This document is a short story told from the perspective of a teenage girl named Ally. It follows her interactions with her family over the course of a few days. The story touches on themes of family relationships, coping with loss or absence, and the power of music and art. Key events include Ally listening to songs and commenting on them with her brother Lincoln, having conversations with her mom about the past, and going for a long walk in the desert with her dad.

1. By Alison Blake

2. May 14th & 15th, 202-

4. After Lincoln’s Game
1

5. Walking to the Car

6. Annoying Habit #48
“See you
tomorrow, “See you
Sash!” says tomorrow,
Mark’s Gab!” Mom
Mom, answers.
Gabby.
“G’night,
“G’night, Dan,”
Sasha,” says Mom
Dan. answers.

7. In the Car

8. Dad Is Working

9. Desert Landscape

10. Lincoln

11. Songs with Lincoln’s Comments

12. Dad vs. Mom

13. Now Just the Pauses…

15. Why Dad Isn’t Here

16. Lincoln Wants to Say/Ends Up Saying:

17. “Good to know, Linc,” Dad says.

18. What I Notice During the Looped Pauses
A whisper of orange on
There was
the horizon.
desert in
Pakistan,
A thousand black but I don’t
turbines. remember it.
Miles of solar panels like a
black ocean I’ve never seen
close up. All I
remember is
You can’t get used to the this.
stars, no matter how long
you live here.

19. In My Room
2

20. Annoying Habit #92

21. Slide Slogans from School That I Fire at Mom
(just to annoy her)
“Please, Ally,
have mercy!”
“Give us the Mom says.
issues, not “A word-wall is a
But she’s
the tissues!” long haul!”
laughing.
“Add a graphic
and increase your “Charts should illuminate,
traffic!” not complicate!”

22. Mom Spots the Toy Horse

23. “Oh Ally, I love seeing that horse,” Mom says.

24. “What about this?” I Ask, and Open the Book.

25. Sasha in the Picture

26. Mom’s Reasons for Not Talking About That
Time

27. Lincoln’s Bed Is on the Other Side of the Wall
from My Bed
• 2 knocks from his side = • 2 knocks from my side
“Good night, Ally.” = “Good night, Linc.”
• Mom will go to his room • I can hear them talking
next. through the wall.
• Lincoln gets her longest. • I get her first.

28. Mom Sits on the Edge of My Bed

29. What I Suddenly Understand

30. Lincoln Appears When I’m Half
Asleep
“A MINUTE AND FOURTEEN SECONDS!” Lincoln bellows.

31. “What is going on in here?”

32. Kids—c
Dinner prty Buy Sharpies all Gma
Mom’s “Art”
Langs—bring Blk Blake!!
wine!
Caring for
your
She uses Ally SmartFan
They come from sleepover
“found @Suzette
objects. our house and 9/19
” our lives.
Eye appt
3:30
Pick Wed
up She glues Ada’s
shoes She says them Linc—therapy pie
they’re onto 2pm crust—
precious use
1/18 boards lard!
Grapes because and
Skim milk they’re casual shellacs
Earl Grey tea and them.
Drew shampoo meaningless.
Krazy Glue
Peanut butter “But they Mexico Flight
Rolaids tell the Conf:#:XJKD78
whole story I look when she’s 77
if you really not there.
look.”

33. Ways It Can Be When Dad Comes Back
Sits in
Ca
Kissin
g Befor r
Mom Comi e
ng In
Hugg
Tellin ing
g Mom
Storie
s
Silent
Laugh
ing
Wine Angry
Co
Poppi rk
ng
Gin P
ourin
g

34. Dad Comes Home Late
I hear the Mom has
brushing her arms
door around
through my Dad. They don’t
sleep.
say
anything.
His face is
I peek
in her hair.
through
my door
slit.
There’s a blanket on
Mom’s Waiting Chair
where she fell asleep.

35. One Night Later
3

36. Dad Barbecues Chicken on the Deck

37. Facts About Dad

38. Dad’s Laugh

39. True Story

40. Rob Was Mom’s Best Friend.

41. Dad’s Questions/Lincoln’s
Answers
Can I play
I see music, Dad?
them at
Any kids school.
I’d
you feel Not rather
today. play
like asking Three.
music.
over to Nope.
play? We
Did you lost
How have music Want to
many at- 5–2.
class with have a
bats did Mom? catch after
you dinner?
have? Anything
new at
How did
school
the game
today?
go the
other
night?

42. Signs That Dad Isn’t Happy
“Sure, Linc,” he says, after
dinner. “Let’s hear some music.”

43. Songs with Lincoln’s Comments

44. Dad, to Mom, Whispering Under the Music (but
I can hear him)

45. Dad/Lincoln

46. “Stop!” Dad shouts. “Stop. Please. Forget
I asked.”

47. Lincoln Starts to Cry

48. “The pause makes you think the song
will end. And then the song isn’t really
over, so you’re relieved. But then the
song does actually end, because every
song ends, obviously, and THAT.
TIME. THE. END. IS. FOR.
REAL.”

49. A Pause While We Stand on the Deck

50. Then Dad Gathers Lincoln into His Arms

51. Lincoln Runs Inside and Slams His Bedroom
Door

52. The Desert
4

53. It Starts Where Our Lawn Used to Be

54. Sounds

55. “I’ve got to do better with Lincoln,”
Dad Says.

56. The Old Golf Course

57. A Long, Empty Stretch of Walking

58. After a Long Time, We Reach the Solar Panels

60. Suddenly, There’s a Whirring Noise
Around Us

61. We Stand a Long Time, Watching the Solar
Panels Move

62. Me/Dad

63. After a While, I Feel Like Curling Up on the
Ground and Closing My Eyes

64. We Walk for Several Years

65. Dad Points to a Snake on one of Mom’s
Sculptures

66. What I’m Afraid Of

67. Dad Sets Me Down on Our Porch

68. What I Hear as I’m Falling Asleep
Hey You
Yeah.
Linc. hear that No.
sound?
That. No, Pop.
Here, let’s stand by the
window. Listen with me.
What does that sound like
to you?

70. “Okay. I know.”

72. Relationship of Pause-Length to Haunting
Power
seconds
72

73. Proof of the Necessity of Pauses
73

74. Discoveries About Pause Timing
(in Bubble Form)
Pause power
Time remaining after pause (sec)
74

75. The Persistence of Pauses over Time
Length of song (min)
Song year
75

76. The End