Greta, age four.
Amelia, age three.
Greta, first day of school.
Amelia finally taller than the lamp table.
The front cover sagged open.
Katherine reached toward the page but stopped before touching it.
"What is all that?"
I placed the book on the coffee table.
"Sit down."
The girls came into the room and settled on the couch.
"What is all that?"
Both chose their old places without discussion. Greta on the left. Amelia tucked into the corner with her feet under her.
Katherine sat in the chair across from them.
I opened the first page.
The printed story was about a little fox searching the forest for the safest place to sleep.
I opened the first page.
Around the words, my handwriting filled the margins.
Greta lost her first tooth tonight. She cried because she thought the Tooth Fairy might be afraid of wheelchairs.
Another page.
Amelia finally slept through the night. Greta woke twice to check whether she was breathing.
