Cindy carries her son in her arms.
The realtor was right;
the beautiful abandoned house is a bargain.
Together, they enter the children’s room.
“This is your room,” she coos.
Ryley peeks up from his mother’s arms…
Each of the four walls is an inviting color:
yellow, blue, orange, and green.
He loves the room,
not knowing the walls
were once splattered red with blood
from a massacred family.
The room will tell Ryley this secret
in the dead of night.
And in the morning, it’ll be empty again.