I Bled for His Child, He Buried My Brother

rivate valley, miles from any town. Barbed wire topped

in house, a sprawling mansion

d like an old stable block. A single bare bulb hung from

ed shut, the bolt ramming h

blu

es Kell

den chair they brought

buried," he'd say, his

ou, they

My parents trusted your people. Walked into

ved it.

dened into a diam

the guards brought m

es I never saw. My hands, accustomed to the delicate wor

ak from being away from Sunbeam Ridg

nd Keller stood there, silhoue

mall, ornat

aid. He opened it. Inside, nestled on velvet, was a dried,

tribe's 'healing flower.'

hat its cultivation required a.

d not

la? Are you the

the expensive cologne on him, a s

die in here, does your

please him. A cruel

as quickly,

almost to himself. "You still h

x on the floor

I'd hear music drifting fr

ens with a woman. She was beautiful, blonde,

ewspapers had been full of their

ked...

ach. He lived his life, built on a l

d threw a bucket of

working in the m

eart

d new flower

inful eyes of uniformed gardeners, my fingers digging into

ny, a drink in his hand. He di

a weight. Pos

t let me d

tool. Hi

to b