Peace and Quiet
Sitting up in the closet, playing hide-and-seek with Sammy and Bianca, she felt the darkness closing. No! Hazel thought frantically, this can't happen now! The blackouts hadn't come back of their own accord for 15 years! Why now?
She managed to pull the closet door closed. She sat in the corner, my knees pulled up tightly too her chest. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to forget the hurting words. Tears squeezed themselves out of her eyes. They started quietly, but soon grew into uncontrollable, hiccupping sobs, wracking her body. Who knows how long Hazel sat there, eventually running out of tears and falling asleep on the floor?
She blinked, sitting up slowly. Why was it so dark? Then she remembered. The yelling. The crying. The horrible words. Before she could let herself get too upset again, she stood up and gently pushed the closet door open. Tiptoeing through the room and out the back door, Hazel decided that she would find a special place that was only hers. She stood outside, the grass tickling the soles of her bare feet. She kept still and for a moment everything was silent.
Hazel sat up with a gasp. The closet door was flung open by a triumphant Sammy.
"I found Mommy!" He called out happily to Bianca.
"Mommy!" She squealed, running over and sitting down in Hazel's lap and snuggling into her chest. She smiled and stood up, picking Bianca up. She knew that, even though she never went back, that she had found her special place in those few seconds of pure silence.