I gripped the cold stone ledge, my knuckles white as I watched the somber procession below. Darren, Lyle, and Milo escorted Winifred down the winding path, their faces grim masks in the fading light. My heart twisted painfully in my chest.

Anger and pity warred within me as I watched Winifred’s hunched form. I think she had been raised in such a way that she couldn’t escape herself. She was so caught up in thinking she was doing her duty that she forgot what it meant to be a mother to her ...