Page 29 of Trick or Stalk

Penny is currently dragging the stuffed bat across the living room by its good wing.

“Penny.”

She freezes.

“Drop it.”

She stares at me.

“That's vintage.”

She stares at me for another beat... then runs.

“Seriously?”

I chase her around the coffee table. But she’s too fast. She darts behind the couch.

“You have six toys lying around.”

Her little head pops out.

“Seven if we count the squeaky pumpkin.”

She disappears again.

I laugh.

The sound echoes through the room.

When I stop, the realization washes over me.

For the first time since Grandma died, it doesn't sound wrong.

I look around.

The house is still too quiet. Too big.

Still missing the people who made it home.

But the orange glow from the little lights around the mantel warms the room.

A pumpkin-spice candle burns on the coffee table.

Woodsmoke drifts from the fireplace.

And for just a second, when I breathe deeply, it smells familiar.

Not exactly the way it used to.

Not quite home.

But closer.

My chest aches. I smile anyway. “Tomorrow we tackle the porch.”

Penny emerges from behind the couch with the bat still in her mouth.

“You’re helping.”