Janet held Dani in her arms, sobbing into her soft baby hair. Poor baby was only 6, how could Janet explain to her that her brother, Josh, was dead? Josh was already 8, but he’d been his little sister’s best friend. They’d play for hours by the creek behind their house.

She thought he was a good swimmer, but… She began to cry again, into Dani’s chestnut hair. The little girl squirmed, too old to be held like a doll. Her face was blotchy and red, her eyes confused. “Ssh, baby, it’s alright.” Janet soothed, setting her down. Dani screamed as soon as her feet touched the floor, and tears streamed down her face. Before Janet could grab her, she was flying down the hallway and out the back door.

When she reached the creek, Dani sat down in the reeds. She watched a butterfly land on her open palm, then slowly squeezed her fingers, wringing the life out of it. “You can see my brother in Heaven. He was so stupid he thought he could breathe underwater. I had to hold him under to show him he couldn’t. Dummy.”