CORA
Cora’s mother looks at her with dewy eyes set deep within fleshy lids. Her face, once full of a vibrant light, is now drawn and gray.
“Do you know me?” Cora asks. Mom closes her eyes and for the briefest moment, the light returns. A youthful glow rises in her cheeks and a small smile tugs at her lips. Cora sits up a little straighter and moves to the edge of the chair. She reaches for her mother’s hands. Mom opens her eyes and it all fades. Cora grips her own knees instead.
She hoped to catch her mom on a good day. Her heart aches as she pats her mother’s shoulder and rises to leave. She remembers a time when her mother was her best friend. A time when taking turns reading Harry Potter to each other filled the afternoon. They’d done so in the shade of a tree that was torn down last
