When Ally hears that her daughter died, the heavy haze of grief takes over her until one evening when her son, Ben, admits that his sister waves at him from across the road each night. Is Emily still around, or is something spooky at hand?
Five years ago, I was the happiest I had ever been.
My husband, Matt, and I had spent years trying for a child, enduring endless doctor visits, invasive tests, and heartbreak. When the doctors told us it wasn’t likely I could conceive, I was devastated.
But Matt held me through it all, promising we would build a family another way.
That’s how Emily came into our lives.
She was seven years old, with big, hopeful eyes and a hesitant smile that melted my heart. From the moment we brought her home, our house seemed to glow with new energy. We threw a small welcome party, decorated her room with bright colors, and took her on a family trip to the zoo.
“Do you think she’ll like the zoo?” Matt asked me.
“I think so,” I said. “But more than that, she needs to know that we’re a family and that we’re going to take her out and be a family, Matt.”
I’ll never forget how she giggled when a giraffe reached across and licked her ice cream.
For the first time in years, I felt complete.