The sun went down as a chill swept over the neighborhood. Zehra and her mother walked among the rustling leaves, never once uttering a word to one another. Alize looked at her daughter with disappointment; she was still upset from their argument earlier. Young lady, you have a lot to learn about controlling that mouth... it’s a little too slick if you ask me. Now you know good and damn well, I can’t afford a car – thank you very much for throwing THAT in my face. Could you just stop the hate, Alize...? She’s just a little baby –your baby! You have got to do better Alize; better than you was done. Don’t snuff out the fire in her eyes... she’s going to need every last bit of it to deal with this world. Alize looked at her daughter and smiled. It was too late in the evening for Zehra to even notice the expression on her mother’s face, so Alize stopped and caught her daughter in her open arms.

Zehra was immediately embarrassed and protested vehemently. “Mom, the house is right there- can’t we just- you know we got extremely nosey neighbors.” It didn’t matter how much Zehra squirmed; her mother held her tight with tears swelling in her eyes. “I’m sorry Zehra, I just want better for you; I’m trying my best, I really am.” Zehra hugged back this time and spoke candidly, “this is awkward, and it’s cold, but it’s okay mom... I love you too. Now, can we just get inside –out of the cold?” They stopped hugging long enough to take ten paces and clear three steps to arrive at the entrance to their tiny home. They entered the home leaving most of their negativity at the door.

Now the house itself was one of those new micro homes. This particular build resembled a life-sized gingerbread house. The candy apple red delight was outfitted with modern comforts and space-saving tech designed to combat its size. At one time, Zehra thought of this home as her own personal dollhouse, but she now saw it for what it was- hideous and extremely cramped.

The door opened to a small foyer barely large enough to fit a single soul. Zehra walked into the living room as a gigantic head shot up from the couch for a very brief moment before submerging. That was Howard, a boxy cow-colored bulldog mix that loved mostly everything, yet preferred sleep above all. Zehra took off her coat as her mother strode in sifting mail. “Bills, bills, and more bills,” she sighed before throwing the mess of envelopes on the accent table beside the couch. “Howard, get your dusty behind off my couch!” The dog stood up on a set of tiny legs and gave himself a good shake before hopping off the couch. Alize sat down and became one with the cushions instantly while smiling at the dog. “Lazybones, you think you own the place, don’t you? Well, you don’t, but you think you do...?” Her baby talk was annoying at best, but she loved Howard even though he barely acknowledged her existence. Zehra summoned Howard to the kitchen and his little legs trotted off in that direction.

Howard wobbled into the kitchen and took a sip of water before dashing towards the back door. Zehra held the screen door long enough for Howard to cross the threshold and prance to his favorite spot where he would do a bit of sniffing. He sniffed about the grass, then a particular leaf that demanded his undivided attention. His head bobbed over to a piece of bark, and then the trunk of a tree, and then a mushroom along the chained linked fence, and then back to the tree again. Howard’s ritual continued for several minutes as Zehra sat on the steps fidgeting with the puff on her head. She dug into her scalp and felt her skull shift. It moved to reposition itself before clamping down once more. A chill ran up Zehra’s spine. “I might be losing it,” she admitted. This overwhelming sense of dread settled in the pit of Zehra’s stomach as she wondered what was going on up there. She read about parasites in science, but she knew most were microorganisms. This was much larger though, like a tapeworm or something worse. Perhaps it was a fuzzy tapeworm and the mere thought set her skin to crawling. Howard suddenly appeared wagging his tail. “Mission complete? Come on Howard, it’s cold out here.” Zehra and Howard retired inside.

Zehra’s mother was up and shifting over an empty fridge. Her cell hung off her pinched shoulder as she hoisted a box of wine onto the counter. She held a long-stemmed glass beneath the spigot and let the golden liquid fill her cup.

Her mother turned around with a smile, “I’m gonna start dinner now.” She placed the cell to her ear. “Yes, I’d like to order one large pizza, half and half.” Zehra did a double fist pump and shimmied Howard’s shoulders. This was the type of news worth celebrating, the type of news that bode well for the both of them. Without uttering a word, her mother directed her to the bathroom for immediate clean-up.

Zehra made her way up a narrow flight of stairs and burst into her room. She flicked on the light and shuddered at the sight of it all. For anyone at her level of maturity, this room was an outdated relic. A mountain of stuffed animals dusted the ceiling; the bed was shaped like a green frog with rosy cheeks, and a massive rug nearly swallowed the entire floor. The rug was woven with a rich tapestry of colors and soft to the touch, but it was better suited for a nursery than a preteen’s boudoir. Zehra hurried across the rug and stood in front of the mirror. She gasped aloud, the poof had more than doubled in size and looked even more unsightly. Aggravated fingers untwisted the gumball ties that bound her hair as she struggled to free them. In a fit of frustration, she yanked the entire mess out and threw the ties in the trash. Zehra grabbed her bathrobe and made a hasty retreat into the hall with the knowledge that If everything went according to plan, this catastrophe would soon be a memory circling the drain.