THE PHOTOGRAPH

She stares at the photograph yellowed with age. The precious moment stood still with only a click. Her mother’s words “your Daddy’s gone to heaven” ring in her ear. “Your Daddy wouldn’t want to see his little girl cry”; therefore, she never did. Her secure, innocent life changed forever. She attempts to commit to memory – the sound of his voice whispering a joke in her ear; his unshaven cheek brushing hers while she giggles and begs him to stop. She desperately endeavors to remember him in color but only sees him in black and white.