Mag

“Are you sure you can’t give me one more chance?”

“100% sure. That door was shut long ago.”

She laughed.

“Can I reopen it?”

“Definitely not. The door was locked. In fact, it was locked and I threw away the key”.

...

Mag peered through the dusty window into her old room.

It felt familiar.

It was as if she could smell the fresh lavender softener used to wash her sheets.

She remembered how she always felt safe snuggled up under her doona squeezing her teddy bear to sleep. The comfort of mumbling voices drifting into her room from the lounge room was so comforting.

As a tear rolled down her cheek, Sammy the German Shepherd from next door started barking ferociously. He was once her friend who she would tell her secrets when she was locked out after curfew, but he no longer recognises her.

It brought her back to the moment as she jumped away from the fence.

She looked around and was sure she hadn’t been spotted.

She didn’t think she would be recognised anyway. She was officially an adult now, just turned 18 years old. And she has changed a lot since she last saw her dad.

Mag wondered if there would be a special birthday dinner tonight.

She crept around to the kitchen window to have a sneak peak at where her dad always liked to cook.

He was busy making lasagne, one of her favourites, while singing along to one of their old-time favourite songs.

She can’t remember the last time she had lasagne, but nothing could beat the way her dad makes it. Double the cheese to the pastry and mince.

Think about how he hasn’t forgotten how much she loved it made her feel fuzzy inside.

He still cared.

Mag scanned the rest of the room. She could see her little sister doing her homework. She looked exactly like her, and from the stickers on her pencil case it looks like she is just as obsessed with playing basketball and reading sci-fi as Mag was at that age.

Mag wished she could give her some advice. Tell her all the things she wish she knew at that age. Perhaps if she had an older sister who she trusted to tell her to stay in school and listen to dad her life would be completely different.

The outside light above her turned on as her brother came outside to turn on the sprinklers.

Family time was up.

“Happy birthday to me” she whispered as she ran off into the darkness.

She would dream of her room as she drifted off to sleep in the shelter tonight.

Maybe one year her birthday wish would come true and she will be on the other side of the window.