Willa is gone. Her side of the bed is chilly this morning when I roll away from the sound of the alarm. I expected her to tiptoe in sometime late in the night, returning to me as she does after all of her wanderings. She’s always back before morning. Something is wrong.
Outside, our street is quiet and empty. Her car is gone. I speed toward the center of town, searching the sidewalks for a glimpse of her. I see a woman, her hair pulled to the crown of her head in a tall, curly bun, as Willa’s worn hers nearly everyday for the past year. She has on one of those wispy, ankle-length dresses that fill Willa’s closet. I stop in the middle of the road and the car behind me barrels into my bumper. I leap from the car, ignoring the other driver’s profanity-laced protests.
I look into every storefront, down every alley, inside every passing car, but she is gone. I see a police officer on patrol, and I practically accost him, telling him all about Willa, that she’s missing, that I think I just saw her but lost her again. He listens, but in an impatient, condescending way, and tells me that I can go to the station to make a report, but it sounds like Willa left of her own accord and will come back when she’s ready. I wander through downtown for hours, hoping to see her again, but she’s vanished.
When it’s dark, I walk home, knowing that my car is probably impounded. Willa has never had many friends, but I will call everyone, anyone with whom she’s ever conversed, if needed, until I find her.
Her car is in the driveway, parked at a strange angle. I rush inside to see her sitting on the floor in our hallway, a baby with my eyes and her dark, curly hair on her lap. She is cooing at the child, a detached smile on her face.
She looks up at me as though nothing unusual has transpired. “I’ve found her,” she says to me in an elated whisper. “I found our baby.”
“Willa,” I say, taking a tentative step closer, putting my hand on her shoulder. “We lost the baby. Remember?”
For the Story a Day prompt – tell a story using the Hansel & Gretel story structure.
Jennifer Terry 
I’m going to have to look the Hansel and Gretel story structure up. It sounds interesting. I enjoyed this story. But I’m also wondering whose Baby Willa took. Was she gone all day searching for the right one to steal? How terrible for the Mother. Willa is obviously dealing with postpartum depression of some type. Maybe they can have another baby. Or did someone truly desert this baby and Willa found her? Great tell.
Thanks, yes the Hansel and Gretel structure is really intriguing. Basically you have to put obstacles in the way of the main character achieving their goal, and then when they finally do achieve it, their fate is a bit ambiguous. A bit of a challenge but fun to work with.
Nice. Thank you for explaining. Hopefully I can try this with tomorrow’s MayDay prompt 🙂
I hope I get to read it!
Excellent! Hauntingly sad! Poor lady.
Thank you
Well written. You made me cry for the couple’s loss and what that loss has done to Willa. In real life, I would hope that a judge would show mercy and send her for psychiatric help.
I’m sorry it made you cry, but I appreciate your kind words. Yes, I hope the judge would be lenient in a case like this.
Don’t be sorry it made me cry. It means that you were able to invoke emotion. And part of it is memory of my own loss.