Purple Bow

Layla used to get gifts from her parents like kids get candy on Halloween. The first gift she ever received was a teddy bear with one of its arms torn. She’d asked her mother about it, and her mother said that the little guy had a rough night. One of her last gifts was a small dog. Her dad was waiting for her when she got home from school; he was by the door with a smile on his face. Layla resisted the urge to turn back the way she came, her dad only smiled on particular occasions — but then she saw the dog: a small Yorkie barking at her dad’s feet. She didn’t pay attention to her dad’s smile. Even at fifteen, she let their gifts distract her; it was easier than looking into the corners of their home, where the monsters she could not face lay in wait.