—
That night, for the first time in nearly a year, our house felt completely safe.
No midnight footsteps moved down the hallway.
No shadow quietly entered our bedroom.
No one carried a secret burden alone in the darkness.
I lay beside Sarah listening to the calm rhythm of her breathing.
Color had begun returning to her cheeks, and the deep shadows beneath her eyes had faded.
I reached across and switched off the bedside lamp.
The room settled into comfortable darkness.
Outside, light snow had started falling, covering the trees in soft white.
Then I heard Maya’s bedroom door open down the hallway.
A moment later, small feet padded across the floorboards.
She peeked into our room clutching her stuffed bear.
“Dad?” she whispered into the dark.
“Yeah, sweetie?” I replied, raising my voice slightly so as not to startle her.
“Can I sleep with you guys tonight?” she asked. “Just for a little bit?”
Sarah stirred beside me, smiling through the darkness, and lifted the edge of the duvet.
“Come here, Maya.”
Maya hurried over, climbed into the middle of the mattress, and wriggled beneath the covers between us.
Sarah wrapped one arm around her.
I reached across them both and rested my hand over theirs.
“Dad?” Maya whispered, staring at the ceiling.
“Yes, Maya?”
“The moon really does follow our car, right?”
I smiled into the darkness and pulled my family closer.
“It sure does, kiddo,” I said softy. “It follows us everywhere we go.”
