Family's Dark Secret

into an eternity o

ysical weight, pr

eps receded. She ha

voice, muffled, from th

drafts... No, she's... she says she's not feeling well, but the air conditioning is on u

tioning?

ndow. Jessica's lie abou

racy of

. My las

nd weak, fumbled wit

ll con

emergency?" A ca

t. "Basement... can't

need you

..." My voice faded

anced in fro

ma El

ved in Florida, by the ocean.

find her contact. My

connected

lick. Dis

rom my own number, to Grandma: *"Sorry,

weird, might not get texts

ss

somehow. She'd been asking about setting up a new photo-sh

ked my onl

ess was c

ng me a hidden latch on the old coal chute door, now boarded u

in the far corner, behi

inch by ago

ed against the

ed, stiff. But the

fresher air. Not m

ce to the tiny

tside. A siren. Faint

gile thing,

oser, then stopp

the porch.

en up!" A m

. Then, a spl

reaking dow

sement stairs as the

houetted against i

Emily

football buddy. He knew about my asthma. He'd

ed to yell, but it w

the coal chute,

im. "Oh, Emily.

is uniform felt rou

the line was open, sounded like a kid in distress," he m

was like a punch to th

g. Oxygen mask, questi

e into the ambul

a, pulling into the

ooked

commotion?" Dad demanded, str

ll, gaudy trophy. "We're back! I w

ltering for a microsecond before becoming a mask