Mesmerized by the brunette locks,

the infant tugs handfuls of hair –

fingers tangled in snarls of curls.

The mother yelps at the yank,

prompting the father to glance

up with eyebrows raised.

“I’m okay. She didn’t know any better.

It was simply an –”

Waking up to warm liquid

seeping through her

Sleeping Beauty bed sheets, Ally

toddles down the hall – tears

dripping down her strawberry-pink cheeks.

Within minutes, soap suds and

solace surround her.

“It’s okay. We should have kept

the pull-ups. But don’t worry,

it was just an –”

Staring at her Skechers, Ally

cowers in the corner.

Shards of ceramic surround

her feet like a moat. The

mother scolds and scoops her up,

enveloping Allison

in a hug.

“Everything’s all right.

It’s just a vase and I know

it was only an –”

Arms wrapped around her bruised chest,

Ally gazes at the

scene surrounding her. Her SUV contorts

around a Volkswagen, crunching

the hood with the ease of a guillotine.

Paramedics wheel out the driver in a

black bag.

Blue and red lights refract

against the Ally’s iPhone.

After she dials the memorized number,

she hears a familiar voice.

“Baby, it’s okay. You’re alive and

I know it was all an

accident.”