What the—
Was that…?
“Oh my god—Mom?”
My heart hammered against my ribs, a painful drumbeat. Through the tangled, shadowy trees, a flicker of movement caught my eye, just at the edge of the deck's warm, yellow glow. Or perhaps it was just a trick of the light, a phantom glimpsed in the deepening dusk.
A figure stood between the tree trunks. It was pale in the moonlight. The figure was slight. It looked familiar. Her hair. It looked just like hers. It was the same length. It fell over her shoulders in the same way.
“Mom?” My voice cracked as I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the protest in my ribs.
She swayed, her body fragile against an unseen wind. It wasn't a graceful dance, but a desperate struggle for balance, as if her very bones had lost their will to support her. Each tilt
