Welcome, readers

Thank you for checking out the fall 2018 issue of MU Voices, our literary blog. You'll find a heartfelt poem to a newborn nephew (Jillian Law), spine-tingling fiction about a dysfunctional family (Gabrielle Wobrock), original artwork (Caleb Lalinsky), a vivid description of a spiritual journey to Medjugorie (Daniel Magareno), a poignant goodbye to a dying brother (Barbara Glover), and more.

A special thanks goes to Jillian Law for helping to put this issue together. We hope you enjoy it.

A Letter to Greyson by Jillian Law

I. Your grandpa may seem like a shaky old man to you now, but once he had steel hands and sharp eyes.

II. The best lesson you could ever learn is from your grandma: how to let your pain make you softer. Trust me, this is not a weakness.

III. Your uncle is lost. Maybe he won't always be; I don't know. I can't see into the future. But I hope he'll be found one day.

IV. Your dad... Your dad is a high-speed sports car with a clock set six hours behind. Don't worry. You can always trust his navigation.

V. Sometimes I think of petitioning the Pope to give your mom sainthood. She performed a miracle on your dad. I don't worry about him like I once did.

VI. So why do you have three grandmothers? Ask me again when you're 14, and I'll lay out the history of our patchwork family as best as I know it. They all love you, though. Always be sure of that.

VII. My wish for you is that you don't grow up by yourself. I hope your parents eventually give you a sibling. Siblings are the best allies. You need someone to look at you and say, "They're crazy but we're not." Cousins are well and good, but they're not the same type of ally. The boys always had each other, but I'm young enough that I was on my own.

VIII. I promise that, if you play hockey, I will do my best to care. (But please play basketball. Or football? I could get into football.)

IX. Please be nice to girls. Don't pull on anyone's pigtails, okay? If you like a girl, tell her. Never touch anyone without asking them or if they don't want you to. This is how to be a good man.

X. I'm sorry you're inheriting this world, kiddo. I hope we can make it better for you soon.

XI. I worry about a lot of things, but I don't worry about you. Not one bit. I'll let your parents do that. You're in the best hands with them.

XII. You are so loved.

Worrysick by Jillian Law

My body is in Amsterdam, but my head is at home.

I try to write about canals and Anne Frank

And all I can think of are my dad’s shaky hands and my mom’s tired eyes.

I worry, and I can’t stop worrying.

Some days it is low

And instead I notice how quiet the streets are when I walk to class.

Nothing is awake yet, not really

Not before 10 a.m.

I wish my mind could just be here

I wish I could only notice how everyone buys fresh flowers here just because they can.

I do my best to catalogue the details of this place I am so fond of,

But sometimes I can only see the way my dad’s hands shake.

(Are they still shaking? I don’t know.)

I want to be in love with Amsterdam so bad,

But how can you be in love with a place when you’re entrenched in the pain of another?

In retrospect, I am sure I will say I loved Amsterdam

And I will not be lying.

But I will also be able to say that from home
Where I can go to church with my dad and listen to his voice no longer waver.

A Thing of Beauty by Gabrielle Wobrock

Today is a day of beauty because there is nowhere I’d rather be than here with you.
I want to call your name forever and ever.
Forever and ever is a very long time
Forever's not long at all as long as I’m with you.

96 & Southfield, original art by Caleb Lalinsky

The Seasons of My Heart by Rachel Fry

The snow was melting and the ground was thawing.

Nature had sprung back to life beckoned by the doves calling.

Too many days had gone by since I last felt the heat of the sun,

Too many months had passed since this eternal winter had begun.

I smiled giddily because at last spring had returned,

Bringing with it the warmth in which I had so yearned.

Everything was fresh and new as the butterflies fluttered,

Having been drawn to the sweet smell of the roses they’d discovered.

The cool, quiet mornings of spring soon transitioned into heated summer nights.

That Fourth the fireworks were louder than before, more vibrant and bright.

Caught up in the fervor of the summer, I had forgotten how quickly the seasons change.

For I was not prepared for the fall and its state of disarrange.

A chill was seeping back into my bones as I tried to hold onto the summer,

But the trees still shed their leaves, not the only ones feeling glummer.

Knowing better than most how the seasons change, I bundled up for the cold.

Those first lonely nights I ached, listening to the story the howling wind told.

However, I fell in love again upon seeing the glistening powder of the first snowfall,

 And I then wondered if I truly missed the heat of the summer at all.

Fate of three sisters by Gabrielle Wobrock

I want to tell you about a tragedy among three sisters: Jane, Rose, and Samantha Parkington. It started out in the middle of July and lasted until the end of August. Samantha is the youngest while Rose is the oldest, and poor Jane didn’t know how to stop them from killing each other. Now Rose had a prized family heirloom that was given to her by her great-grandmother Lucy. This heirloom was the most beautiful ruby pendant necklace ever made. Samantha was never that close to Lucy, but she wanted something from her just the same. Unfortunately, before she could be granted something, Lucy passed away and that necklace became more sought after than ever before.

Rose started to worry about Samantha’s presence about a week after Lucy’s funeral. She was in the kitchen peeling potatoes for potato cheese soup. It was a very rainy day so she didn’t have a clear view of the backyard garden from her kitchen window above the sink. She looked up from peeling and saw a woman walking towards the back gate. As she looked closer, she recognized her sister Samantha carrying a suitcase. Rose hurried outside to help her into the house and, by the time they got to the back door, they were both soaked to the bone. Gasping for breath, Rose asked curiously, “Why are you here?”

“I’m getting a divorce and my husband kicked me out,” Samantha sighed before continuing. “Besides, I have nowhere else to go in this storm.” Samantha shifted uncomfortably as Rose led the way through the kitchen. As she followed Rose, Samantha looked around her sister’s historic home. She saw the 200-year-old pie safe in the living room with stacks of books on top. There was a blazing fire in the hearth because the evening was chilly.

“I hope you will be comfortable here while we figure out what to do,” Rose called over her shoulder as she led Samantha upstairs.

“I’m grateful you’re letting me stay here while I go through this. It was just a shock when he told me,” she replied in a soft tone.

They came upon the second room on the right, a spacious bedroom. The walls were decorated in soft pink wallpaper that had roses scattered throughout. The vanity, wardrobe, four-poster bed and the antique writing desk were all made from cherrywood with matching kerosene lamps on the bedside tables. The hardwood floor was laid with boards from Eloise, with a Turkish area rug in the middle.

“Dinner will be ready soon, so I will let you get settled. I will be in the kitchen if you need me,” Rose said.

When Samantha heard Rose go downstairs, she left her room to look around. Soon she came to a room three doors down from hers. She opened the door and walked into her sister’s bedroom. It was prettier than hers with lace curtains on the windows and the walls painted a light blue. The furniture was made of lighter wood than hers, but all she wanted was the necklace. On the vanity she saw Rose’s jewelry box. She hurried over to it and discovered it was locked.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen, Rose was trying to decide what Samantha would like to go with her supper, either a salad or roll. She went upstairs to ask Samantha what she preferred when she noticed her bedroom door was open. She went to her room and found Samantha trying to pry open her jewelry box.

“What are you doing Samantha?!” she shrieked. Rose rushed to Samantha, grabbed her arm and pushed her out of the room, slamming the door. Rose slumped to the floor and she was trying to figure out what possessed her sister to do this and break her trust like this. She opened up the door and found her sister on the other side, looking at Rose with anger in her eyes.

“You got Lucy’s ruby necklace and I was never given anything,” Samantha said in a raised voice.

Rose looked at her in disbelief because she thought that Lucy had given each of her great-granddaughters something. “I didn’t know Lucy didn’t give you anything,”

“Well she didn’t give me or Jane anything, just you.”

With that she turned on her heel and stormed downstairs. Rose was so angry with Samantha that she called Jane. As she dialed Jane’s number, she was thinking about her childhood and time with Lucy. She couldn’t think of anything that she did to become the favorite.

“Hello Rose,” Jane said cheerily on the other end of the line.

“Hey Jane, did Lucy ever give you any gift like she did me?” Rose asked.

Jane was quiet for a moment before saying slowly, “No, I can’t recall her giving me anything but a pin. I’m sure she must’ve given Samantha something. Maybe she’s lying to you, Rose.”

Rose told Jane that she thought something was going on with Samantha and that she wasn’t telling her. “Thanks Jane, you should come by sometime and we can all go to dinner together.” Jane sighed and asked Rose why Samantha was there in the first place. She told her that Samantha was getting a divorce and she was the only one close enough to come to in this storm.

“I’ll talk to you later, I have a lasagna to get out of the oven,” Jane told her and she hung up. Rose headed downstairs to finish up dinner and found Samantha putting something in the soup.

“Samantha, I’m really sorry I overreacted like that earlier,” Rose said, sitting down at the table.  Samantha looked over her shoulder and smiled at her and said she wasn’t really angry at her but at Lucy.

“Let me make a salad and some rolls to go with the soup,” Rose said as she got up and took out some bowls. Samantha served up some potato cheese soup while Rose made the salad. As they began eating, Rose tasted something strange in the soup.

“What did you put in this, Samantha?” Rose asked as she clutched the table, gasping for air.

Samantha just smiled and said, “Paprika,” as she calmly continued to eat.

As Rose clutched her throat, she said, “You know I’m allergic!”

“You don’t think I know that,” Samantha said with a small smile.

Rose reached for the kitchen drawer for her medicine. As she pushed the medicine pen into her leg, she sputtered and gasped. As soon as she could finally breathe, she said, “Why would you try to kill me?”

Samantha absentmindedly moved a spoon around the table while she considered what to say. “I knew I had to get rid of you so I could get that necklace because I deserve it more than you do.”

Rose couldn't remember why Lucy gave her something special in the first place, “Why do you think you deserve it more than me?” As soon as she said that, Samantha burst into tears and told her sister why she wanted the necklace so badly. “I was jealous of you and Lucy.”

“Oh, why didn’t you just say that?”

“Because I didn’t know how to tell you that I wanted the necklace.”

Rose thought for a moment before answering. “Well I could show it to you and tell you why it’s so special.”

Samantha followed Rose up the stairs to her bedroom. Once there, Rose unlocked the jewelry box with the key tied around her neck. From a secret compartment she took out the precious necklace and explained to Samantha the history of the heirloom. “This necklace had been in our family for generations but never really worn because of its power.”

Samantha had her eyes glued to the ruby as Rose spoke. “This jewel has the power to control anyone and make them a slave. The only person in our family to use this power was Lucy’s aunt, who used it to make her husband bend to her will. She drove him insane, and he eventually hung himself along with his daughter. Ever since, no one has worn this necklace,” she said with a sigh.

Just then the phone rang and Samantha hurried to answer it as Rose put the necklace back. When she returned she said, “It was my husband, and he wants to know if I’m coming home anytime soon. I didn’t tell him anything I just told him that I will be home in a few days,” said Samantha with a strange look in her eyes.

Soon they went to bed but they both had a restless night. In the morning they both awoke to a loud banging downstairs. Both sisters hurried downstairs to the front door and, when Rose answered it, Robert and Jane were standing there with worried looks on their faces. Robert, Samantha’s husband, stepped forward and asked them if he and Jane could come in.

“Sure, I’ll put on some coffee,” said Rose while Samantha led them into the living room.

“Why are you here?” Samantha asked both of them with a curious look.

Robert spoke first with hesitation, “I’m asking you to come home, Samantha, because I was wrong to ask for a divorce and I love you.”

She replied with anger in her voice, “I’m not coming home, and you know why, so I shouldn’t have to do anything you say!”

Jane spoke up next. “You don’t know if it will be different this time because you know the truth about the necklace.”

Just then Rose came back with coffee for Robert and Jane. She had no idea that Robert was there to take Samantha home or of the plan that her sister had forming in her thoughts. After Robert left with promises to stop by again, the three sisters started discussing what happened over the past few days.

“Samantha doesn’t want to go back to live with Robert,” Rose told Jane in a hushed tone.

“Well, maybe we could give her the necklace and let her go home to Robert and things will be better for her.”

Rose thought for a moment before replying “You know what happened the last time the necklace was used. Jeremiah couldn’t bear to keep living like a slave to his wife. He hung himself and his daughter so they wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. Lucy’s aunt died of a broken heart after she discovered her husband and daughter. Even though she liked the power, she hated what she had become because of it and she vowed the necklace would never be worn again.”

Jane looked at Rose in surprise because she had never heard about Jeremiah hanging his daughter before hanging himself. “Why did he hang his daughter?” she asked her sister.

“Because the necklace can only be passed down to women, and someday it would belong to her. Jeremiah didn’t want her to become obsessed by its power and have the same thing happen to her.”

Nearby, Samantha was quietly listening to their conversation while planning what to do about getting rid of her husband.

A few weeks later, the subject came up again when Robert phoned early one evening. Samantha happened to answer the phone and had a very heated talk with him while Rose was within earshot.

“I have been greatly abused by you in the past. What makes you think I would be willing to come home to you?” With that she slammed down the phone angrily.

Rose said calmly, “Would you be willing to go home if I give you the necklace to wear?” Samantha looked at her with hope in her eyes. “Let me call Jane before we go out for dinner,”

Samantha left the room while Rose called Jane. She asked her if she wanted to out to dinner with them and told her about the look Samantha had in her eyes when Rose mentioned the necklace. Jane became worried by what Rose was telling her.

“You don’t think Samantha will try to use the necklace like Lucy’s aunt, do you?”

“I don’t think she’s that desperate, but I’m still a little worried.” Rose could hear Samantha coming down the hall towards her, so she told Jane to meet them at the restaurant before hanging up.

As Samantha appeared in the doorway, Rose got the necklace out and handed it to her with firm instructions.

“Don’t use its power until it’s absolutely necessary,” she said with a firm tone.

“Don’t worry about me; I’ll be fine. Besides, the necklace is only for protection from him in case things get rough.”

Samantha headed downstairs while Rose got ready to go out. Later that evening, as they arrived home, they found an envelope by the front door. It was addressed to Samantha but had no return address or name other than hers on it. She didn’t want to open it, so Rose opened it and read the message:

Samantha, dear, it’s time for you to come home to me. You’ve been away from me for too long and, whatever problems you’re having, figure them out so I can have you back in my loving arms.

                 Love, Robert

Samantha looked at the message with anger and crumpled it up and threw it away.

“I don’t think I can stay here much longer, Rose,” she said with sadness in her voice.

They went inside and got ready for bed. Around midnight, Rose got up to make some tea to help her sleep when she saw a shadow cross the backyard. She opened the back door and found another envelope just like the first one. She looked around but didn’t see anyone before closing the door and locking it. She decided to read the note in the morning with her sister.

In the morning she showed the note to Samantha, who said that she would be leaving that afternoon. Before she left, Rose gave her the necklace with a reminder about using it cautiously. With that, she gave Samantha a hug and a kiss before watching her walk away.

That was the last either Rose or Jane heard anything about their sister until about three weeks later, in the middle of August. Something about her and Robert appeared in the morning paper. The article was front page news about a man found hung by the neck in the backyard and a young woman found shot in the head by her own hand. There was no sign of a break-in, but a ruby necklace was found lying by the woman, who apparently dropped it when she committed suicide.