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Chapter 9

Autor: Washing Wheat
Near dawn, they went home.

The car was silent.

Mom held my suitcase the way she would hold a baby.

Her fingers kept rubbing the faded Peppa Pig sticker on the side, again and again, as if the suitcase might disappear too if she loosened her grip.

Dad drove with his eyes fixed on the road. He did not say a word.

When they passed the intersection, he stepped on the brake.

The car stopped.

The road had already been cleaned. Nothing remained.

No blood. No broken pieces. No sign that only hou
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  • A Home After All   Chapter 11

    Tears fell onto the picture frame, but Mom was still smiling.I looked at her trembling pinky in the air and gently curled my own around it.I promise, Mom.In the next life, I will come back.Dad stepped beside her and put an arm around her shoulders."Lily," he said, his voice hoarse. "Dad is sorry. What I said that day was anger. I never thought about sending you back. You are my daughter. You always will be."He paused, trying to swallow the sob caught in his throat."If you're willing to forgive Dad, come back to me in the next life, okay? I promise I'll treat you well."After he said that, he turned his face away.His shoulders were shaking, but he made no sound.Noah had been quiet in Aunt Megan's arms.He looked at Mom, then Dad, as if trying to understand something much bigger than he was.Then he wriggled down, walked to the memorial table, and stood on tiptoe because he was too short to reach my photo.He stretched out one finger and touched the frame lightly.

  • A Home After All   Chapter 10

    When I go back, I'll be good and listen to everyone.Love,LilyBy the time Mom finished reading, she was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe."How sad must she have been when she wrote this?"Dad took the letter from her and read it one word at a time.Then he closed his eyes. Tears rolled down his face and fell onto the paper, spreading into small dark stains.Noah had woken up at some point. He stood in the doorway in his pajamas, rubbing his eyes."Mom? Dad? Why are you crying?"He walked in and stared at the tears on their faces, confused."Did Lily come home?"He looked around, and a little spark of hope lit his eyes.No one answered.That spark dimmed slowly, then disappeared, leaving only fear and confusion."Where is Lily? Why isn't Lily back yet?"Mom crouched and took his hands. Tears kept falling."Noah, your sister... your sister went somewhere very far away.""Where?" Noah tilted his head. "Did she take a plane?""Yes." Mom's eyes reddened again. "S

  • A Home After All   Chapter 9

    Near dawn, they went home.The car was silent.Mom held my suitcase the way she would hold a baby.Her fingers kept rubbing the faded Peppa Pig sticker on the side, again and again, as if the suitcase might disappear too if she loosened her grip.Dad drove with his eyes fixed on the road. He did not say a word.When they passed the intersection, he stepped on the brake.The car stopped.The road had already been cleaned. Nothing remained.No blood. No broken pieces. No sign that only hours earlier, a little girl had flown through the air and fallen there.Only the streetlight still shone, its yellow glow falling across the empty crosswalk.Dad stared at that patch of road for a long time."Let's go," Mom said softly.Dad came back to himself and started the car again.When they got home, everything was exactly as it had been.The two Barbie dolls, one new and one cracked, still sat on the coffee table. Beside them was the cake box that no one had put away, and the slice o

  • A Home After All   Chapter 8

    Mom suddenly spoke. Her voice was barely there."Mark.""Yeah.""Where do you think Lily was going with her suitcase?"She turned her head slowly to look at Dad. Her eyes were empty, like two dark holes.Dad opened his mouth, but no words came out. He only gripped her hand tighter.Just then, someone knocked on the waiting room door.A police officer stood outside, holding my blue suitcase."Lily Bennett's family?" He set the suitcase on the floor and unzipped it. "This was found scattered at the scene. We inventoried the items, and we need you to confirm them."He took the things out one by one.The blue dress.The sweater Mom knitted.The worn-out stuffed rabbit.The plastic moon bracelet.Then the family photo, still carefully wrapped in the sweater and completely unbroken.Mom stared at those things, and her lips began to tremble.The officer paused before continuing."We also spoke to people near the scene. A passerby said that shortly before the accident, the chi

  • A Home After All   Chapter 7

    The emergency entrance was lit with a white glare so harsh it hurt to look at.The hallway smelled of disinfectant.Dad nearly ran inside. Mom followed behind him, stumbling more than once.I tried to steady her, but my fingers passed through her arm again and again.A nurse stopped them. "Are you Lily Bennett's family?""Yes. We are." Dad's voice shook. "Where is she?"The nurse's expression changed. Pity softened her face."Please follow me."She led them down the hall and opened a door.It was a small room, dimly lit and cold.In the middle of the room was a bed covered with a white sheet.Mom stopped at the doorway.Her eyes locked on the sheet. Her lips shook violently, but no sound came out.Dad walked forward. Each step looked like it cost him everything.He reached out. The moment his fingers touched the sheet, he drew back. Then he forced himself to reach again.He lifted one corner.I stood beside him and saw my own face beneath it.So quiet.Almost like I w

  • A Home After All   Chapter 6

    Dad froze.Mom noticed at once and leaned toward him. "What is it? Who's calling?"Dad did not answer.He only held the phone, his knuckles turning white.His lips trembled. His eyes stared straight ahead as if he could not see the road anymore.The person on the phone kept speaking.Then the phone slipped from Dad's hand and hit the floor mat with a dull thud."Mark? Say something!" Fear sharpened Mom's voice. She grabbed his arm and shook him. "Who was that? Is there news about Lily? Where is she?"Dad turned toward her very slowly.Streetlight fell across his face through the windshield, cutting it into light and shadow. The lit half was deathly pale. The shadowed half was unreadable.His lips moved again.This time, sound came out, dry and hoarse."The hospital called.""Hospital?" Mom stared at him. "What hospital? Is Lily there? Is she sick? Did she fall?"She spoke faster and faster, trying to catch any possibility that was not the worst one.Dad shook his head.

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