When I was a young woman, I heard an interesting fact about mothers and their children- that a baby could always recognize their mothers voice, no matter how long time had separated them. It was in their DNA after all; a mother could also recognize if their child was in danger just by the way they said the word “Mom”. Seeing Houdini and Frankie together again, it felt impossible that they’d shared only a sliver of time with each other. They remembered each other like the years hadn’t happened—though in my world, a decade had passed. She was only his mother for such a short time, but she was licking his forehead like it was the most natural moment in the world.

  I had hugged myself tightly without realizing it, feeling the quiet pull of the moment. A sharp inhale slipped past me. I pressed my palms to my chest, trying to make the feeling small enough to hold. Hatter had returned, leaning slightly on the doorframe, watching with that curious tilted head.

  “They deserved so much more time,” I murmured, barely more than a breath. I’m so very happy to see this moment; yet I feel so very heartbroken too. At least they won't feel lonely.

  Hatter nodded, a sympathetic smile brushing his lips. “I was reminded of a song—That's it, that's me. I feel like a lost child floating away in the sea; yet no one will come looking for me. Adrift forever, so mote it be.” He slipped on his boots with slow, deliberate movements. “You know what they say about music, hmm?” His gaze drifted to the swirling galaxy above us. “That music is life; that’s why our hearts have beats. To them, it feels like it was simply a beat ago that they were together. That’s also what’s so great about music—it makes time change.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  A shooting star with a purple tail streaked across the sky. We both just stood there, letting the wonder hang over us like the sky might actually brush our fingertips. Houdini let out a soft, exasperated huff, and Frankie’s tiny purr responded almost immediately. A mourning dove could be heard singing softly in the forest line alongside the house. It’s like someone sliced into our reality a soft summers’ night; like a bonfire gathering was about to start with family and friends. Fireflies had dispersed but were now floating alongside the path as if they were waiting for us.

  I smiled quietly, letting all the sounds anchor this fleeting, perfect moment. That song was something my father and I always sang when traveling together; an inside joke for our small world. Maybe this really is a dream; it’s seeming like the world has turned into a soft teddy bear that we clung to as children. Would that really be so bad? I mean Hatter can’t be so bad if Frankie stayed with him, right? I could work with this; it’s better than what I have to go back home too anyway.

  I shook my head; I don’t deserve this. Not after what I did. Glancing at Hatter, I see his hats were quickly changing, yet the troubled look on his face remained the same. It almost seemed like the same type of pain as mine but with a different name. I dare not ask in hopes that he does the same. It’s weird, my heart feels so heavy but my head feels so light. Except for a pressure starts to build again in my temples. Were the crickets always this loud? Like how snow absorbs all sounds, it seemed like here is where it exploded with nature.

  Reality always has a way of crashing into the vast quietness. This moment, apparently would be no exception.