Chapter 18 - Rebuilding the Castle
The following Saturday was warm and sunny.
Ethan and I stood inside his upper corner bedroom. The room was bright, clean, and smelled of fresh pine and lavender.
Together, we had spent the entire morning painting the walls a magnificent sky blue. On the main wall, where Linda’s gold mirror used to stand, we had hired a local artist to paint a massive, custom mural of a lush prehistoric jungle, complete with giant T-Rexes, flying Pterodactyls, and golden crowns.
In the center of the room stood a custom hand-carved oak bed frame—crafted by the very same local carpenter who had helped Ethan’s grandfather build his first bed years ago.
Ethan ran into the room, jumping onto the soft, plush mattress, holding Barnaby—whose horn Clara had carefully stitched back on with bright gold thread.
"Mommy!" Ethan beamed, his eyes wide with joy, his smile bright and radiant. "Look! It’s even bigger than my old room!"
I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, running my fingers through his hair. "Do you like it, baby?"
"I love it!" he yelled, throwing his arms around my neck and hugging me tightly. "This is the best bedroom in the whole world!"
May you like
I closed my eyes, holding my son close, feeling the deep, crushing weight of the last few months finally lift off my shoulders.
We were home. Really home.
