Widow

Nana Keira hadn't moved in 15 years. The ranch house was a shadow of its former glory. The yard was where lawn ornaments came to die. Each year Nana would get a new trinket for her yard and each summer it was either stolen or destroyed.

Keira when Aislin walked in. The first grandchild and the family's last hope, she was a welcome sight. The other grandchildren were either in prison or on too many drugs to remember this lonely woman. A stock widow, she worshiped her husband’s memory as a martyr might worship a statue.

Normally, Keira was the image of grandmotherly perfection. Today, however, her hair had a weird blue-white glow like snow under a full moon.

Photo: snul