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The Last Reconciliation

The girl was sitting on the front steps, next to the row of daisies as she looked up at the moon and its cold light on the sleeping houses. She lifted up her hand and let the silvery glow wash over her.

She leaped up at every sound, hoping it would be her father's car. He had never been this late before and she walked slowly back to the front door when it was someone else's headlights turning onto the block.

Her mother had staggered past her husband's bedroom and into her own hours before. When she knew her mother was asleep, the girl crept into the room, turned off the screaming TV., and carefully removed the glass of bourbon from her hand.
"I'm sorry, Mommy," she whispered. She kissed her mother on the cheek and shut the door behind her.

The moonlight streamed into the living room and reflected off the broken plates and glass like jewels. The girl held a white plastic shopping bag in her right hand and placed the broken things into it with her right.

She was glad for the moonlight. It lit almost the whole room so she didn't have to turn on the lights. Once she did have to turn them on and the policeman came to the house. She told him that she got up to get a glass of water and knocked something over. He was nice to the girl, asking questions and not yelling, but he kept looking at the broken plate at her feet. He was in the house a long time, talking into his radio and listening to what it said. Then the policeman asked where the girl's mommy and daddy were. She didn't like to lie, teacher said it was naughty, but they all might get into trouble and it would be all her fault. And, she thought to herself, I make enough trouble already.

He finally went away, but sometimes she'd see him talking to her friends when she'd be at school. One day her father saw him and he made a phone call and she never saw the policeman again.

She had the moonlight to help her tonight, though. She tried to be careful, but still ended up hopping around trying not to get blood on the carpet. The girl finished bandaging her foot and went back to find what had cut her.

She found the porcelain doll next to the sofa near the drapes. Her parents had given it to her three birthdays ago and she took it everywhere. It had soft blond hair tied in a pink ribbon that matched the satin dress and bright blue eyes that closed when it lay down for a nap. The girl was always careful not to get the dress dirty and to keep her hair in neat braids. The little doll stayed on the mantle

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