This picture was taken by my mother on Halloween a couple years ago. My brother was dressed up as batman. I was a poodle skirt girl. This picture is really meaningful to me because it reminds me of when I was younger. My brother and I were all dressed up and ready to go get some candy. My brothers cape had come undone so I was refastening it. At that moment, I remember feeling so grown up. Like I had become his mother. Something that little girls like to play a lot is being mommy or teacher. I was no exception. I remember, as I was finishing the knot, my brother started puckering up. A smile stretched across my face. Then snap. My mother took the picture.

Each time I come across this picture, I feel a strange sensation in my stomach. I'd call it melancholy. When I see our faces, black against the white of the wall, I can tell we love each other. The photo gives away very little. You can't see our expressions, or our eyes. But it is this secrecy that gives way to another breathtaking detail. The perfect outline of our faces, shows my round nose, his batman ears, my hands working skillfully at the knot, his lips puckering up, and my innocent smile. It is a perfect shot. It captures the innocence of our childhood in a mature and conservative way.