Mistaken Hope

by Sarah Elizabeth

  He held me back and away from the oncoming cars, but all I wanted to do was get to my mom. I pleaded with him to let go of my arm, but he kept saying that it wasn’t safe; that I’d get hit if I’d attempted to cross the street in the midst of the rush hour traffic, “Mom!” I called out one more time, but she was already gone.

  That was the day when it finally stopped, but it was also the start of everything else.