One Last Time

I hadn’t entered the room since the night that it happened. How could I? Everything about her space remained the same. Frozen in time. I was afraid to face it. Afraid of the day we may move away from this house, and everything she’s ever touched will be lost forever. But tonight, I swallowed my heart and reached for the knob. The white wooden door was covered with posters of her favorite tv shows and musical artists. On top of the collage a sign that said “DO NOT ENTER” was nailed into the wood. Too Bad, Abby. I’m entering.

The smell overwhelmed me. It was how she always smelled. A hint of weed and her favorite Victoria Secret perfume. I didn’t even care if she smoked as long as she was being responsible about it. The fragrant mixture alone almost made me choke, on my tears, not because it was unsavory. I couldn’t understand why she left us.

Her bed was unmade, the off-white duvet was half hanging off and her pillows were in a disarray. There were a couple pairs of different pants and shirts spewed about the floor, marking a hard decision. I wonder which was harder to make. Her laptop was still open on her desk and plugged into its charger. The lock screen was a picture of her and her childhood best friend, Sarah. I wonder how she is feeling.

On top of her bookshelves are young adult books collecting dust. She used to love to read fiction of every sort. There is a snow globe from our family trip to Niagara Falls. Plaques from sportsmanship awards in soccer and honor roll. I brushed my hand along her electric keyboard as I made my way to sit on her bed. She marked it with colored stickers to identify the notes, they were shaped like flowers. I let myself lay back and sink into the memory foam. The glow-in-the-dark stars on her ceiling brought me comfort and I could almost feel her with me. I decided to sleep there with my daughter. This time, she’s protecting me from my nightmares. I just wish I knew why.

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This was a short story written for my MA program over a year ago. The prompt was to tell a story in less than 400 words based on one setting. It's been sitting in my drafts and finally able to publish it due to the new microfiction guidelines. Thanks, Vocal!