About the One They Lost

They checked on the children once more before bedtime, only to find their favorite one missing. Where is she, they asked. Where is she? The sisters shook their heads, smiling without using their eyes. The tallest one held the thermometer from a toy medical kit in her hand. Its painted dial indicated that the last patient had run a fever. The parents started to search. They looked inside spare rooms and crawl spaces. They opened up kitchen cabinets and broom closets. They climbed the fire escape to the roof, unlocked the cellar, circled the parking lot with plastic flashlights. The sisters watched this investigation closely. Hours passed. The sun appeared, uninterested. The parents began to cry absentmindedly. Later they cried on purpose. Eventually, they gave up. The small sister laughed, pointed at them, delighted.