It was next to him on the nightstand, still open, the one thing he always had with him—his Swiss Army knife.

“Can you take it?” my mother said after we’d packed everything else. “I can’t.”

I stood there staring at it, unable to take it, unable to close it.

Donald A. Ranard’s writing has appeared in 50-Word Stories, 100 Word Stories, The Atlantic, Gargoyle, Litro, The Washington Post, Every Day Fiction, and many other publications. His one-act play, ELBOW. APPLE. CARPET. SADDLE. BUBBLE., was named one of three finalists in Veteran Repertory Theater’s 2021 playwriting contest. Based in Arlington, VA, he has lived in 10 countries in Asia, Europe, and Latin America.