Member-only story
Fiction | Short Story
Innocence Denied
Long-buried secrets threaten to tear a family apart.
Sunlight filtered through the yellowing sheers, too soft to chase the shadows from the corners of the room, but bright enough to disturb Amanda’s dreams. She tried pulling the covers over her head but the smell of bacon sizzling in the kitchen reached down and poked at her sleepy, dream-soaked brain, prodding her into wakefulness.
Amanda stretched lazily. With a reluctant sigh, she threw off the covers, pulled on an old terrycloth bathrobe, and headed for the kitchen. Her eyes were gritty with sleep-sand, and her long, blonde hair was tousled from a restless night. Even interesting dreams weren’t always pleasant.
Gramma turned the bacon, and smiled as Amanda bent to kiss her good morning. “Sleep well last night, dear?”
Amanda murmured something and nodded. “Can I help?” she asked. She hoped her lack of enthusiasm was more subtle than it sounded to her own ears.
“You could set the table and put the milk out.”
The girl headed for the large refrigerator in the pantry. She pulled out the milk carton and glanced at the date. Inwardly, she groaned. She smelled the milk. Iffy, at best, but she knew it would do no good to mention that. There was at…
