A Quiet Walk to the Bathroom

A few minutes later Margaret excused herself from the patio.

“I’m going to step inside for a moment,” she said casually.

No one paid much attention.

Inside the house, the air felt cooler and quieter.

Margaret walked down the hallway toward the guest bathroom and gently closed the door behind her.

For a moment she simply stood there, letting the quiet settle around her.

Then she heard something.

Soft footsteps.

The bathroom door creaked open.

Emma slipped inside and quickly turned the lock with small trembling fingers.

Margaret’s heart tightened.

The little girl looked up at her with wide, watery eyes.

Her lip trembled as if she had been holding back tears for a long time.

“Emma?” Margaret whispered.

“What is it, sweetheart?”

Emma stepped closer.

Her voice was barely audible.

“Grandma… I’m not really sick.”

Margaret knelt slowly so they were eye level.

“Then what’s wrong, honey?”

Emma hesitated.

She glanced nervously toward the door.

Then she whispered the words that made Margaret’s chest tighten.

“Mommy and Daddy said I’m not allowed to tell anyone.”