Ms Inhale

She is the pause before the sneeze, the sharp gasp when the horizon turns pink at dawn, the sudden, greedy pull of air before a dive into cold water. At parties, she stands by open windows, not speaking, just breathing deep—as if the air itself is a conversation she’s been waiting all week to have.

Children adore her. They watch her close her eyes and tilt her chin up, and without a word, they do the same. Breathe in , she seems to say. The world is still here. So are you. ms inhale