She wasn't sure what caused her to wake up about midnight. She sat up on the side of the bed careful not to wake her sleeping husband. Outside the window a soft rain fell, and somewhere down the hall slept two young ones. Everything was peaceful, yet something didn't feel right.
Sleepily she stood up, making her way out the door and down the hallway. She come to a door decorated with stickers of spacecrafts and aliens. She opened it a crack, peeking in on her sleeping son. Satisfied all was fine, she turned to the room across the hall where her two month old daughter lay. As soon as the door opened she knew something was wrong. The scream had left her lips before she had reached the baby's crib, lifting the small girl into her arms as footsteps pounded down the hallway, followed by the pitter patter of smaller feet.
But she didn't see them as she dropped to her knees, cradling the child.
"No...no..NOOOOO!!!!"
Gentle arms registered, she knew not whose, only that they were trying to take her daughter from her. She clutched the still infant to her chest, rocking her infant, begging the child to open her eyes, to look at Mommy.
"She's gone love."
She looked up. His eyes were filled with tears, but his voice was calm and stable for her sake and for the small boy standing behind him, clutching his bear. He held out his arms, but she brushed past him, rushing to stand on theporch, where she rocked the lifeless body. Tears streamed down her face as she softly sang to the little deaf ears of the infant who had been called home way to soon.
ns 15.158.11.167da2
