If Only I Had Told Her

by Laura Nowlin

Books are Autumn’s real life. She is made of the stories she has read.

“Whatever our souls are made of, hers and mine are the same.”

“Life can be and often is fiercely cruel,”

It seems so obvious now; it matters which people you spend time with, and it matters how you spend your time, because you don’t know how much you have.

“It’s still worth it, Autumn, even if they die.”

The world’s gonna fuck with your kid no matter what. All you can do is teach ’em to brush their teeth and love themselves.”