“Missing in action. Presumed dead.” Five words that extinguished hope and shattered my heart. It was the presumption that did it.

Days, weeks, and months passed. Acceptance would not come. Pain increased.

The doorbell cut across my tortured reverie. There stood Teddy, my son.

My knees buckled. They presumed wrong!

Linda Pottinger has had numerous, diverse articles published in national, regional, and local magazines, trades journals, and hobbyist magazines. She has self-published two books, an autobiography and an anthology of poetry. She has recently engaged in writing short fiction stories and hopes to expand into script-writing in the near future.