The Peak

She walks with unsteady steps. Unsteady but focused. Her weak legs can’t quite carry her weight yet. Determination in her eyes. Whatever it is she wants, you know it’s important and you know she will get it. Finally, she’s but a few steps from her goal. She stumbles through the last steps and with all the willpower she has, she starts to climb up the peak she always dreamed of climbing; the bathroom counter. “Be a good girl and take your medicine”, her mom always used to tell her. Mommy is asleep now, and when she wakes up, she’ll see how good Karen has been. Her plan was solid. She’s going to climb up that counter, get the medicine for herself, and take it like the good girl she is. Mommy’s going to be so proud! At last, she’s at the top, she did it. She grabs the bottle, carefully climbs back down, and in one proud moment, she drinks it all like there’s no tomorrow. Karen then excitedly runs to wake-up her mother. “Mommy, mommy, look! I drank it all. See? I’m a good girl”. Her mother, completely panicked, sprints for the phone to call an ambulance.