Once upon another time, there lived a girl, and her name was Maria. Her soul was sweet, while her father was not. He would beat her and make poor Maria take him home from the bar when he got too wasted to stand.

But what changed her days from pitch dark to dim was her glass making. What beautiful glass she would create, hanging them in her sad window where her father couldn’t find them, for she was sure he would smash them along with her dreams if he did.

As she was hanging up her newly made blue jay, Maria said to herself, “What a wonder it would be if I were one of my glass creations, without a care in the world. Hanging peacefully and quietly.” Maria sat on her blanket on the floor, as that was what she slept on.

Just then, her father yelled, “Mary!” He could never get her name right. “I’m going out! Let’s go!” Maria didn’t want to leave, but she knew she had to. Or face the consequence.

So, reluctantly, she stood up off the floor and made her way to the front porch, where her father was waiting. “Let’s go, girl,” he said to her, hitting her in the back of the head. For no apparent reason.

On the way there, Maria spotted a homeless kitten sitting in a box in an alleyway. She promised herself she’d go back after she dropped off her father and grabbed some food from the bar.
Once they arrived, they walked inside, and her father said, “You’d better not go too far.” Maria nodded, and he walked off. So, she made her way to the bar and snatched someone’s fries when they weren’t looking. She got the heck out of there before the man noticed she took them and went back to the alleyway where she saw the kitten. To her relief, he was still there, sitting alone in his box.

“Hey, kitty,” Maria said in a soft voice when she approached the box. The kitten looked up at her and mewled, seemingly unafraid. Maria gave him a fry and the kitten took it gratefully.

“You must be pretty hungry,” she stated, handing the kitten another fry. He mewled again, putting his front paws on the edge of the box. Maria petted him, making him purr. She put the rest of the fries beside him. He looked at her with grateful eyes and said, “Such beauty for a girl with nothing.”

Maria looked at him and asked, “Did you say something?” For she hadn’t heard him. The lonely kitten only mewled and ate his snack. She decided it wasn’t important.

A few hours later, Maria was sitting beside the entrance of the bar, awaiting her father’s exit. The sun was setting, and it was beautiful and calming.
Someone walked out of the bar. The woman took one look at her, with Maria’s dirty clothing and shoeless feet, and the lady spat on her. She walked away laughing. “What hatred that small woman has in her,” Maria noted, wiping her shirt in the area with the woman’s saliva and rubbing her hands on the ground.

Suddenly, someone else burst out of the bar. “May!” He looked over and saw Maria. It was her father. “C’mon,” he said, almost falling over. Maria caught him. She walked him home. The sun slowly made way for the beautiful crescent moon as the two made their way back to the household.
When they arrived, Maria brought her father to his bedroom and he threw himself onto his bed, where he immediately began to snore. She shook her head and walked to her own room. Lying on her blanket and pillow with nothing to cover herself to keep warm, she fell asleep until the sun rose into the sky.

When she awoke, Maria stood and stretched. She made her way to the kitchen where she grabbed some crackers that would act as her breakfast. She heard her father wake up and leave his room, but he never came into the kitchen. He’s probably going into my room to wake me up, Maria thought, which made her laugh a little. But he’d been back there a while now. Confused, she tried to listen for him. All she heard was a lot of crashing noises. But that sounded like....

In a panic, Maria abandoned her crackers and ran for her room. She found her father there, standing in the middle of the room, remnants of Maria’s hard work and only joy scattered around his feet. She choked back a sob. Her father said nothing but stormed out of her room and slammed the door shut. Maria collapsed on the floor, depression taking over her feelings.

“My beautiful glass,” she sobbed, hugging her arms to her chest. She saw what was left of the blue jay, her favorite. A tear rolled down her cheek. Maria reached for its wings. As soon as she touched it, though, she transformed into a small glass creation. A girl with her eyes closed and a tear on her face. Maria fell to the floor.
The silence was absolute.