Roman
I stretched over the attic rafters for the box I once tossed up here to hide away, cursing myself for not taking more care to make it an easier retrieval. My fingertips spun it closer, and I grabbed the handhold, hauling it down the foldaway ladder.
Crouched on my heels, I took a deep breath and opened the crossed-over flaps, revealing the few items I tried to avoid thinking about. The soft and plush playnest had jostled in my efforts, unfolding and jumbling with the other items. I pulled it out, and with it tumbled a bright, square book and a little black dragon plushie.
I dropped the play nest in favour of the stuffed toy, twirling it over in my hands. As a young pup, I was obsessed with dragons, but I couldn’t recall the phase much. My smile faltered before it could spread, sna
