Mia awoke Friday morning with a start. She had just had a horrible childhood dream. In the dream her mother, Sara, had been run over by a train. She breathed heavily, her heart drumming in her ears. Mia knew that would never happen. Her mother wasn't going to die on her, not soon anyway. She lifted her head off her pillow to see if her little sister, Zoe, bundled next to her or her younger cousin Adam were awake. Apparently not. She then slid her thin body off the mattress that she slept on that night. Careful not to wake anyone, she inched the bedroom door open and scurried into the hall. Mia found that her uncle, John and her older cousin, Matthew are already awake and eating breakfast on the kitchen table. "Hey Mia, had a good sleep?" asked Matthew, Mia reply with the usual, "Well it could have been longer." They both laughed which Mia never got. People always said that she was funny but she never believed it. Mia was only 10 and she could crack anyone up without saying a word. "We're going to your house in a few minutes Mia, wake the other and tell them to get ready. You get ready too, okay?" Mia did what she was told and in less than five minutes, was standing at the front door, like a dog, waiting to go for a walk.
* * *
As soon as Mia's uncle parked the car, she bolted up her drive way to the backyard. As she was running, she noticed that there were a lot of cars in her street which was unusual for a Friday morning. She saw her dad talking to someone on the veranda when she turned the corner. Zoe was right behind her and then said in a whisper "Has daddy been crying?" Mia looked more closely at his face, blonde hair, round face, red cheeks and blue eyes that were now puffy and bloodshot. Mia's father had been crying. He turned to his daughters and as Mia and Zoe got closer he grabbed their hands and dragged them into his bedroom. Mia didn't understand. "Where's mummy?" Zoe asked. Their dad didn't answer and then it hit Mia so hard in the chest. It couldn't be, could it? Their dad started to cry, not cry like a light shower in the spring but started to cry like a rainstorm in winter. Zoe was looking so confused at her fathers actions so Mia told her what had happened. Mia wasn't crying yet but she knew it would come. Zoe on the other hand balled her eyes out straight away. Mia then heard someone scream. She didn't know who or what had happened until she looked up at her fathers face. He looked so shocked and taken aback and Mia realised, she was the one who screamed. It was that moment that she got it through her head that her mother would never be coming home again. Mia started crying waterfalls down her cheeks, making tiny rivers on the floor. 'My mum is dead,' Mia said in her head 'and I never got to say goodbye.'
