closed starter for rikkie (@etvdes) located at the cemetery
The headstone for a child was the same size as any other. She'd come to know that from too young an age, when it was as big as she was, and bigger than the body that was beneath. Even then, Carmen understood the weight of it all. She felt the angina. Time hadn't relieved as much of the pressure as one would believe. Maybe it'd freed enough space to breathe, but not to do so easily. Each one she took for herself could've been one he had instead. Too many years were spent wondering why it wasn't her or those small hands didn't retain a grip beyond her years. It wasn't worth lingering on the things she couldn't change, no matter how much she wanted to.
Carmen popped another Cracker Jack into her mouth. A tradition to share a box with him every time she visited, making sure to leave the prize for her brother. Conversations weren't necessary without anyone to listen, which was why a broken stick echoed through the cemetery. Whether coming or going, it didn't matter; she offered a half-smile for the other passing through. "The groundskeeper closed up the back gate already," she offered in case they were on the way out. With the sun running from the moon now, the front was the only escape, and they'd be stuck with the silent types until further notice.



















