The letter began “It has come to our attention that…..” I stopped reading. They knew then. About me, my children and the Nursery. That’s what I called it. The Nursery. It’s where I put the children when they misbehave. You see, they have all they need there. Beds and blankets all around. Dolls for the girls and cars for the boys.

They’re free to play even though they’re in restraints. It’s just for a little while. No more than an hour or a bit more if they deserve it. Someone somehow tattled. Which one, which one? Does it even matter? It’s over, and I have a vision of what the Nursery will look like when they’ve taken me away. Stripped and bare, only a doll remains.

But it was only a letter. No one would be coming to the house soon. Would they? I’ll get another letter, and maybe one more after that. For now, the children are mine. I’ll help them as long as I can. I still have time. I still have time.