The Questioning Moonlight

Prologue

See that girl over there? Playing in the sand with her little bathsuit on? Ha ha, well that's me! Or what used to be me. My name's Ula. Ula Lopez. Werid name right? But whatever, I've grown used to it. Anyway, back to my story.

"What are you doing, you little fish?" That was my nickname since I absolutely loved being near or in water. 

"Nothing, daddy." My dad was a very strict yet gentle man. Nothing to scary about him. His mustache planted right underneath his nose as his glasses always perched on the end of his big nose. 

My mom's cheery laugh could be heard from anywhere. "Come on you two, let's get back home." As she stood, I could remember the gentle breeze that lifted her golden hair. It used to be red but, obviously with age comes with some downfalls. 

I remember bounding up the small hill to where our car was parked with my sandy little feet. I tried shaking the sand out of my short brown hair but I couldn't quite reach the back, thankfully my dad was there to help. We all piled in, went on our way, and started listening to all sorts of 80's songs. My mom and dad were laughing so much. They were always so happy. Until that idiot driver swerved into our lane and everything went black.

~~~

I don't remember much of what the hospital was like but, I'm sure that I was crying a lot. I remember a sharp pain in my back and a lot of nurses surrounding me. Looking out the window, I think I remember seeing a humming bird. The nurses eventually had to close the blinds because I was too distracted when I needed to answer questions. I really liked that hummingbird. 

One afternoon, I remember my aunt came running in crying hard. I was too young to understand what she was telling the doctor but, I do remember the slap that she gave him. Fast and hard. One of the shorter nurses tried calming her down but, she just ended up storming over to my side, asking me over and over if I was alright. I told her my back was hurting and that was really it. She knelt down and kissed my forehead, tears still falling down her cheeks. She told me that I would live with her until mommy and daddy healed a little more. 

She took me to her home later that week, already having one of her sons move out of his room so I could take residence in it. It was a bit big for me since I was only 6. I looked around to see all the posters of famous sports players. I hoped onto the bed and set aside my My Little Pony backpack that had most of my clothes and toys. I unzipped it to reach into it to take out my Rainbow Dash doll. Quickly zipping it back up, I held her close to my chest, humming the theme song. I kept glancing at the clock on the wall, thinking my mom and dad would come at any second. 

Healed. That has been the one word that was floating around my head for all these years. Yes, I said years. At first, I thought they forgot me, leaving me to live with Auntie Ivy and her boyfriend, who sons were really his. When I was about 8, I finally asked the question, already knowing the answer. "Are mom and dad dead?"

They both quickly looked up from their black laptop and stared at me. Auntie Ivy's eyes started to swell and tears began to fall, just like the first night she came to me at the hospital. Jonathan, her boyfriend, cradled her in his muscular arms. I watched them for a few minutes, standing completely still. Then, my mind finally caught up to what was happening. Tears began pouring down my cheeks, my nose started running, and my back pulsed against my shirt. I ran into Auntie Ivy, burying my face into her stomach. Our sobs filled the house for hours.

Until, the blessing called sleep, fell onto all of us.