“Maricela looks at Niño. His grubby hand is still on her knee, steadying his wobbly stand as they watch the van roll away. When they can’t see or hear it anymore, silence floods the pull-out. The boy wobbles and falls. He looks up at Maricela. His eyes blink wide. His lower lip trembles. His face starts to crumple. Maricela reaches for him. As she does, she notices a small ring of keys on the ground. At first she thinks one of the other workers dropped them. But she didn’t hear them fall and no one was standing in that exact spot. One of the keys has a black rubber top like a car key. Only it’s small. Maybe a motorcycle key. Maricela wonders how the owner of the keys got home. Or if their vehicle is stuck someplace else.  She picks up the ring and fingers the three keys. Car. Home. What would the third one be? Maybe the home has two doors. Niño reaches out for the keys but Maricela closes her fist around them and slips them in her pocket. She knows these keys aren’t hers and the doors they open are invisible to her but Maricela wants them. She wants them in her pocket. She wants to pretend she is the owner of the keys.”

-The Comic Book
photo by Annie Holcomb