Quotes from A.B. Shepherd, The Beacon

I wanted to soothe and comfort her, the way she had comforted her daughters.

She brushed the tears from their faces and sang them a melancholy lullaby. Her obvious devotion to her daughters pulled at my heart strings, making my chest ache with longing for my own mother.

Nausea and panic rose in my throat. I had killed a man.

The poker fell from my trembling hands as my entire body shook with reaction. I fell to my knees, pressed my hands to my face and began to sob. What had I done?