0007: Unexpected
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0007:The vividness of the memory taunts her.
Everly, at age seven, played the snail, ace of hearts, and turtle.
It was the final dress rehearsal and Everly’s mother had dropped off Arby’s for her. She sat in the thick velvet seats and scarfed the sandwich down, so excited to get back on stage.
That night she awoke, her stomach churning. She fumbled through the halls and got to the base of the thin wooden stairwell. And there, she threw up an entire slice of tomato.
She didn’t even like tomatoes.
Everly crept to her parents' bedroom and padded across the hardwood floor to the side of the big brass bed containing two undulating lumps. Her parent’s faces, usually so domineering, so powerful, so invincible, were almost innocent.
“Mom?”
No response…
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Written by Michelle Lang
Image by #MidJourney
Copyright 2024 Michelle Lang