The Mummy and the Art Teacher It was Halloween morning, and chaos had taken over the school auditorium. There were glittery crowns, plastic tiaras, superhero capes flying in every direction, and laughter that sounded like bells caught in a thunderstorm — loud, wild, and unstoppable. I was forty-eight years old then — middle-aged, gray at the temples, and still holding tightly to my title of “the cool art teacher.” The kids were full of sugar and excitement, showing off their costumes, chasing praise like it was candy. The stage had

The Day June Screamed After years of waiting, Tony and June finally got the miracle they’d been dreaming of — their first child. But when June saw the baby for the first time, the hospital room exploded into chaos. Her scream shattered the air, and with it, everything Tony thought he knew about love, identity, and the heavy legacy of becoming a parent. Tony met June when he was twenty-two. She was working part-time in a tiny coffee shop off campus — the kind that always smelled like espresso and