The Claiming My life was full. It had never really felt empty, what with having both Mom and Liv in it, but when Dad died, there was definitely a hole that no one could fill, not even them. It felt like it never would be filled, to be honest, but three things happened – life went on, life changed, and, somehow, in doing so, life made the hole much less obvious. That day when Mom came back from town, I met her at the truck...

Clean and Jerk Later that evening, after stretching out a couple of rather performative yawns, Liv announced that she would be going to bed a bit early because she had a busy day ahead of her. She gathered up a couple of dishes from around the living room and took them to the kitchen before bidding us goodnight. I knew Mom wouldn’t refuse my advances, but she also wouldn’t want to get too carried away with Liv just being...

Liv’s Longing The barn door was still partially open, so I slipped inside without moving it. I paused, giving my eyes time to adjust to the darker setting. I was about to call out to see where Liv was when I heard a long groan coming from the loft. “Liv!” I breathed as I immediately raced up the stairs. Images of her lying up there in pain raced through my mind. Farm accidents can be horrible, and most of those who die fr...