Monthly Microfiction - "Rosie"
Rosie
“The baby’s already asleep. Thanks again for watching him last minute. I really need this shift,” said Ann as she rushed out.
I sat on the couch, ready for an easy night with Netflix and a baby monitor. A small girl padded her way into the room.
“I’m cold,” she said and coughed.
“What’s your name?” I asked. Ann had only mentioned the baby.
“Rosie.”
“I’m Leticia. Come sit on the couch, Rosie.”
Rosie climbed up and I hurried around the house collecting all the blankets I could find. Her cough worsened and no matter how many blankets I brought, she wouldn’t stop shivering. Finally, I climbed onto the couch and held her tight. I gasped at the iciness of her skin. As I held her, she grew warm, but my body began to grow cold. By the time Ann came home, I was the one freezing and coughing and Rosie was sleeping soundly.
I met Ann in the kitchen and through chattering teeth told her how well behaved they both were and then led her back to the living room and an empty couch.
“Rosie was the daughter of the couple who lived here before me. She went missing one winter night and they moved away. Sometimes I hear coughing in the night and wake up feeling a chill. Leticia, you okay? You’re turning blue.”
But I couldn’t answer her. All I could think about was the icy cold that wouldn’t let me go.
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Photo by Michael Matveev on Unsplash |
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