"Mama, come look!"
Confused, Ellen looked around. She recognized the voice, but something felt off. When she saw her little girl running towards her, blond pigtails bobbing with each step, Ellen couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Hi sweetie!"
"Mama, hurry, you gotta see!" Beaming proudly, Jo grabbed her by the hand and started pulling.
Ellen laughed. "I'm coming; slow down!" She let her daughter lead the way. As they rounded the corner, Ellen's eyes widened at the massive chalk picture that Jo had drawn across the driveway. "Why Joanna Beth, this is lovely! Did you make it all by yourself?"
Jo nodded happily. "I sure did! Do you like it?"
"I love it." She pointed to one section of the drawing. "What's going on here?"
"That's you and daddy working on the truck."
"Very nice. And what about over there?"
"That's us being famous singers!"
"Looks like fun. Now, what's this part?"
Jo giggled. "Me and daddy fighting the boogie man."
Something in Ellen's stomach twisted, but she forced a smile. "Very creative."
"It's not done yet, though, mama. Can you help me?"
Ellen pushed aside the strange feeling. "Of course, baby, I'd love to." She crouched down on the blacktop as Jo handed her a piece of chalk. "What should I draw?"
Thinking hard, Jo tapped the chalk against her chin, leaving a blue smudge. "You draw me, and I'll draw you!"
Ellen began to draw a little stick figure with long blond hair, until she noticed something from the corner of her eye. She glanced over to see a man watching them; yet, it didn't frighten her. He was tall, with dark hair and piercing eyes, and he wore a long tan coat.
Suddenly she remembered.
The monsters. The vampires and ghouls. How her husband Bill had died. The angels and demons. The hellhounds. Her last moments before the explosion.
Ellen shook her head, trying to clear the ugly memories. She looked at young Jo, innocently drawing, not a care in the world.
She glanced over to the man in the trenchcoat; an angel, she now remembered. He gave her a sad smile, and she nodded her head in acknowledgement. Then he turned and walked away.
Ellen dropped the chalk and scooped up Jo in a tight hug. The girl giggled in surprise. "What's that for, mama?"
"I'm just happy we're together."
"Me too, mama. What do you wanna do next?"
Ellen blinked back her tears. "Anything you want, baby."
Suddenly, Jo's eyes grew wide as she saw something over Ellen's shoulder. For a brief second, Ellen worried that Jo had seen the angel, and would remember all those bad things. But her fears were laid to rest with the next word from her daughter's mouth.
"Daddy!"
