The sky was grey and hung low over her heavy heart. She wiped her tears wishing she could simply wipe away the pain that gripped her. Alone she stood in a hollow home; the small enclosure had confined her to her devastation for some time now. She felt like everything around her that was once familiar was now strange, once warm, now cold. He was gone. While dazing off in a blank stare her father’s belonging slowly came into focus. Each one spoke to her. Meaningless items were suddenly all that were left of him. Pieces of him. She gathered each one in her arms and clung to them in a desperate attempt to soak in the presence he left behind. She could not let go. The weight of her agony brought her to her knees. She sank to the floor and sobbed. The rough stone walls echoed back the sound of her cry that seemed to taunt her.

…

As she reminisced the heaviness in the room sank lower and kept her from getting up. There was a calm stillness now as if her emotions understood her exhaustion and whispered to let her rest. She fell asleep that night watching through her tears the oil lamp flicker like music while shadows danced across the orange tinted walls.