09
Before reincarnation, I returned home one last time.
The wall, once covered with my older sister’s photos and certificates, was now bare, and I had been added to the family portrait that previously only featured three people.
The air still hung heavy with the sharp smell of gas.
Dad lay peacefully asleep in bed, a large, opened bottle of sleeping pills within reach.
Mom stumbled out of the kitchen, turned, clutched my worn–out schoolbag to her chest, and closed her eyes, finally content.
It was the last tangible reminder of me they could find.
“Yulia, Mom and Dad are here looking for you…”
Everything faded to darkness. They floated away from their bodies, looking around, but
couldn’t find me.
Yulia!
They stumbled everywhere, searching and searching, following my lingering presence. But by the time they caught up, I had already flown to the other shore of reincarnation.
I will find relatives who love me dearly, and a home free from prejudice.
And they will never find me.
The End
