Quiet. Is she awake? Don’t worry about it. Just be quiet. My eyes flash open to the black wall inches from my nose. There are more babeebs, but they’re kept in the opposite corner. A soft shuffling and then a chorus of pattering feet emits, followed by unidentifiable whispers. My lids grow heavy again, the sweet coma overtaking me as I slip away… “Why didn’t you tell me?” “Would you have believed it?” The lady with the red bandanna inhales, the tip of her cigarette lighting into orange sparks. “I don’t…” “We weren’t sure…” the elder woman starts, “when or how…” she reaches for the younger woman’s hand. “I’ve wanted to tell you for a while. Your whole life…” Another hand—a man’s—rests atop the other two. The lady in the red bandanna turns in his direction. The porch fades to an opaque fog as a new face appears—the one with white hair and large, piercing silver eyes. Her mouth never opens but her voice is solid, strong. “Fallon...”
