If this is goodbye

She was sitting upon Marie’s bench, dejected. Neither the oak door, nor the familiar setting of church had managed to lift her spirits.

Strangely, the soothing voices were gone.

Frances shifted, shuddering in the coolness of the church. The sun shone outside, the temperature announced summer now. Soon, the city would be a furnace. But here, inside, everything felt so cold. Perhaps because of the weight she had lost. Frances had walked for miles, days, hours in search of solace. It didn’t increase her appetite – she wasn’t eating much, except for sugar. It didn’t help her sleep – her dreams plagued her, replaying over and over again the gentle smile she so adored. He was there, everywhere. His soothing presence, his faint smell, his sparkling eyes. The sharp canines that only appeared when his amusement showed fully.