What's Left Behind

Prologue

"What do you mean Mums gone?" I barked as I searched frantically through the house for a sign of the willowy woman with stringy blonde hair. "I mean what I said, she's gone". I stared at my sister dumbfounded. She wouldn't just leave, she would tell us. She wouldn't just leave us here with him. She couldn't be gone. I scrambled up the stairs to her bedroom. Slowly I notice little things missing. Her green reading glasses, always carefully perched on the battered bedside table. The small box of pictures carefully tucked to the side of her bed full of smiling faces and trips to Disneyland. The little things I didn't know I noticed until they were gone. Finally I move to the closet and with a surrendered breath I open the door. Empty hangers lined the small area of space. Her billowing skirts, flowing shirts, that old jean jacket she had had since before the smile left her face. I remembered that smile looking down at me from the porch as I played in the yard. I hadn't seen that smile in a long time. Staring at the empty racks realization took over my body. She left. She left and took everything important to her. She took her clothes, her jewelry, photos, everything she could want. But she didn't take us.