The Boy Who Never Reached Her Dreams
It was a makeshift conch shell voice recorder we had made during our very first trip to the beach.
Naomi pressed the playback button. Through the speaker, my seven-year-old voice rang out, full of life. "Naomi, as long as I'm here, you don't ever have to be scared. I'll protect you."
Amidst the intermittent static of the old recording, a muffled giggle filtered out. "Kenneth, I will never let go of your hand."
I sat in front of Naomi, tilting my head as I listened along with her.
The stars were exceptionally bright tonight, and the North Star gleamed with a piercing clarity. I turned my head to look at her.