The buttercup

have you ever seen a buttercup standing proud and tall in a field amongst the weeds and tufts of grass, its delicate petals bright yellow, smiling up at the sun and swaying ever so slightly in the summer breeze? the sight evoked memories of years ago: that slim girl in the yellow dress and matching sun hat. her arms stretched out with a smile that lit up her face as she twirled under the hot summer sun. her skin shining, with an innocence unmistakably of the young, her laugh held by the breeze just for a second before drifting away. perhaps she should have paid more attention, but time was ticking by and there was somewhere she needed to be. where, she couldn't quite remember. she reprimanded herself; wasting time was shameful when there was so much to get done, but it had felt so good, watching and listening. she could just hear her, but the sound kept drifting away: "mummy, mummy, look at me, mummy!" one more look wouldn't hurt, but she couldn't see her anymore. where did she go? she peered through emptiness and then she heard her again, but this time there was no laughter, and cold chill went down her spine as the words sounded more desperate: "mummy!" then the sun went behind a cloud and the world was all that little bit greyer. this psychological thriller spanning two decades captures the lives of five people who are tragically intertwined, impacting their families as their fates twist and turn.