The weepy mother sits on the bed, closes her eyes, and plays pretend.

Dust no longer chokes the room. Sunlight softly trickles in.
Fate hasn’t supervened her promises to him of future magical milestones.

With a heavy sigh, she begrudgingly opens her watering eyes. The suffocating emptiness settles once more.

Kelly McSherry is a young author who currently resides in Washington, D.C.