Zach scrambled through the screen door,
Past the short hall, and into the dim kitchen.
The sun was hiding its face,
along with a secret.
I thought of my brother’s brown, dark eyes
that were full of mystery.
Mom dashed through with memories and tears
that fell across her puffy cheeks.

“Maggie just died,” whispered Zach.
A smell of surprise and shock
snuck its way into me,
like a mosquito—
slowly landing and stealing your blood.

But it was stealing a part of me.

I looked around only to hear the silence
and loss of barks.
My pet, my dog,
my friend,
was just a memory now.

A salty taste entered the corners of my mouth
as tears escaped my eyes.
The dog that had been there my entire life—
vanished.
For a moment,
words could not escape my mouth.