That night and most after, I fall asleep to Marsh reading to me.
He's my family and I am his. We talk about cancer taking my mom and hateful people taking his.
We talk about how long-lived he is, and despite being centuries old, he's still a teenager.
One night, after he meets the man who will eventually become my husband, we talk about how he will outlive me and be alone.
When I reassure him that all my descendants will be his family as surely as they are mine, we talk about how he will care for my children and their children and so on.
And today, when he came to say goodbye one last time, I wiped his tears with my weathered, wrinkly hands and he calls me my favorite nickname.
The name all my descendants will secretly carry and hold close to their hearts.
The name I earned each time I hid him from strangers. Earned when I finagled some spider webs and silk when he cut his wing so he could fly while it healed. Earned when I kept my promise to be his family. Earned that fateful night when I let him be my friend and protect me.
The name that I hope will help me bond with his mom in the next life as I wait for my husband and Marsh.
Keeper of the Mothman.
YOU ARE READING
Keep the Secrets Safe
Short StoryMy dad's girlfriend drinks too much, hits too hard, hates too strongly. My best friend Marsh said he'd help. I hope he makes it in time.
