Monica parked her car across the street from Astrid's house. She opened the glove compartment and folded the red envelope from Astrid's Christmas greeting card into it. Her heart felt like it was ripped out of her and flicked onto the surface of the river her father would take her to when she was young. Young and still lovable.

She made sure it was the right house and shut her car's engine off. After taking a deep breath, she opened her car door and looked both ways before walking to the house. She flung her purse over her shoulder out of habit and tightened her hands around the strap and her keys.

Astrid's street was quiet. The moon lit the roof of her house. Lightning bugs greeted Monica as she reached the front door. She eyed the neighboring houses on either side. She checked under the welcome mat first. There was nothing there.

Some potted wildflowers were set under a window to her right. She picked up each one. A flash of metal glistened in her vision after she lifted up the last, heavy one. She grabbed the key laying on the cool concrete below. She held the key in her hand and felt a slick and sour feeling coat her stomach. She slipped the key into the doorknob and turned it. It was still shut. She unlocked the deadbolt above and then she was in. With the key safely in the back pocket of her jean shorts, she walked into Astrid's home.

The scent of nag champa still hung in the air of her living room. Just enough light from a streetlamp one house down enabled Monica to walk around the house and not bump into anything. She saw Astrid's gray and wooly cardigan draped over a chair. In the kitchen, she spotted a white, old fashioned tea kettle. Her heart finally eased until she neared a hallway. It was dark and Monica wanted to turn around and leave.

A nightlight jut out from an outlet above her ankles. She crouched down and clicked it on. She passed a bathroom to her left and a closet. She was aware of her breathing and her temples were damp with sweat. Astrid's bedroom had a huge bay window. It was the most beautifully adorned room in the house.

Monica clicked on another nightlight in Astrid's room and detected a faint green hue on her walls. A tapestry hung on the wall with a woven image of poppies above her bed.

She slid her fingers over Astrid's desk. It was shoved into a corner and on the opposite side of the room from the window. Succulents, a half eaten pack of candy and colored pencils were strewn across its surface. There was also a laptop with the charging cord still plugged in.

She turned around in the room. She looked out the window and saw the outline of hydrangea bushes and a fence. She saw an acoustic guitar sleeping on top of Astrid's comforter. She turned back around and removed the cord from the outlet and the laptop and wound the cord around the charger before shoving it into her purse.

Her hands shook as she picked up the laptop and brought it tightly to her chest. She breathed in the scent of Astrid's home one final time before locking the door behind her and setting the key back in its place.