The child picked me flowers from the lawn every time she came. I put them in vases, fussing over their beauty. It didn’t matter that they were dime-a-dozen dandelions mixed with clover; it only mattered that she wanted to make me smile. My heart wept when she outgrew the impulse.

Casey Laine comes from a long line of talkative women. She works as Fantasy Editor at Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, and publishes an annual anthology of fiction and poetry for her writing group, Writers Assembled. In her spare time, she chases butterflies with her camera. Find her at Facebook, Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores, and Amazon.