With deft fingers, Ahymya folds squares of red fabric and white paper into perfect pleats, the box of ko-cha peeking through the wrapping. She hopes her neighbor will enjoy the tea.
“Come, Haru.”
She takes her son’s hand; they step outside to a cloudy August day. The boy frowns.
“Perhaps the sunshine will return soon.”
Haru scrunches his face and points to the sky.
“Okaa-san!”
Ahymya recoils, dropping the gift. She pulls Haru close, shielding him as the clouds part – a pink-orange fireball eclipses daylight.
White light bursts from above. The gateway to Yomi.
Eternal shadows burn into the earth.
Lisa Fox is a pharmaceutical market researcher by day and fiction writer by night. She thrives in the chaos of everyday suburban life, residing in New Jersey (USA) with her husband, two sons, and their couch-dwelling golden retriever. Lisa’s work has been featured in various publications, including Metaphorosis, New Myths, Luna Station Quarterly, and The Satirist, among others. You can find her at lisafoxiswriting.wordpress.com, facebook.com/lisafoxiswriting/ or @iamlisafox10800 on Twitter.
The Centifictionist 
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