This story, buried in my heart, was to give my deceased son a voice. He was an infant when he died, and never had a chance to share his view on life, love, or his experiences thus far. When the idea to write our story came to me, it was because I realized how easily the comfort of animals goes dismissed because they cannot express their needs. If that was true for them, how could it not be true for my son or any child who died in infancy? Because of this thought process, I began the journey of bringing Brook’s voice to life. Also, hoping my words could help another parent feel less alone in the brutal pain the loss of a child leaves behind.

When I submitted the first few pages of my story to the critique group, I shut the website down and began waiting anxiously for a response from someone. It was a few days before my first critique was done. When I saw there was a message, I moved my mouse over the link, then off, then on, then off again. It was hours before I could bring myself to read it, but finally, after a few deep breaths, I opened the message.