Annie's new house had a basement.
It was dark and small, and smelled just like Fall.
Like oak trees and orange juice, and the warmth of her Ma.
The stairs were wood, old and unsteady.
The walls were stone, and hard like school testing.
Empty and quiet, there was no dust.
No whales, or rabbits, not even a skunk.
Still, Annie liked the basement, so it liked her back.
Though it was dark, and felt a great lack.
'How to have fun,' the basement did wonder.
Annie then laughed, sounding lots like big thunder.
"We just have to try," and so they both did.
Down in the dark, in their space small but big.
They imagined a kingdom, and robots from Mars.
They flew through the sky, and drove massive cars.
They wrote several books, and learned how to cook…
They talked with Ma, and gave her a look.
There was laughter and smiles, and just a few tears.
They said goodbye, and let go of their fears.
This is a children's story I wrote some time ago. There are no illustrations, but I like to think each line is easily imagined.