nineteen
Dusk hasn’t driven the darkness from the night, yet I’m already wide awake. Crumbs of sleep tease the corners of my eyes as my body begs for another rest. I’ve been twisting and turning all night, even though last evening was more than I could ever wish for. Father treated us to a scrumptious meal and, with the honest conversations we shared, the genuine warmth of his company—it truly felt like I was home again.
A slight draft grazes the tip of my nose. I pull the blanket closer. My body curls. It was only one evening. I close my eyes and sorrow washes over me. Once I’m gone the horses will suffer at my cousins’ hands, like I was never here. And Father will be alone again with his paralyzing grief, only able to look away, to turn his back on the stables, on our home that once wa
