The Library of Lost and Found

by Phaedra Patrick

Even though she didn’t know if the world was ready for a bird girl, she stood on her tiptoes and flapped her arms. Then she and the blackbird flew away, never to return.

She took her notepad out of her pocket and stared at the green ticks, amber stars and red dots. They were a constant reminder that her only worth was in helping others.

She was beginning to realize that it was impossible to remember everything about a person from the past. You formed your own idealized picture of them, rather than an accurate one.

“Three failed marriages are rather a lot,” Martha observed out loud, then wished she hadn’t. “I don’t think they failed…they were reasonably happy ones. Why does something have to last forever to be classed as successful? Surely it’s okay to give things a try.”