The rain tapped against each window. Its sound was muffled by the thick curtains, but the storm could still be heard throughout the house with no mirrors. Lightning flashed and thunder crackled in a ryhthmic pattern. The summer drought was finally over. Tornados were a high possibility, but Mrs. Mom knew what to do. There was a plan for everything.

Richard Alden sat quietly across from Mrs. Mom with his hand curled over his mouth, concentrating on the clipboard she just handed him.

"Richard, this is what we've been waiting for. She's remembering!"

Mrs. Mom couldn't restrain her excitement. She stood up from her chair and began pacing.

"I knew something was different. From the moment she woke up, I knew something was different. She didn't ask about the doctor's appointment. No, instead she asked if she could have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast," she said as a laugh escaped her lips.
"And she remembered the lesson from yesterday! We talked about the ocean. She wants to see a whale someday, in the big open waters."

Richard motioned for Mrs. Mom to have a seat. "I know you're excited, and so am I. This could mean everything... but it could be nothing. I hope it isn't. With all my heart I hope it isn't nothing."

"We've been doing this for almost six years, and for the last three she has done nothing but decline. Richard, this is something."

"I just don't want you to get your hopes up, that's all," he said sweetly. "I haven't seen you smile like this in a long time. I was afraid we were starting to lose you."

Mrs. Mom beamed. "I'm not going anywhere."

As Richard walked himself to the car in the pouring rain, he tried to act completely professional, but he couldn't stop his heart from fluttering. The past year was a struggle for him. The experiment was seeming to be a failure and funding was threatened to be cut numerous times. He spent the last 12 months fighting for the experiment, fighting for Esther. It was everything to him.

Angie and Richard met in grad school and became very close. For a time, he even had feelings for her, but she never took her head out of a book long enough to consider a romance with anyone. She was beautiful and sharp and very intimidating. While Richard married and started a family, Angie remained dedicated to her studies. She was a passionate person. Everything she did, she did with heart. Every new interest, every opportunity, it was tackled with everything she had. Richard never met a person quite like that. When they agreed to run the experiment, they didn't know how long it would last or how difficult it'd be, but they were in it for the long haul, together.

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Every tree on the lot had finally changed its color. The yard was littered with yellow, orange, and red foliage. The sun shone bright but the air was nippy. Mrs. Mom stared out the window reminiscing of when she was a girl and used to play in the mounds of autumn leaves. All she wanted was for Esther to have a similar childhood. Esther was now 11 years old, and her childhood was quickly passing. In only a few short years, she'd be a teenager.

"Mrs. Mom... I had the strangest dream."

"What is it, Esther?" Mrs. Mom turned from the window to see the bewildered look on the little girl's face.

"I remember my dream very well," she said excitingly. "We were going to meet the doctor but ended up at the beach somehow. I saw the whales! It was very strange... are most dreams that strange?"

Mrs. Mom immediately began writing away on her clipboard.
"Yes Esther, dreams don't usually make a lick of sense, but they are interesting."

Esther mumbled something under her breath, but Mrs. Mom was vigorously writing and hadn't heard her. The past couple months had been marvelous. Some days weren't as good as others, but progress was being made. Fellow doctors believed that Esther's achievements could help their research for Alzheimers. Mrs. Mom couldn't remember the last time she felt this good. Finally, her life didn't feel meaningless.

During their daily lessons, Esther was actually progressing in her learning. After six years she had finally mastered the alphabet. The process was painstakingly slow, but they had begun working on her reading and wiring skills. Esther could write her full name with ease.

Esther's mind was far from complete. She was sick, she'd always been sick. But, for the first time, it seemed she was on the road to recovery.

They often spoke about the ocean. Esther's eyes would sparkle at the images Mrs. Mom had of the coral reef and the colorful fish that lived beneath the waves. Whenever Mrs. Mom requested for more school supplies, she always asked for more photos to show Esther. There were no televisions or devices for Esther to see a motion picture. Mrs. Mom didn't know if Esther would ever hear the crash of a wave or feel the sand between her toes, but she had hope.

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Steam floated off of the hot chocolate as Mrs. Mom carried it to Esther's room. Every Christmas, Mrs. Mom tried to make the day special for Esther. In the past, she had to scrape up some kind of gift for Esther, because apparently Christmas gifts were not a part of the budget. Esther's parents would always send a stuffed animal or small toy, but Mrs. Mom wished there were enough gifts to fill the bottom of the Christmas tree.

That year, however, there was plenty of room in their budget. Esther was becoming a success story and the grants kept coming. People were seeing the potential in the experiment, in Esther. Mrs. Mom requested for something big that Christmas, a present worthy enough for Esther.

Esther was still fast asleep beneath the covers of her bed. A soft click was made every time she inhaled. Mrs. Mom brushed a hair behind Esther's ear as she gently woke her.

After the mug of hot chocolate was slurped empty, Mrs. Mom led Esther to the play room. December 25th was one of the only days in which the schedule was not followed so strictly. The click-clack of Mrs. Mom's heels echoed down the empty halls. No maids or cooks were asked to come in on holidays, Mrs. Mom made sure of that.

"I am thankful for even getting a present, but I really don't need another teddy this year, Mrs. Mom," Esther said as she waited for her to unlock the door.

"I think you're going to like what Santa brought you, then," Mrs. Mom said as the door clicked.

"I know Santa's not..." Esther began, but her voice trailed off as she gazed at the sparkling black grand piano sitting next to the tree.

Esther ran her hand along the edge of its glazed surface. She made her way to the bench and softly sat herself down. Her hands brushed above each key without playing a note.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You deserve the world, Esther," Mrs. Mom said while taking a seat next to her.

A few moments passed before Esther spoke again. "How long have I lived here with you?"

Mrs. Mom was caught off her guard. When gifting such a marvelous present, she didn't think that would be the first thought on Esther's mind.

"How long do you think it's been?" She asked. Typically, when Esther asked random questions like that, Mrs. Mom could simply return with another question and settle the issue that way. That did not work this time.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking," she replied with sass.

"Are you really acting like this on Christmas? You do not break the rules, especially after receiving a wonderful gift like this."

Esther dropped the sass and just stared at Mrs. Mom with pleading eyes. Her mind was recovering and still had many missing pieces. Mrs. Mom was the only one there who knew of Esther's past, and she couldn't justify not giving Esther an answer.

"The week after your 5th birthday, you came here to live with me. Next August you will be 12 years old." Her voice was straight forward and flat.

Esther did not cry. She did not scream. She did not speak. Esther sat still and wondered if tomorrow she'd even remember what Mrs. Mom told her.

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There is a moment, before one passes out, when the world stops. One's own heart beat grows so incredibly loud that everything else becomes silent. Mrs. Mom could see Richard's mouth moving but heard nothing but her thumping heart. The world slowly turned and she could sense she was falling but blacked out before she hit the ground.

She woke to Richard holding her and fanning her face. She felt completely numb from head to toe. She wanted to believe that what she just heard wasn't true. Her hands gripped his shirt as tears flowed from her eyes.

"They can't take her, Richard! They can't take her from me!"

Just a few moments before, Richard explained that Esther's father was being promoted. However, the promotion included being transferred to Japan. With Esther's improvements, they believe she should go with them.

Mrs. Mom regained her composure, but there was a ringing in her ears that would not go away. Both of them sat completely still, staring at one another across the desk.

"They gave us full custody. Can't we take it to court?" She asked.

"We could, but you know they're going to side with the parents, Angie."

"What about her health? The move could kill her."

"They're going to continue her drug therapy and follow the experiment guidelines as closely as they can," he answered.

Mrs. Mom fired question after question, thinking of every possible thing that could keep Esther there. Almost an hour had passed before Mrs. Mom grew tired of arguing with Richard, she couldn't think anymore.

"When do they plan on taking her?"

"A week from now, on her birthday," Richard said, barely getting the words out of his mouth.

The ringing in her ears grew louder. When the experiment first came into fruition, Esther's parents did not fight to be a part of it. They didn't fight to visit her. They didn't fight to keep her in their lives. They didn't want her, but suddenly they did now? Mrs. Mom couldn't wrap her mind around it. All those years of watching over Esther, and now she was being snatched away, and she was being told there's nothing she can do?

"I think it is time for you to go," Mrs. Mom said. She didn't even hear Richard's goodbyes because the ringing became a roar.

For the last year, she spent every evening in the study discussing with Richard the miraculous things happening in Esther's life. Day after day, the hope kept building inside her. She smiled more, became gentler and less sharp. All of it was building up just for the experiment to end too soon. Her job was incomplete. The study that held every good report, every positive note, every chart and every file, it was a room with no hope. It was all useless. They were taking Esther away.

As soon as the front door shut behind Richard, Mrs. Mom ran to her room. She quickly found an old suitcase in the back of her closet from when she first moved in. Her hands frantically grabbed at her clothes and stuffed them inside.

She didn't think about how Esther could continue her drug therapy as a run away. She didn't think about how she could make a salary as a kidnapper. She didn't think about where they would go or how they would live. She didn't think.

Dr. Angela Miller had dedicated her entire life to science, and she thought that would never change. After six years, her loyalties changed. Her life was now dedicated to a strange little girl named Esther Haley.
Esther was all she had, and she was going to fight for her.

The suitcase easily zipped close. Mrs. Mom's heart beat so fast, there was no rhythm to it anymore. She fumbled with her keys as she stood at Esther's door. It seemed like an eternity before she finally got it open.

A breeze brushed across her face. A rope of sheets was tied around a post of the empty bed and draped out the shattered window.

Esther was gone.