Darling Girl

by Liz Michalski

Right now, she’s chasing fireflies through the dark, telling herself she has a chance at snaring the sun.

What’s inside her chest beats like it’s supposed to, but it’s just muscle memory. It’s not a real heart, and it hasn’t been for years.

“Sometimes it’s easier to remember sorrow than joy,” Holly says. “Sorrow doesn’t hurt as much.”

And when Eden hugs her back, she realizes that her heart, frozen all these years, still has life in it after all. She knows because it is breaking.

“To the Darling women. The stars are not only above us, they are in us. May we shine brightly, dream deeply, and fly high all on our own. I am terribly proud to know you both, my darlings,” she says. “Now drink up.”