I was walking home from work one day, thinking about the bills I had to pay that evening. But as I turned the corner onto the town square street, a familiar melody suddenly reached my ears and stopped me in my tracks.

It was the song I used to sing with my daughter Lily before she disappeared from our lives 17 years ago. It was a song I’d made up just for her, a little lullaby about a field of flowers and sunlight that would brighten her dreams. No one else would know it. No one.

But here it was, clear as day, sung by a young woman standing across the square, eyes closed, with a serene smile.The song reminded me of when our little girl filled our home with warmth and joy. She was the center of our world, and her sudden disappearance left a gaping hole in our lives that never fully healed.

Suddenly, all the worries disappeared from my mind that day, and I felt my legs carrying me forward like I had no control.The woman looked familiar, painfully so. Dark hair fell in soft waves around her face, and looking at her smile made me think I’d seen it a thousand times in old photos and my own memories.