“Your grandpa will love you.”
The soft rustle of canvas brushed the air, and a faint glow pulsed through the black. Crickets chirped. The smell of damp leaves and cold night crept in.
A tent. Trees overhead. Stars blinking through the mesh window.
Celi curled her tiny hands around the edge of the thin blanket. Her mother lay beside her, one arm wrapped protectively around her little body. The lantern in the corner gave off a faint orange flicker that made shadows dance on the tent walls.
Her mother’s smile was soft, but her eyes looked shiny and swollen, like she had been crying.
“He will love you so much,” she whispered, brushing a strand of hair off Celia’s forehead. “Your grandma too. They will keep you safe.”
Safe.
Celia didn’t understand the word, but she felt the weight in her
