Ash

🎵Ring-a-ring-a -rosies.

A pocket full of posies, A tissue, A tissue, we all fall down. 🎵

Joy swells in my heart as we come to a stop, mother's hands tightly encircling mine. Her eyes twinkle as she looks at me.

"Martha, stop filling Batista's head with girl stuff, that boy is going to become the mafia boss when he grows up."

Dad's voice wafts over to where we're still hunched over on the ground, trying to regain our breaths. Mum tenses as she turns to see dad, who is already advancing towards us, his countenance dark and forboding.

"Oh, Marco, please don't say such things, he's just a boy,...