into the ground, the weight of reality hit them like a storm.

Mabel clenched her fists, trying not to break in front of the crowd. Cecilia bit her lip until it bled. Phebe sobbed so hard that Mabel had to hold her up.

Picking Up the Pieces

Life didn't stop for grief. Bills needed to be paid. The family business, left behind by their parents, needed to be managed. Mabel had to step up, though every moment felt like she was drowning.

One evening, as she sat in their father's office, staring at documents she barely understood, Cecilia walked in.

"You don't have to do this alone," Cecilia said softly.

Mabel exhaled shakily. "I don't have a choice."

Cecilia sat beside her. "Neither do we. We're in this together."

A pause. Then Mabel let the tears fall.

Phebe eventually found comfort in her sisters. The three of them, despite their individual grief, found solace in each other.

They learned to smile again, though it took time.

They learned to laugh again, though it felt strange at first.

And slowly, painfully, they learned to live without their parents.

The Beginning of a New Chapter

Months passed, but the void remained. The pain never truly left, but it became a part of them-woven into their existence like a scar that would never fade.

But they had each other.

And that was enough.

For now.