After burying her eight-year-old daughter Lily, Ashley felt a weight of grief so heavy it seemed to crush her. The sorrow and exhaustion were overwhelming. As she made her way back to her house, she thought she would just collapse into the emptiness of her home and shut the world out.
But then something strange caught her eye in the backyard, pulling her out of her numbness and into a mystery she hadn’t expected.
“I thought I was ready,” Ashley whispered to herself as she parked her car. “But I wasn’t.” The funeral had been today, and the tears from the people who came to say goodbye had felt like a tidal wave. They had told her it would be peaceful, but they didn’t understand. For Lily, maybe it was peaceful now.
But for Ashley, the pain was sharper than anything she’d ever felt. Her daughter was gone. And the world around her felt like a dark, empty void without her.
Only a week had passed since they’d said their goodbyes, but it felt like a lifetime. Those last days in the hospital, filled with machines, silent prayers, and the gradual fading of Lily’s laughter, played over and over in Ashley’s mind. Today, they’d buried her, and still, it didn’t feel real. She’d drifted through the funeral, a shell of a person. She couldn’t even recognize the faces around her—blurred through her tears.
“Ashley, I’m so sorry,” Aunt Ruth whispered as she pulled Ashley into a tight hug, her perfume overwhelming. Ashley felt herself tense but said nothing. She didn’t want the hug. She didn’t want the sympathy. She just wanted Lily back.
“She was such a light,” someone else said. Their voice was distant, almost like it came from another world. Ashley’s mind was consumed with the sound of Lily’s giggles, those sweet, innocent laughs she would never hear again. The thought was too much to bear. The grief threatened to swallow her whole. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out.
When the last of the mourners had gone, offering condolences that Ashley couldn’t even process, she found herself staring at the empty chair where Lily should have been sitting. Her body felt weighed down by a grief so heavy it was suffocating. The memories of Lily’s final days—the sight of her frail body, the silent hospital rooms, the tubes and machines—swirled in Ashley’s mind.
“Let me know if you need anything,” someone called out as Ashley left the cemetery. She nodded, but inside, she was thinking, What could anyone possibly do?
The drive home was eerie in its silence. Ashley couldn’t bring herself to turn on the radio. Music felt too joyful, too out of place. The silence was the only thing that seemed to match the depths of her sadness.
As she pulled into the driveway, Ashley sat in the car for a moment, staring at the house, feeling like she was going to collapse. The emptiness inside was unbearable.
But then something caught her eye.
In the backyard, there was a large tent. It was bright, with red and yellow stripes and little flags fluttering on top. For a moment, Ashley thought she was hallucinating. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. But no, it was there. A strange, colorful circus-like tent in her backyard. What… is that? she thought, her voice barely above a whisper.
Her heart pounded as she got out of the car, her legs shaking. “Who put this here?” she asked herself, confused and overwhelmed. The tent looked so out of place. Why today? After everything, why would someone do this? Had she lost her mind?
The wind whispered through the flags, and as Ashley drew closer, her chest tightened with a mixture of fear and dread. “This can’t be real,” she muttered under her breath, trying to fight the urge to turn around.
But it was real. As she got closer, the details became clearer. The fabric was solid, the wooden stakes were in place, and the tent looked like it had been set up properly. There was no sign of who had done this, no note, no explanation. Just the odd, colorful tent standing alone in her yard, looking like a bizarre intrusion into her grief-stricken world.
With trembling hands, Ashley reached out and pulled open the flap of the tent. Inside, something small and still was wrapped in a blanket. For a moment, her stomach twisted as memories of Lily in the hospital rushed back. Her daughter, frail and weak, lying in bed. Ashley could barely breathe.
“No,” she whispered, shaking her head in denial. “Not again…”
She took a step forward, her heart pounding, bracing for another crushing wave of pain. But then something unexpected happened.
The bundle moved.
Ashley froze. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes widened. Slowly, the blanket shifted, and from within it, a tiny golden retriever puppy peeked out, its fur soft and shining in the dim light. A small pink bow was tied around its neck. Ashley stared at the puppy in shock, her heart pounding in her chest.
“What… what are you doing here?” she whispered, her voice shaking as she crouched down. The puppy stumbled toward her, its tail wagging so fast it looked like it might fall off. It was full of life—innocent, playful, and full of energy. A sharp contrast to the overwhelming sadness that had consumed Ashley.
She knelt down and reached out, her hands shaking, and touched the puppy’s warm fur. It felt like a strange dream. Still, part of her couldn’t believe this was real.
As she stroked the puppy’s soft coat, her fingers brushed against something beneath the blanket. It was an envelope. Ashley’s heart skipped a beat as she pulled it out, staring at the handwriting on the front. It was unmistakable. Lily’s handwriting—messy, childlike, but definitely hers.
Tears welled in Ashley’s eyes as she carefully opened the envelope. Inside was a simple note, written in Lily’s shaky hand. Her heart hammered as she read the words.
“Dear Mommy,
I know you’re sad because I had to go to heaven. But I wanted to leave you something to help you smile again. I asked Daddy to get you a puppy, so you’ll have someone to cuddle with when you’re missing me. Her name is Daisy, and she loves to play! Please take care of her for me.
I’ll always be with you, watching from above. I love you so much.
Love, Lily.”
Ashley collapsed to her knees, clutching the note to her chest. The tears poured down, heavier than they ever had before. She cried harder than she had at the funeral, harder than she had when she first found out she was losing Lily.
“Lily…” she sobbed, her voice barely audible.
Even in her last days, Lily had thought of Ashley. She had known how much pain her mother would feel and had found a way to help her through it. Daisy, the little puppy, was her final gift. It was as if Lily was still there, watching over her mother, reminding her that love doesn’t end, even in death.
Ashley held Daisy close, feeling her warm, soft body against her. The puppy’s presence was a reminder of Lily’s love—a love that would never fade. Over the next few days, Daisy became Ashley’s constant companion. The little puppy helped pull her out of the haze of sorrow. Daisy was her reason to keep moving, to keep going, even when the sadness felt overwhelming.
Lily’s gift wasn’t just a puppy; it was a reminder that love never truly goes away. And with Daisy by her side, Ashley knew she’d never be alone.
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