r creak

l. The brass doorknob felt cold beneath her palm, still damp from the rain that

le

e home! Look what I drew!" No cartoons humming from the living room, not

bearable, pressing agains

ght flickered, casting long, fragile shadows across the floor. The air inside felt different now, too still, too empty, like the very lif

e no answer. Her voice cracked on the second syllable, betraying t

or, the pink ones with the glittery unicorn on the side that she'd begged for at the store last month. Maya had said they

I'll be extra

ved, of course.

he careful double-knots Maya had taught her, as if Anna

sun. Maya recognized the taller figure immediately: herself, with the long brown hair Anna always drew in careful strokes, a

bling hand to her m

plate still sat in the sink, where Anna had left it after complaining about the vegetables. Maya cou

the best." Maya had sa

in her head, it felt like a ghost brushing past

nervous habit Maya had been trying to break her of. The math problems were half-finished, Anna's neat numbe

lately, growing frustrated when the numbers didn't come easily

ath! It's

at the table. "Math isn't stupid. It's just...

anyway, carefully counting on her fingers until her f

eart. See? You're sma

g, the warmth, the energy, the presenc

the wall insid

carpet with a dull thud, and she barely felt the impact. The first sob broke free from her

like armor finally erupted. She cried until her lungs burned. Until her hands ached from clutching her knees. Un

ttom lip quivering as she stared at the s

d, pulling her into a hug. "Accident

lways promising "tomorrow" or "this weekend." Now she traced the faded stain with her finger, wishing

spered to the empty room

llaby. She wasn't just crying out of fear, she was crying from guilt. From helplessness

in deadlines and bills and the mundane chaos of single motherhood? She thought o

pick me up?" She'd asked, b

busy," Maya had replied, barely looking up from

ad mumbled, pick

her daughter? Maya's chest tightened with the weight of every missed moment, e

listening but offering no comfort. The apartment felt smaller now, suf

ing, how she smiled when she waved goodbye at the door, the way her braid kept slipping over her le

voice bright and cheerful as she skipped down

d back, already turning back to her

the last words they ev

erywhere. They were

herself to fully grieve not just for Anna's absence, but for t