Amelia opens the door, hears the familiar chime, and is greeted by shelves filled with volumes of different worlds. She feels a bubbling excitement as she traces her hand across the various books, picking her next adventure. Amelia settles on the nonfiction section—the only genre with new books—and picks a dark green hardcover. She goes on her tiptoes, placing her hand on the book's spine, then pulls it out. The hardcover has a unique smell that follows every freshly arrived book at the library, and Amelia smiles as she is greeted by the familiar feeling. She sits on the carpeted floor in the corner of the library, resting her back against a fluffy blue pillow. She opens the book...

Luna lay on her mother's lap, smiling as the gentle fingers wove through her hair.

"Mama, can you tell me a story?" asked Luna.

She looked at Mama, silently pleading with her. Luna grabbed Mama's hand and wove their fingers together. Mama gave Luna a soft laugh as she gently squeezed Luna's hand.

"Of course, Luna, sweetheart. Let's see, how about I tell you the story of the brave old lady who crossed a perilous jungle to reach her daughter?" said Mama.

"Oh, that sounds interesting!" said Luna as she curled into her mother's lap.

Mama's eyes crinkled softly as she let out a quiet laugh. Luna stared at her mother in awe—her mother looked so radiant. Luna wanted to be pretty like Mama when she grew up.

"Once upon a time, an old lady had to pass through a dangerous jungle to reach her daughter. She mustered her courage and began her journey. The first animal she encountered was a big lion.

The old lady looked at the lion and said, ‘I am going to visit my daughter. When I visit her, I will eat many things; then when I come back, you can eat me. Right now, I am not tasty.'

The lion agreed, and the old lady went her way. She then encountered a snake and told it the same thing. The snake agreed, and the old lady made the same pact with all the dangerous animals," said Mama until she was suddenly interrupted by Luna.

"Wait, Mama, how are all the animals going to eat her? She made a pact with all of them!" said a confused Luna.

"The poor old lady just wanted to see her daughter; she acted without thinking," said Mama.

Luna scratched her jaw and eagerly looked at her mother. "Well, what happens after, Mama? Does the old lady go back home safely?"

Mama opened her mouth to respond, but gunfire and screams drowned out her voice.

Luna startled awake, frantically getting out of bed and rushing to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face, washing away the salty tears that burned her eyes, unable to wash away the pain that burned her heart.

Luna stared at her plate as she contemplated her dream. This was the fifth time, thought Luna, as she sighed while her fork swept her egg from left to right. Luna placed her hand under her chin as Papa came to sit in front of her with a worried gaze. Luna smiled at him and cut a small piece of the egg with her fork, placing it in her mouth. It had been a year since Mama died, and she didn't want to put any more pressure on Papa. Luna still remembered the bullet that pierced through Mama's heart. She still remembered her screams; how Papa came and covered Luna's eyes; how she thrashed against his strong grip. She remembered the sounds of the ambulance that day. Maybe if she hadn't left the window open or asked Mama to tell her a story; endless regrets piled up in her thoughts. Luna remembered the now-arrested criminal who shot her mother, the cold feeling of her mother's hands and her lifeless stare are Luna's permanent scars that she's trying to heal.

"Is everything okay, Luna?" Papa asked, making Luna jump out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Papa..." Luna replied hesitantly and sighed, unable to contain the emotions from her overwhelming thoughts.

"Luna, look at me," said Papa. "Is something wrong?"

"No..." Luna began, but her father wasn't convinced.

So Luna told her father about the dreams and asked if he knew the rest of Mama's tale.

Papa scratched his beard and smiled. "Yes, I remember that story Mama told you. It was your bedtime story when you were three. I suppose you were too young to remember now."

"Can you tell me the rest of the story?" Luna asked in a hopeful voice.

Papa sat on a worn-out wooden chair in the corner of Luna's room. Luna sat on her bed and looked at Papa, ready to hear the rest of the story that had been bugging her for weeks.

"So, Papa, what happened to the old lady?" asked Luna.

"When the old lady finally reached her daughter's home, she stayed there for weeks; ate all the food she could until it was time to go home—then panicked and told her daughter everything. The daughter told her mother to get in a big pumpkin and she pushed it into the dangerous jungle. As the old lady went back, the first animal she met was the bear.

The bear looked at the pumpkin and asked, ‘Do you know an old lady who went to see her daughter?'

The old lady, replied in a shaky voice, ‘No, I have not seen her, but do you mind giving my pumpkin a push?'

The bear gave the pumpkin a push, and the old lady went through all the scary animals until she came across the fox, who had a strong sense of smell. It opened the pumpkin's door and saw the old lady! The old lady screamed and miraculously ran past the fox, then the snake, and finally the lion and safely got home, panting and in tears. The end," said Papa.

Luna smiled, got up, and hugged Papa, softly whispering a "thank you" as she tightened her arms around him.

Papa wrapped his arms around her and said, "My dear Luna, Mama loved you a lot, and so do I. If you want to talk about Mama, it's okay. You don't have to bottle up your emotions. I am in pain, but so are you. I know it's hard, but Mama would want us to be happy. So let's try to remember her with a smile and let go of our regrets."

Luna's eyes welled up with tears, and she released her father from the hug. Papa wiped the tears off Luna's cheeks with his thumb.

"Papa, I love you too. Although it's hard for us, I agree. Let's try and give life another chance to bring us happiness. I know we will continue to face struggles, but let's overcome them and be brave, because no matter how big or small our problems are, Mama will be proud when we overcome them. We will be proud when we overcome them," said Luna.

Papa nodded his head in agreement and rose from the chair, resting a quick kiss on Luna's head. He left her room, leaving Luna alone with her thoughts. Luna now knew the secret Mama told her when she was innocently lying on Mama's lap; the secret Mama told her through those dreams. The secret in her mother's tale that Papa had just finished for Luna.

Amelia closed the book and covered her face with her hands, taking a deep breath as she left Luna's world. She wiped her eyes, unable to stop the tears that trickled down her face. Amelia placed the book back on its shelf and headed out of the library. She began to walk in the bustling streets, with honking cars, screaming children, and summer sunlight. Amelia was lost in her own thoughts, blocking out all the noise. She wondered what the secret was. Every story had its own lesson, a message deeply engraved in Amelia's heart; teaching her something new, giving her comfort and courage, or helping her persevere during difficult times. Maybe that's what Luna's mother tried to do for her—to give her a story that would make her brave and help her overcome all the adversities she faced. Perhaps her mother wanted to show Luna that kindness comes back when it's given, just like the old lady who got home safely after visiting her daughter. Maybe her mother just wanted to express her love for Luna, how she would do anything for her; just like the old lady would for her daughter. Amelia would never know for certain, but that's the challenge of reading between the lines. One thing Amelia did know was that she would overcome the things that brought her pain, just like Luna did.