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“It did I missed him” The phone was silent on the other end I knew Aunt Leelyn didn’t approve of the new version of Harris, but she didn’t get involved I continued on, “Toht I have a dinner with hi before we leave”

“Sounds good, Ashlin Night, love you”

“Love you too, Aunt Leelyn”

We hung up the phone as I continued to make my way back into the city Aunt Leelyn had always been there forone of the water acts that consisted ofshackled and tied underwater while htjacket, my mother had died

The straightjacket had been put on wrong and the fail-safe was broken Myup at my dad They had been each other’s w

orld

Two months after Mom’s death, Dad killed hi at the atching the firework show at our neighbor’s house on the Fourth of July Ah the house, which wasn’t a firework

Bang

The ht an involuntary shudder to my body A tear slipped down my cheek as the memory momentarily escaped the vault I tried to keep it in

Running down the hall, I foundon the floor—lifeless Blood pooled around hio off across the street

Bang

Bang

Bang

To this day, I hate fireworks