Here I stand, alone at the front, the crowd murmuring from stolid pews. My coat tails limp, my collar moist with sweat. I imagine her in white, coming up the aisle, my heart pounding.

But when I look, there are only faces full of pity and an empty, open door.

Megan Dodge is a sophomore in high school with a passion for writing. She’s written stories and poems since she was seven years old and hopes to have a future affiliated with editing, writing, and/or publishing.