“You don’t understand anything, you, you-” I tried to think of a name bad enough to call her. A name that expressed my feelings, nothing. So I huffed a big sigh and ran out the door. I heard my terrible aunt scream, “Please, Michelle, let’s talk about this.” But I kept running. I ran until I turned a corner. I saw a bright light. Then, a dark sheet the color of the bruise on my arm fell over my eyes.


I felt a small shake. Someone was standing above me. It was a girl about nine years old.

“Excuse me miss. Could you please help me? My sisters and brothers and I really need clothes and food. Do you know where there is a Goodwill?” She asked.

“Yes. I’ll bring you there.” I sighed. I didn’t have anything better to do tonight. Thanks to my stupid aunt. I looked closely at the girl. There was something strangely familiar about her. As we started to walk I said to the girl, “you look very tired. What’s going on? Where are your parents?”

She sighed very deeply I heard pain in it. “My mother just died in child birth. We have to take care of the baby. My father is spending all his money on alcohol. He doesn’t care about any of us. He blames us for mom dying. And we can’t call the cops or anything because they will put us in an orphanage and we could get split up.”

I gasped. The little girl had pretty much re-capped my past. “What’s your name sweetie?” I asked with interest.

“You aren’t going to tell anyone are you?” She asked with fear as we crossed the street.

“No. I was just wondering. I’m Michelle.”

“Oh. I’m Mikalah.” She answered nervously.

“Mikalah.” It started with the letter as my name. How did we get food and clothes? The answer came to me. Aunt Karen. The evil woman did one good thing in her life.

“Do you have any relatives?” I questioned. Maybe I really could help this girl find herself some food.

“I have one selfish aunt who never cared about us.” She answered.

Oh, so much for that plan. We reached the Goodwill.

“Thank you so much for helping me.” She praised.

“Good luck hon. Can you find your way back? I asked.

“Yep, no sweat.”

So I walked off. I really didn’t know where I was going. I was thinking. That was the strangest thing that ever happened to me. I have never heard that happening to anyone but me. I made it to a park, I walked around. I heard someone crying. Where was the sound coming from? I looked around trying to find it. My ears took my to some woods where there was a girl about my age placing wild flowers on a large stone that was carefully laid on the ground the girl was whispering,

“I’m sorry, Carrie. I wish I could change it, but I can’t, Rebecca can’t, none of us can. You were only three months old when dad kicked us out of the house, we couldn’t do anything. We had no food and you were just a baby, I’m so sorry.”

“Marissa?” There was a kind voice behind the crying girl. A taller girl emerged, “we have to leave, someone saw Benny stealing food, we have to get as far away from here as we can.”

The girl named Marissa wiped her eyes; “okay,” she mumbled, “I’m ready.” And the two girls and their two brothers, one called Benny and the other nameless, started to walk away from the dark shadowy ruins of their past.

I decided not to follow them, they wanted to be left alone and I knew it. So, I kept walking. I started to walk around to where my dad’s old house was, before he got arrested and we got taken away. I looked down at all of my bruises and scratches, not just the marks of reckless vodka and whiskey, but the marks of a lost love, my beautiful mother. That’s what drove him to the alcohol, losing her and losing part of his own soul, his other half.

I saw a mangled body laying in an alley. I gasped, at first I thought she was dead, how could there be life in this girl? There she lay, broken and wounded. Then, she coughed and sat up. She looked at me and said,

“You have no idea how lucky you are,” she said in a raspy voice. Seeing my puzzled tone she added, “I have nothing. My sister is dead and my brothers have been arrested, my other sister is gone, I have no idea where she is. I can’t get a job and I have no food, I will die here and you will watch me. I hope your life is filled with joy and love, I hope you get everything I never had.” She laid down again and she was right. I saw her twitch and then I saw her lay very still. Then I couldn’t believe what I saw. A woman in all white gracefully floated down from the inky sky. Out of the dead girl’s body a woman similar to the first one emerged from her body and they both floated up to the sky. Then the first woman came back. Every curve of her face was familiar. Her golden hair flowed from her round face. Her blue eyes sparkled as her mouth formed the word,

“Michelle.”

My mother stood before me.

“My daughter please listen I only have so much time to make you understand. Karen loves you. Don’t run away. She cares for you and for everyone that lives in that house. When I departed this earth she cared for you with food and clothes, if she hadn’t you would be like Mikalah. When your father was arrested, she took you in even though she hadfinancial trouble and is saving your baby sister’s life, the one I died for. If she hadn’t you would be like Marissa. And she will love you for the rest of your life and care for all of you, if she won’t or if you reject her care the fate of Marie is in your future. Think about what you want.” Then, she slowly disappeared. She was right, my aunt did care. Even though she kept us too close and was over protective, she had seen me through my worst times, is helping me through the struggles now, and will help me shine for the rest of my life.



I opened my eyes; I was laying against the cool pavement. Karen was picking me up and holding me in her arms.

“Michelle,” she whispered, “my sweet love, hit by a car,” she moaned, “Please wake.” After everything she had done for me, I decided to follow this wish of hers and I whispered,

“Thank you, thank you for everything, I’m sorry, and I love you.” Those were the three most important things and I knew at that moment that everything in my world will be okay.