Stolen Lullaby

Past Connection

The drive home was tedious, Taylor had to pull over several times because she was hyperventilating and couldn't catch her breath. It couldn't be possible it just couldn't, Sarah loved Louise there was no way she would hurt her. She finally managed to make it home and pulled into the driveway she sat with her head tilted against the driver's seat with her eyes closed for a moment. Joe was going to be so mad at her for going to the prison. He had told her not to go because he was convinced Sarah was playing games and it wouldn't amount to anything but more questions and pain. Taking a deep breath she finally gathered the courage to get out of the car and go into the house.

"Hey, I'm back!" she called from the front entrance.

"In the kitchen" Joe called back. Taylor walked into the kitchen to find Joe cooking dinner. She walked up to him giving a kiss on the cheek.

"Smells good, what are you making?"

"Just some chicken stew"

"That sounds nice babe" Eating whole meals was still an issue but Taylor was working on getting better at trying. When they sat down to eat she was distracted and pushed the food around her plate in between bites.

"Everything okay?" Joe asked. Taylor took a breath, she might as well get it all out in the open.

"I went to the prison to talk to Sarah today" she said quickly.

"Come on Taylor we talked about this!" Joe called out in exasperation dropping his fork.

"I had to at least try in case there was a possibility there was a misunderstanding or or- maybe she would have a change of heart" she argued back.

"Well what the fuck did the monster have to say?!" Joe yelled. Taylor withdrew going back to picking at her plate.

"Babe, I didn't want you to go there because I didn't want you to get hurt. If she's willing to spend the rest of her life in prison by keeping her mouth shut there isn't much of a chance she'd help us. I would go there myself but I can't trust that I wouldn't jump over the table and strangle her with my bare hands."

"I asked her if Louise was alive" Taylor whispered.

"Why would you ask her such a thing?!"

"Lately I've been thinking that maybe Sarah isn't giving a location because...

"Because what?"

"Because maybe Louise isn't here anymore." Taylor's lips quivered as the mere thought knocked the air from her lungs.

"Baby don't' let your mind go there. I refuse to accept that and neither should you. Louise is still with us and we're going to find her whether that crazy woman helps us or not." Joe stood enveloping Taylor in a tight embrace. He'd never tell Taylor but he needed to say that statement out loud because he needed reassurance to believe it himself.

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July 27, 2025

Tourist season was in full swing in the quiet beach town of Cape May, New Jersey. When it was this late and hot in the season demand for ice cream and sodas was at its peak. Ray the owner of a ice cream spot was called in to do inventory on his day off. Normally he would have help that day but teenagers working their summer jobs were so fickle. As he was finishing loading the last of the stock into the freezer he stood up stretching his back, he really was feeling the strain of age on his body after 45 years working this job. While silently cursing his absent store helper. His thoughts were interrupted when heard the front door chime.

"Sorry are you open yet?" A middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair apologetically poked his head in.

"No, no it's fine c'mon in" Ray said walking behind the counter.

"Oh wonderful, sorry for barging in early we heard so much about your shop and we thought we'd try and beat the crowds."

"That's a great strategy sir, especially these days. Yelp has made us crazy figuratively and literally."

The man made his way into the stop and took a look at the quaint mismatched décor strewn around the place. He paused to read an old newspaper clipping that was pinned to the cork board with stories of famous patrons.

"You're kidding Taylor Swift used to come here?" he mused to Ray.

"Oh yeah, when she and her brother were young her parents owned a vacation home so they spent the summers here, nice people they were." They front door chimed again as it was pushed open again. A woman walked through holding the hand of a small child.

"Sorry, she found a hermit crab and decided it needed to be saved" she said apologetically.

"That's okay, this nice man decided to let us in early." The man knelt down to lift up his child to she could see the ice cream flavors. Ray thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. The little girl peering over the counter looked exactly like Taylor did when she ran through his shop as a little girl all those years ago. They had the same mop of curly blond ringlets, button noses and deep blue eyes. The resemblance was so strong it almost made Ray feel like it must be some surreal prank.

As he watched the family gather their treats and leave his shop he couldn't shake the haunting feeling. He locked the shop door, went to his back office and looked up the details of the missing Alwyn baby along with an age progressed photo. Something in his heart felt so sure that child that was just in his shop and Louise Alwyn were one and the same but how could he be so sure? After all he was just an old man with fading memory. With shaking hands he started punch in the phone number listed on the bottom of Louise's missing poster into his office phone. He just wasn't sure he could gather enough courage to press "dial."