Sand dollar by Hollye Davis

Author:Hollye Davis [Davis, Hollye]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-07-14T05:00:00+00:00

She was back at the farmhouse before her grandfather died scrubbing dishes after dinner. Grandfather had locked himself in his room again. Grandmother didn’t seem to let it bother her that Grandfather was deeply depressed. Even at 13, she knew he was depressed. After finishing everything up she checked on him as she done every single night of her life. She knocked on the door but when there was no answer she cracked it open saying his name quietly.

“Cloe? What do you want?” he answered with his usual gravely voice. She took the question as permission to open the door further. The stench from the room was overwhelming but she had learned not to breathe too deeply. He was lying on his bed watching a favorite western movie again. Cigar smoke made the room hazy and further emphasized the staleness.

“Do you need anything else for the night Grandfather?” she had asked.

“NO, Get the hell out! I didn’t tell you

to come in!” He yelled, his leathery skin

crinkling around the mouth and eyes showing his

displeasure.She backed out. Grandfather had been

like this since the accident at the worksite. He

had lost his left foot, which rendered him

useless. They forced him into early retirement

and since then he locked himself in his room,

never going anywhere, always edgy. When she took

her concerns to her grandmother, she shrugged it

off. She said that she preferred her work-aholic husband to be at home for the first time in

their entire marriage. Cloe couldn’t understand

why, all they did is bicker.

Cloe had walked back out into the living

room and began straightening it up when just

moments later she heard a large boom from a shot

gun that was so close it rattled the pictures off

the wall slamming them to the floor. Instinct

had her dropping to the ground, covering her head

with her arms. When there was nothing but

silence, she stumbled up and ran into the back

room fearing what she was going to find. When she

opened her grandfather’s door, she fell to her

knees and immediately lost her dinner. Her

Grandfather shot himself in his head. She vaguely

remembered Grandmother was behind her screaming

and screaming then she kicked and hit Cloe over

and over again. She said it was all Cloe’s fault,

that if she hadn’t bothered him he wouldn’t have

done it. She repeated over and over again how it

was her fault. Cloe’s fault.

She woke up with sweat and tears rolling down

her cheeks. Peering through the darkness she

wiped her eyes to see the digital clock on the

nightstand read 3am, it would be 1am in

California. She didn’t care. She picked up her

phone and called Edwin. He answered sleepily,

“Cloe? Is something wrong?”

“I…” She swallowed trying to calm herself to

speak. “I’m not sleeping well, I needed to hear

your voice.”

“Oh Cloe, I should come and get you right

now. I don’t like you being there by yourself.” “It‘s okay. I visited the farm, I didn’t

know it bring back memories I thought I had gotten rid of. Oh Edwin, my Grandfather shot himself, it was my fault.” and she sobbed. He

was silent for a moment.

“Why do you think

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