deadly demon

heart shaped forget-me-nots

my mom's car broke down when my parents stopped by to see us the other week, and since i haven't been driving lately i told them they could borrow my car to drive around until hers was out of the shop.

when my aunt's best friend passed away, my younger brother was four years old. at his funeral, my brother went up to her and gave her a nickel. he told her very solemnly that it would make her feel better. she smiled for the first time in days, and tucked it in her wallet.

i wrote this post because my brother had taken the necklace off to go to an amusement park--fearful of losing it on a roller coaster, he had left it at home. but by the end of the day, it had slipped his mind that he'd left it on his dresser. it was a thoughtful action in the moment, but quickly forgotten. we were still at the park when he reached absentmindedly for the chain to toy with it, a habit he had picked up almost immediately after he started wearing it. the panicked look that crossed his normally-goofy and un-serious face is still brandished in my brain. he looked for all the world like he was suddenly sucked into an astral void, an event horizon upon which he was crushed instantaneously. i've never seen such fear in his eyes before or after this moment. we assured him that he must have left it at home, but we were all ready to make the three hour drive back tomorrow to scour the park until it showed up. thankfully, it was indeed at home, and when he flew up the stairs to his room and let out a relieved shout, we all released a collective breath.