Short Sad Stories

The Shooting

Tilkin sat in the darkened room and stared down at the empty streets. She tapped her fingers on the window sill and hummed a lullaby. The room belonged to a child. You could tell beause on the bed were pink pastel sheets, and the walls were light purple. Princess dolls were propped up against the pink pillow on the bed, though in the middle was a baby blue bunny. It had stitch marks where you could tell it was handmade, actually, Tilkin had made it.

A wooden dresser was opposite of Tilkin. On it were many pictures of different people, though the most eye catching one sat in the middle. It showed Tilkin with a large smile on her face, much unlike the plain expression she wore now, hugging a young girl. The girl had golden curly hair with grassy green eyes. In one hand she held the blue bunny that sat on the pink bed, and the other she had raised up as if she was waving at the camera.

The golden haired girl wore a pink dress that reached her knees and underneath were snow white stockings. She also wore brown dress shoes. Her eyes were twinkling in delightment as she gave a toothy grin.That was Ena, Tilkin's daughter. In that picture, they had just heard that Tilkin was having another baby, so Ena would be a big sister. They were both very happy. Not any more though. Tilkin hadn't even seen her daughter in two months.

Tilkin could still remember the last time she had seen her daughter. It was November 5th, a Wednesday. She had dropped Ena off at school. Towards the middle of the day she had gotten a call, and five words ruined everything "There's been a school shooting..." After those words Tilkin dropped the phone in horror. Everything else was a haze of tears.

Tilkin gritted her teeth as a tear slipped down her cheek. After Ena died, everything went downhill. Tilkin's baby died while she was in labor. Her husband left her for his secretary. Tilkin could no longer find happiness. Tear after tear spilled down as she sobbed and covered her eyes with her hands. Tilkin thought of the horrified expression on her daughters face as the gun was pointed at her. Ena was everything to Tilkin, she had never loved anything so dearly.

She remembered the day Ena was born. How precious her tiny head was and how her bright green eyes were more of a darker shade. She remembered how Ena cried and cried until she held her. She remembered Ena's first birthday, her first playdate, her first tooth, her first time on the potty. She remembered everything, but now it was all gone. "I'm so sorry Ena..."

Lesson~ Don't take anything you have for granted, it can be torn away so quickly.