It hurt me to see the pain in her eyes—the genuine fear that her baby wasn’t going to the same place as she was after death. I tried not to feel pity for the ignorance and illusionment she might live in because that would make me no better.

He pushed me backwards and turned around. His retreating footsteps were muted by the sound of my fingers rummaging through rocks for one aptly sized for my seven-year-old fist. Before I could think too hard about it, I wound up my arm and threw the rock as hard as I could. 

I missed.