By: Don Tassone

Andrea sat propped up in her bed, looked around her room and wondered where she was.  Nothing looked familiar.  She felt lost.

     But then her eyes lit up.

     “I see it!” she cried.

     “What’s that, Ms. Andrea?” asked her aide.

     “The fire!”

     “There’s no fire, Ms. Andrea.  You’re safe in your room.”

     But her aide didn’t understand.  For years, Andrea, her husband Joe and their daughter Caroline had built a fire in their backyard and gathered around it.  They called it their home fire.  It warmed them even on winter nights. 

     But for the three of them, it meant so much more than warmth.  It was a symbol of their abiding love for one another.

     Now Joe was gone, and Caroline lived abroad.  She called her mother every week, but most of the time, Andrea wasn’t sure whose voice she was hearing.

     Now Andrea sat up in bed, stared at her door and opened her arms.

     “Home fire,” she said with a big smile.

     “Oh, Mom,” said Caroline, stepping into the room and hurrying over to embrace her mother.

###

Don Tassone is the author of two novels, one novella, nine short story collections and one children’s book.  He lives in Loveland, Ohio.