Bound By Contract, Tied By Faith

ght of

he cup of tea, but I wasn't

ere warm from the cup. The su

. had gone so

aw

When things were simple. When I sti

my eyes

at... I was ten

augh used to

The kind of laugh that made you fee

a firef

t a firefighter. He

ing, his uniform smelling faintly of smoke. He would

e, little star?

ven if he had only bee

always m

hanged... didn't fee

t another

it w

was

ning so fast that people

n't hesitate.

wen

was a little gir

her. He s

ried h

said he w

said he w

t.

ent back

ding did

olla

ook him

e silence tha

esn't just sit in a room...

as h

or a ten-ye

scream when she

cry at fi

... stoo

rld had sto

forgotten h

he col

n front

rst time her he

ver truly

as strong b

str

fashion

an Francisco

ts. Dresses hanging like

ed what

e than

ved my

. Comp

ething inside her th

doct

ti

even

but things did

quieter a

lace she built wi

aken

oli

o

like

lding her hand, watching the

hing her heart br

hool, I already understood some

ways give you t

it just ke

ta

ta

t a

all

secre

what I d

't matter anymo

ls kept growing, her con

d

desp

stand desperation

ot jus

ot jus

wly... while trying to

s sta

nd cru

was sleeping

g things just t

read

I could de

an I coul

d the

eople to b

one l

ne c

reached

mother

emember t

r eyes loo

ed and

n't recogniz

ed to s

words ne

llapse

tim

dn't w

d it was too mu

uch s

much

ped into

t like

ut enough to feel like I was alo

ot pe

t e

ned fro

n't sta

er ever

er the

st

judg

d to e

eople cl

who woul

h didn't mat

ieve something

to change

I met

ca

as k

a way I di

k at me like

me like I was

elpe

ith me at t

ther, even when sh

things woul

wasn'

a wh

ieved

a way of re

e can be

my eyes

came back

sunl

de

p in m

the

housand

mo

ont

ightened aro

st fel

I had bee

y lo

stru

nt of bein

led m

is ch

own at the

ispered,

m need

ook, but I

needs

ed down my

't wip

let the

have a

that mo

kn

n't abou

't abou

t even a

s abo

breath, stea

wly

ed for

l do