Counting Stars (II)

After Lyell's death, nothing seemed to matter anymore except Charlie, Maisie, and the fact that Lyell wasn't coming back to her. Still, she wasn't about to give up. Charlie needed her, to protect him from the Yewbeams. And so she carried on living and surviving and doing her best not to fall apart.

One night, she walked home from the green grocer's, her arms laden with bags of old fruit and vegetables that no one in the store had wanted. Her back and her legs hurt with the load, but she tried not to mind. It couldn't be helped, and it was better than returning home with nothing at all.

At one point during the long walk, as she paused for a brief rest she lifted her head and noticed that the sky was clear, and the stars were out. They shone so brilliantly in the night sky, just like when she and Lyell had been on their honeymoon. The sight should've been comforting, but they only brought pain and loneliness, a reminder of life's cruelty and what she had lost.

Count the stars and make a wish…

She closed her eyes as the tears stung. She could wish all she wanted but nothing could change her cold reality. Lyell was gone and with him their hopes and dreams of being a family and living a happy life away from Lyell's horrible relatives. All she had left now was Charlie, and she would do her best to give him the love and life that he deserved. She couldn't afford to look back on those precious moments—it hurt too much, and she needed all of her strength to protect and raise her son as well as endure whatever the future had in store for them.

And so, after another few moments, Amy Bone looked away and continued resolutely on her way back to 9 Filbert Street.