"Aren't you cold?"

"No."

"All you're wearing is a T-shirt. You must be cold."

"I'm not."

It was early morning. There were no sounds of life except for the occasional car on a distant road. Even the birds slept. A breeze blew a strand of the girl's hair slightly out of her face as she stared blankly at the concrete on the porch.

"What are you most afraid of?" the older woman asked.

"This."

"...

Sometimes I wish that I could breathe

Enjoy the day to day

But worry is a thief that stays

To steal all joy away

It isn’t just the big things

Or even the mundane

It lurks in every moment

To replace all light with rain

It wears the mask of death

Of sickness and of despair

If I don’t think three steps ahead

Life will be beyond repair

It brings me to my knees

Sometimes it makes me run

...

Charolette was standing in her kitchen looking at her six year old daughter sitting on the couch. She was dressed in pajamas and her hair was still wet from her nighttime bath, she slowly yawned as her bedtime loomed.

Her youngest was already tucked in, fast asleep, immersed in four year old dreamland.

Charolette had managed to hold out here for ten years. Ten years of safety and normal subur...