The sun watched over the house like it did for all its children. Nothing and everything special about it. The house stretched out over a hill. Fences for animals surrounded the yard, hugging the house like they were afraid of losing it.

The front door creaked open to a 4-way hall. The living room to the right was enclosed by a glass door decorated with fine blown flowers. Couches in an L shape watched the Television with unbroken interest. The screen not alive nor dark. Dust slept on it as it did on the couches. A couple of spots more shaped and caked in dust than the others. The dining room sat just beyond an entrance behind the couches. It was blocked in by the kitchen. The table was set and everything had its place. Mats and plates full of long decayed food lined up across from each other. Two of the seats had cushions on them, both sitting at either head of the table. The other chairs only held their basic and beautiful wooden bottoms. The stained wood visible on most but outlined with dust on others. Two oval shapes of dust. The kitchen was full of the suns light. All other light was no longer needed.

The stove knob was turned to the on position but the house had stopped fueling it long ago. The pots on the stove were full of rotten mush. The handle left with a dusty reminder of who’d once cooked there. The handprint still held the spiral of the fingertips. The dusty echo stayed intact.

Through the kitchen the long hall awaited. It stretched forever and ended with a bathroom. Next to it, in the master bedroom, a crib was at the base of the bed. The curtains only let inklings of the sun through. Long tendrils of heat and shine that no longer moved as the day waned. Foot prints, grey and made of particles, stood next to the crib. Inside the crib was the outline of a tiny body. No crying or laughing filled the room. The outline didn’t smile or feel pain. It just stayed. Just like all the others.

The sun watched her children. All through the house and through every other house. Through the streets and parks. Through the world. They had all been the earth’s children once. Loud and active. Destructive and vengeful. Now they were hers. All quiet and peaceful. Respectful and still. And most importantly, for the first time, they were all together.