WHIRLPOOL 

Maelstrom Mud

By Tessa Harvey


    There was a small scuffle at the lounge door and the twins came in. "We want to talk to you," began Susan.
    "And when is Katie going home?" added Thomas.
    Their parents looked at them. How alike they still were, even though Susan had begun adolescence, only her hair was a little longer than her brother's.  Their lovely faces looked anxious.
    "Why did our baby die?" asked Susan, tears shining on her lashes in the lamplight, the tall shaded light near the couch, the rest of the room shadowed.
Thomas said, "was it because of me?" And he suddenly began to cry as though he would never stop.
    "I stayed too long in the water. I could have got out quicker before the big waves." His words trailed off, his shoulders shook.
     Lucas brought the children near to them. "We should have explained," he began, wondering why he had paused to talk to a pretty office worker. He could have got home earlier that night. "Oh God, help us," he said.




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