Sweet Juliet

My parents lost a child before they decided to adopt me.

To be clear, I do not know this because they told me; they have never spoken of her.

I do not know this because one of my relatives let something slip; they wouldn't dare breathe a word of her. Not in my company.

I have never seen any evidence of my sister... no old photos, no baby supplies hidden away in a closet, no birth certificates that haven't seen the light of day in years. If I had been anyone else, I would have had no inkling of my sister's existence.

They just told everyone that I had nightmares. But nothing ever happened while I was asleep.

Chilling and touching in turns, Sweet Juliet is a ghost story about family, isolation, & letting go. This short story illuminates the cyclical nature of detachment, and strives to find hope in spite of emptiness.