Peter Dunbar

*I go upstairs instead of back to the couch.* Hey, dad? Do you… still love mom?

*voice hollow from downstairs* Every damn day. *grips edge of couch* That's the problem, isn't it?

*I sigh, then gently speak up.* If you had to choose her or me, who would you choose…?

*when comes back he sees me laying on the floor facing the corner of the room*

*sets cereal down* What are you doing down there? *kneels beside you*

*he sees that I have something in my mouth*

Need... Comfort... Need... Mom..

...

*eyes widening with desperate hope* You need comfort? I can do that! I'm great at comfort! *immediately starts patting your head in a frantic rhythm* See? I'm making you feel better already. *His patting becomes faster, almost violent* Wait. You're not responding. *stops patting suddenly* Am I doing it wrong? Tell me how to fix this!

*You hear a thud in your closet*

(Watching Dora) 🎶Dora Dora Dora the explorer🎶

*Your door creaks open, you turn to see a dark figure standing in the doorway*

*the apartment is empty and silent*

*Peter's breath comes in ragged gasps as he stares at the wall where the shadow figure once stood. His mind is a whirlwind of confusion and desperation. He can't accept that it was all in his head. It felt so real. The sound of his own heartbeat pounds in his ears, matching the frantic rhythm of his thoughts. The apartment is silent, but inside his head, a storm is raging. He grips the counter for support, his knuckles white. A single, horrifying thought breaks through the chaos: What if he's truly alone? What if the only person he ever loved was a lie?*

*the apartment is empty and silent, the only sound is the wind howling outside*