After burying her eight-year-old daughter, Lily, Ashley returned home, feeling like she was carrying the weight of the world. The grief was almost suffocating, and she felt so exhausted she could hardly keep her eyes open. But something outside, in her backyard, caught her attention and pulled her out of her heavy thoughts. It was something she definitely hadn’t expected.
“I thought I was ready to say goodbye,” Ashley whispered as she stepped out of the car, staring at the empty driveway. “But I wasn’t. They told me it would be peaceful at the end. Maybe it was for Lily. But for me? The pain is worse than anything I’ve ever known.”
The past week had been a blur. The hospital room, the doctors, and the sadness that filled every inch of their lives—it all felt like a dream. And now, it was all over. Or at least, that’s what she had tried to believe. Today, they had buried her precious girl, but it still felt like a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.
The funeral had been a long, painful blur. Ashley had hardly been able to focus on anything, her eyes swollen from crying, her chest tight with sorrow. Every face around her seemed blurry, like she was watching it all through a fog.
“Ashley, I’m so sorry,” Aunt Ruth had whispered, wrapping Ashley in a hug so tight it was hard to breathe. Her perfume was too strong, but it wasn’t the scent that bothered her—it was the overwhelming emptiness. She didn’t want comfort. She didn’t want hugs. She wanted Lily back.
“She was such a light,” someone had said, their voice far away, like a whisper from another world. But it didn’t matter. All Ashley could hear were the echoes of Lily’s giggles, which she’d never hear again. That was the thought that crushed her. That’s what hurt the most.
As everyone slowly walked away, offering their condolences, Ashley stayed behind, staring at the empty seat where her daughter should have been. It was all too much. Her body felt heavy, weighed down with sadness and memories that wouldn’t leave. Memories of the last days in the hospital.
The way Lily’s small body seemed to shrink, and the machines, the wires that were supposed to help but only made everything worse.
“Let me know if you need anything,” someone had said as Ashley walked away from the cemetery. It was a kind offer, but in her heart, Ashley thought, What could anyone possibly do?
The drive home was silent. The radio felt wrong, too cheerful. Too alive. The silence was all she could handle. The emptiness of the car, the emptiness of her heart, matched the emptiness outside her windows. Everything felt hollow, like the world had stopped for her, but everyone else was still moving.
When she finally pulled into the driveway, she didn’t want to move. She didn’t want to face the emptiness inside the house. She stared at the door, wishing there was some way to escape this pain.
But then, something caught her eye. There, in the backyard, was a big, brightly colored tent. It looked like something straight out of a carnival, with bold red and yellow stripes, the flags at the top flapping gently in the breeze. Her heart skipped a beat.
“What… is that?” she whispered to herself, her voice trembling with shock.
Ashley rubbed her eyes, convinced she must be imagining it. It was impossible. Her mind was already overwhelmed with grief. Maybe it was just a hallucination. But no—when she looked again, the tent was still there. Standing tall in the middle of her yard, like it had been there for years. It didn’t belong. It was so out of place in her world of grief.
She stepped out of the car, her legs unsteady, her heart racing with confusion. “Who would put this here?” she thought. “And why today?”
As she walked closer to the tent, the flags fluttered in the wind, and her stomach twisted. The excitement of discovery was quickly overshadowed by her nerves. What was going on?
“This can’t be real,” she muttered, shaking her head as she approached. But it was real. The tent was made of thick, solid fabric, and the stakes that held it in place were sharp and strong. She couldn’t understand it. She was too tired, too broken to make sense of it.
With hesitant hands, she reached for the tent’s flap. The cool fabric brushed against her fingers as she pulled it back. And then she saw it. Something small, wrapped up in a blanket, lying still inside.
For a moment, her stomach dropped. Is it… Lily? Her mind raced back to the hospital. The frailness, the tiny body under the blanket. The beeping machines. Please, no. Not this.
“No,” Ashley whispered, shaking her head. “No, not again…”
But then, the blanket shifted. A tiny movement. Ashley froze, her breath caught in her throat. Slowly, a small head peeked out from the blanket. And to her shock, it wasn’t her daughter. It was a tiny golden retriever puppy. Its soft fur glistened in the dim light, and a pink bow was tied around its neck.
Ashley blinked, her heart skipping a beat. She crouched down, her knees weak, staring at the puppy. She couldn’t believe it. What was a puppy doing here?
“What… what are you doing here?” she whispered, her voice cracked with emotion. The puppy stumbled forward, wagging its tiny tail. It was so full of life. It felt like the opposite of everything Ashley was feeling.
The little dog’s eyes sparkled with energy, as though it didn’t know anything about the sadness surrounding her. Slowly, Ashley reached out and touched its soft, warm fur. She blinked, still unsure if this was real or if her mind was playing tricks on her. But the warmth of the puppy felt so real.
As she stroked the dog’s fur, her fingers brushed against something hidden beneath the blanket. An envelope. Trembling, she picked it up. The handwriting on the front was unmistakable—Lily’s. It was messy, childlike, but it was definitely her.
Tears filled Ashley’s eyes as she opened the envelope. Inside was a small note, written in Lily’s shaky handwriting.
“Dear Mommy,
I know you’re sad because I had to go to heaven. But I wanted to leave you something to help you smile again. I asked Daddy to get you a puppy, so you’ll have someone to cuddle with when you’re missing me. Her name is Daisy, and she loves to play!
Please take care of her for me. I’ll always be with you, watching from above. I love you so much.
Love, Lily.”
Ashley’s knees gave out, and she sank to the grass, clutching the note to her chest. The tears fell freely now, more than they ever had at the funeral. Her heart hurt so much, but at the same time, she felt something different. Something softer. A strange sense of peace.
“Lily…” she sobbed, her voice barely more than a whisper. “Oh, baby…”
Even in her last moments, her sweet girl had thought of her. She had known the pain Ashley would feel, and somehow, she had found a way to send comfort from the other side. Daisy wasn’t just a puppy. She was a gift, a way for Lily to stay close, even after she was gone.
Ashley hugged Daisy close, the puppy snuggling into her arms, her little body warm and full of life. For the first time in a week, Ashley felt something besides pain. She felt a flicker of hope. A reminder that, even in the darkest moments, there was still love, still light.
The days that followed were hard. But Daisy was always there, her presence a soft comfort in the midst of the sorrow. Slowly, day by day, she helped Ashley take small steps forward. With Daisy at her side, Ashley knew she would never be alone.
Lily’s gift wasn’t just a puppy. It was a reminder that love never truly dies, even when people do. And with Daisy around, Ashley knew her daughter’s love would always be with her.
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