World of Make-Believe: Khirsten's Story

Prologue

She looked into his warm brown eyes. Her daddy, her hero. She was so excited.

Her cake was on the table, white and frosted, pretty yellow flowers spilling off the top, a big, colorful '5' candle was stuck in the middle. Her favorite music was playing in the background, streamers and toys were everywhere. She could hardly sit still for excitement.

"My birfday!" She smiled at her dad.

He chuckled, she felt so safe when he laughed, "Yes, your birthday my sweet. We're just waiting for Mommy."

She frowned, sadness creeping in on her, "Mommy isn't coming."

She felt her dad grow colder, "Khirsten! Stop that." She heard his frown. She felt sad now. She liked when Daddy smiled. She liked when Mommy was home. Mommy was happy and bright, she loved the water. So did Khirsten. They would walk on the wet, squishy sand together.

Khirsten loved the squishy sand. And holding Mommys hand while they walked in the soft water. Khirsten didn't like their walks though. Mommy always looked so sad. Like the ocean hurt her heart. And that made her little heart hurt too. She would hug Mommy and tell her how much she loved her. Then Mommy would sit down on the squishy sand and braid Khirstens hair.

"Your hair is so long and beautiful." Mommy would smile, but Khirsten could hear the sad in Mommy's voice, "All red and blond and curly." Then Mommy would stand and smile, taking Khirstens hand they would walk back to their house. It looked like the other houses, but Mommy always kept lights on their back porch. Khirsten liked that. On warm nights they would lay out on the porch, toes in the sand, watching the stars come out, listen to the ocean whisper.

Mommy would be sad again, Daddy would be sad too.

Khirsten never knew why.

And sometimes Khirsten saw things, felt things, that other people didn't. She didn't know why. Sometimes she could hear the ocean talking to her. She didn't always know what it said, sometimes the words were too long, too fast, or too soft. But sometimes, when her feet were in the water, she could hear it like it was whispering in her ear.

"Come home." It would say. Khirsten would get scared then and run back home as fast as her little legs could carry her. But then she would find herself wandering back to the water a couple days later, waiting for the whispers.

Sometimes Khirsten could see things that happened before they happened. And sometimes that scared people. Made them hate her, angry with her. Like Daddy was now. Khirsten sighed, looking at her cake. She knew they wouldn't eat it tonight. Or the next night. Or ever. Because... because...

"Mommy isn't coming home." Khirsten felt tears welling in her chest and spilling over, even as there was a knock on the door.

Daddy was confused. He carried his little girl with him. Khirsten saw the man in blue with his black phone on his shoulder.

"Cop." Khirsten cried harder, "Mommy!" She wailed.

She couldn't hear what was happening anymore, but she felt Daddy get sad and angry; very sad. They sat down on the couch together after a while and cried together. And fell asleep after crying. Khirsten felt Daddy moving her to her bed.

"No." She wailed, tears and sadness still wanting to come out, "Mommy..."

"I'll leave the door unlocked." He promised, "And we'll plant your flowers later." He promised again.

Khirstens little mind remembered her five pretty yellow tulip plants waiting in their brown pots for Mommy to come home and hep plant them.

"Mommy's gone?" She asked, looking at her cake as Daddy put her to bed.

"Yes." He whispered, tucking her in and curling up beside her, stroking her hair. "Mommy is gone."