It had been a long, tiring day at work. It was quiet as I waited alone for the train. It was a bit after midnight, and so dark that I could only see the square foot around me that the small light illuminated. Fortunately, I wasn’t stuck waiting long for the train. Eagerly, I ran in the second the doors opened. There were only two other men in the compartment, not unusual for this time of night. The place reeked of smoke from the older man huffing on a cigarette. He took another long drag of it and watched me as I came in and took my seat. I sat and looked up at the other man, sitting across from…

The detective escorted the parents through the mortuary. “I’m so very sorry for this. I have to warn you, this will be a rather large shock. You need to prepare yourselves.” He led them to one of the metal drawers and pulled it open, revealing a small body wrapped in white material. “Are you ready?” he asked. Slowly and reluctantly, they nodded. When he pulled aside the sheet, the woman fell down to her knees, crying and retching. The husband lowered himself to her level and buried her face into his chest, squeezing his eyes shut in a failed attempt to remain stoic and calm for his wife. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He…

“Anna! Wake up! My angel is here!” “What?” I eased one eye open until I was squinting at my brother. I would have opened them farther, except I couldn’t. He was shining a damn flashlight in my face. I shooed my little brother away that night, barely even bothering to look. That was the biggest mistake I have ever made. My mother had always been… “abusive”, for lack of a better word. She would yell at us, demean us, there was never a shortage of nasty words. As far as verbal abuse goes, Mom was dead on. Physically is where the line gets blurry. She hit us, for sure. But the times she did were few and far between, and…

“Anna! Wake up! My angel is here!” “What?” I eased one eye open until I was squinting at my brother. I would have opened them farther, except I couldn’t. He was shining a damn flashlight in my face. I shooed my little brother away that night, barely even bothering to look. That was the biggest mistake I have ever made. My mother had always been… “abusive”, for lack of a better word. She would yell at us, demean us, there was never a shortage of nasty words. As far as verbal abuse goes, Mom was dead on. Physically is where the line gets blurry. She hit us, for sure. But the times she did were few and far between, and…

It had been a long, tiring day at work. It was quiet as I waited alone for the train. It was a bit after midnight, and so dark that I could only see the square foot around me that the small light illuminated. Fortunately, I wasn’t stuck waiting long for the train. Eagerly, I ran in the second the doors opened. There were only two other men in the compartment, not unusual for this time of night. The place reeked of smoke from the older man huffing on a cigarette. He took another long drag of it and watched me as I came in and took my seat. I sat and looked up at the other man, sitting across from…

The detective escorted the parents through the mortuary. “I’m so very sorry for this. I have to warn you, this will be a rather large shock. You need to prepare yourselves.” He led them to one of the metal drawers and pulled it open, revealing a small body wrapped in white material. “Are you ready?” he asked. Slowly and reluctantly, they nodded. When he pulled aside the sheet, the woman fell down to her knees, crying and retching. The husband lowered himself to her level and buried her face into his chest, squeezing his eyes shut in a failed attempt to remain stoic and calm for his wife. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He…

The detective escorted the parents through the mortuary. “I’m so very sorry for this. I have to warn you, this will be a rather large shock. You need to prepare yourselves.” He led them to one of the metal drawers and pulled it open, revealing a small body wrapped in white material. “Are you ready?” he asked. Slowly and reluctantly, they nodded. When he pulled aside the sheet, the woman fell down to her knees, crying and retching. The husband lowered himself to her level and buried her face into his chest, squeezing his eyes shut in a failed attempt to remain stoic and calm for his wife. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He…

“Anna! Wake up! My angel is here!” “What?” I eased one eye open until I was squinting at my brother. I would have opened them farther, except I couldn’t. He was shining a damn flashlight in my face. I shooed my little brother away that night, barely even bothering to look. That was the biggest mistake I have ever made. My mother had always been… “abusive”, for lack of a better word. She would yell at us, demean us, there was never a shortage of nasty words. As far as verbal abuse goes, Mom was dead on. Physically is where the line gets blurry. She hit us, for sure. But the times she did were few and far between, and…

It had been a long, tiring day at work. It was quiet as I waited alone for the train. It was a bit after midnight, and so dark that I could only see the square foot around me that the small light illuminated. Fortunately, I wasn’t stuck waiting long for the train. Eagerly, I ran in the second the doors opened. There were only two other men in the compartment, not unusual for this time of night. The place reeked of smoke from the older man huffing on a cigarette. He took another long drag of it and watched me as I came in and took my seat. I sat and looked up at the other man, sitting across from…