78 / 156
80
His brow crinkled in confusion, his eyes widening.
‘Ellie!’ Oliver cried. His sobs broke my heart. ‘Ellie, no! You have
to come too!’
I shook my head slowly.
No
, I murmured silently.
No, I can’t go
with you.
The next few days were a blur. The rain outside was gone, replaced
by the jubilant sun. But it might as well have still been there, for all I
noticed. It was flooding, inside the confinement of my body. The
dam of my heart had collapsed, and no matter how much I tried,
over the many years, it was never completely mended. Patched, yes,
but there was always a hole.
‘
Orphan Train
9