{"id":3656,"date":"2025-12-18T12:26:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T12:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/?p=3656"},"modified":"2025-12-18T12:26:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T12:26:32","slug":"my-daughter-died-two-years-ago-on-christmas-eve-my-granddaughter-pointed-at-the-window-and-screamed-mommys-back-what-i-saw-standing-in-the-snow-was-viciously-impossible-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/?p=3656","title":{"rendered":"My daughter died two years ago. On Christmas Eve, my granddaughter pointed at the window and screamed, “Mommy’s back!” What I saw standing in the snow was viciously impossible."},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/header>\n

For two years, I believed I had survived the worst loss a parent can face. Then, on Christmas Eve, my granddaughter said something so impossible that it stopped my heart and changed everything!<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\n

I\u2019m 67 years old. And never in my life did I think I\u2019d be packing school lunches and wiping tears again at this age. But life doesn\u2019t wait for you to be ready.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

I\u2019m 67 years old.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

My granddaughter Willa has been my whole world for the last two years. She just turned six \u2014 all questions and contradictions. One moment she\u2019s chasing the cat in a tutu, the next she\u2019s asking where heaven is and whether her mom misses her from there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She has cute, small hands and a loud laugh. But it\u2019s those eyes, though \u2014 big and brown. The same eyes my late daughter Nora had when she was that age.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Nora was my only child.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Nora was my only child.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Nora had Willa alone. The man responsible vanished before the ink was dry on the first ultrasound photo. She had tracked him down once and found an old address through a friend who worked at the DMV.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But nothing came of it. The guy ghosted her without a trace. He never paid a cent, never asked about his daughter, never even showed his face. Nora wasn\u2019t chasing money \u2014 she wanted Willa to know where she came from.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

That she hadn\u2019t been thrown away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

But nothing came of it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I remember those nights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She\u2019d be hunched over the kitchen table, bills and custody papers scattered like a war zone, her hands shaking as she tried to make sense of it all. She\u2019d whisper apologies between sips of reheated coffee \u2014 for needing help, for being tired, for being what she called \u201ca mess.\u201d But she never was.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Nora was just tired and grieving a version of life that kept slipping away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cSweetheart,\u201d I\u2019d tell her, \u201cwe\u2019re a team. You and me. We\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cYou and me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She\u2019d lean her head on my shoulder and cry quietly, like she didn\u2019t want Willa to hear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

My wife, Carolyn, used to do the same when life got heavy. She passed a year after Willa was born. We barely had time to react before the breast cancer took her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

After that, Nora and I leaned hard on each other. I took on more babysitting than most grandfathers, learned to make peanut butter sandwiches the way Willa liked them, and even taught myself how to French braid after a YouTube tutorial marathon.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

She passed a year<\/p>\n

after Willa was born.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

We were surviving. Not gracefully, not perfectly, but surviving.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Then, two years ago, just four days before Christmas, the call came.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I was standing in a checkout line at the hardware store with a cart full of stocking stuffers. My phone rang with a number I didn\u2019t recognize. I almost didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I wish I hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The officer stated that Nora had been in an accident. She had the green light when a drunk driver didn\u2019t try to stop. Nora died at the scene.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

I wish I hadn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The words blurred into static. The world didn\u2019t just tilt \u2014 it vanished.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The funeral was unbearable. It was a closed casket \u2019cause they said it was better that way. They said she had suffered severe injuries. I stood in that chapel thinking about the last voicemail she left.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She had asked if I could watch Willa a little longer that weekend. Nora had said she needed time to clear her head. I agreed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

That was the last time I heard her voice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

I agreed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Since then, Willa has lived with me full-time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Our days became quiet routines \u2014 school morning drop-offs, picture books, hot cocoa before bed. I made my share of parenting mistakes, but I tried my best. Some nights, Willa would ask, \u201cIs Mommy still in heaven?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

And on other nights, she\u2019d just press her face into my chest and fall asleep without a word.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cIs Mommy still in heaven?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

This Christmas, I wanted things to be simple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Just Willa and me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

We pulled the old box of ornaments from the attic on Christmas Eve. Most were decades old. Willa was careful with each one, as if they were made of magic. She was humming along to the carols playing on the radio when she pulled out the paper angel she had made in art class.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She stared at it for a long moment, then tiptoed over to the tree and nestled it near the top.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cLooks perfect,\u201d I said from the couch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

Just Willa and me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

She turned to smile at me \u2014 then stopped, frozen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She didn\u2019t say a word. Just walked to the front window and pressed her hands and nose against the cold glass.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cGrandpa,\u201d she whispered, \u201clook! Mommy\u2019s back!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I didn\u2019t react right away. Children say all kinds of things, especially when they miss someone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I laughed softly, not turning around. \u201cWhat do you mean, sweetheart?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She didn\u2019t take her eyes off the window and kept pointing toward the street.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cMy mom,\u201d she said, more insistently now. \u201cShe\u2019s standing by the mailbox. Just like before.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

She didn\u2019t say a word.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no one there,\u201d I said gently, finally stepping closer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I expected to see a squirrel or maybe a neighbor in a scarf that looked vaguely familiar. But when I looked out, my breath caught!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

A woman stood under the streetlight as the snow fell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Her coat was too thin for the weather. Her posture was familiar \u2014 too familiar. She stood the same way Nora used to, one foot turned in slightly. Her hands gripped the lapels of her coat, pulling it tighter against the cold.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She even had the same habit of tilting her head just so, like she was listening for something.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

My chest tightened.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

And then, as if she could hear me think, she looked up at our house.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Her eyes locked with mine. They were not just similar to Nora\u2019s \u2014 they were the same. My knees went weak!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The ornament I was holding slipped from my hand and shattered on the hardwood.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I turned to Willa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cStay here. Don\u2019t move, you understand me?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She nodded slowly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I grabbed the handle and rushed out the door without thinking \u2014 no coat, no gloves, just a burst of adrenaline and disbelief pushing me into the cold.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

I turned to Willa.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cNora!\u201d I yelled, louder than I meant to. \u201cNora, is that you?!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She flinched at the sound, stepped back once, then ran!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Her boots skidded on the icy sidewalk, but she kept going. I followed, my heart pounding like a war drum, lungs burning with every step. She was quick, but not quick enough. She stumbled near the Jeffersons\u2019 yard, and I caught her by the arm before she hit the ground.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cNora, is that you?!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She turned, breathless, tears already running down her cheeks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cDad,\u201d she said. It was not a question, but confirmation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

It was her. It was Nora!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I couldn\u2019t speak. My mouth opened, but no sound came out. I was staring at my daughter \u2014 the daughter I buried two years ago!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cHow?\u201d I finally asked, though my voice came out like a broken whisper. \u201cHow is this possible? We buried you. I saw your name etched in stone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She gripped my sleeve as if she thought I might vanish.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

It was her.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cI know,\u201d she said. \u201cI know what they told you. But it was all a lie.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I blinked, trying to grasp the meaning behind her words.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cWhat do you mean, \u2018a lie\u2019?\u201d I asked louder this time. \u201cYou were in a crash. They showed me the reports. The casket\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t in that crash,\u201d she said, cutting me off gently. \u201cI wasn\u2019t even in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cYou were in a crash.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI met this wealthy man a few months before I left,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t plan it. He showed up at the caf\u00e9 where I worked and kept coming back. He was charming at first and generous. Said he had connections and could give me a better life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

She paused.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t believe him, not at first. But he wouldn\u2019t go away. He wore me down. And when I told him I had a daughter, that I lived with you, he told me I didn\u2019t have to live like that anymore. That I could be free.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

She paused.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cNora,\u201d I said slowly, \u201cwhat are you telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She lowered her eyes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cHe offered me a life where I\u2019d never have to struggle again. A house, travel, and money. He said he\u2019d take care of everything. But there was one condition.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She looked up, and I saw the shame in her expression before she said it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI had to leave everything behind. There could be no loose ends. No family. No child.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The words knocked the air out of me!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

My stomach twisted.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI said no at first,\u201d she went on quickly. \u201cI did. But he said it had to be all or nothing. And then he showed me what he\u2019s capable of \u2014 the fake documents, IDs, and bank accounts in other names. He had connections in law enforcement and with hospitals. He said he\u2019d make it look like I\u2019d died in a car crash. And no one would come looking.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

My throat was dry. I wanted to be furious. I wanted to shout. But I just stood there, cold and stunned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cSo you agreed,\u201d I said flatly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cI said no at first\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI thought Willa would be better off with you,\u201d she said, her voice breaking. \u201cI thought she\u2019d have a stable life. You always said you\u2019d protect her. I told myself it was for her.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cAnd for you,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She didn\u2019t deny it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cYes,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I shook my head. \u201cYou could\u2019ve come back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI thought about it every day,\u201d she said. \u201cBut he watched me constantly. He has access to my phone and email. I wasn\u2019t even allowed to keep old photos. I was just \u2018Erin\u2019 now. His Erin.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

I shook my head.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I took a step back, my fists clenched.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cDo you have any idea what we went through?\u201d I said, my voice rising. \u201cDo you know how many nights Willa cried for you? How many times I\u2019ve had to lie and say heaven was a nice place?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Tears rolled down her face, but I didn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cYou let your daughter grow up thinking her mother was gone. Forever. You let me grieve my child.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI hated myself every day,\u201d she cried. \u201cI never stopped loving her. Or you. I was just\u2026 trapped.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cI never stopped loving her\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I exhaled long and slow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cHe\u2019s away on business,\u201d she said. \u201cI found a way to slip out. He thinks I\u2019m in Florida with a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

Her eyes darted toward the street.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cBut he\u2019ll find me,\u201d she added. \u201cHe always finds me. He has everything \u2014 my passport, my Social Security number, my birth certificate. I can\u2019t even prove who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThen we fight,\u201d I said. \u201cWe\u2019ll call the police. A lawyer. Anyone. But you\u2019re not going back.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She hesitated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

She hesitated.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if I can do it,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cYes, you can,\u201d I said. \u201cYou\u2019re stronger than this, Nora. And your daughter needs you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She looked like she was about to collapse under the weight of it all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

For a brief moment, I thought she might finally stay. Her shoulders sagged, her breath came in uneven pulls, and she stared past me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cYes, you can\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t understand,\u201d she whispered. \u201cIf I stay, I put you both in danger. He doesn\u2019t lose or let go.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll call the police,\u201d I said. \u201cWe\u2019ll call a lawyer. Anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She shook her head, and her voice broke completely.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t live with myself if something happened to Willa because of me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I took a step closer. \u201cRunning isn\u2019t protecting her,\u201d I said. \u201cIt\u2019s hurting her!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She squeezed her eyes shut, then stepped back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hurting her!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cNora,\u201d I said, my voice rising. \u201cDon\u2019t do this again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She looked at me one last time, and I saw it clearly then. She was terrified \u2014 not of Willa or me, but of the man who had erased her life so completely that even standing in front of her own father felt dangerous.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

And then she turned and ran!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Fast steps, head down, disappearing into the falling snow until the streetlight held nothing but empty air.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cDon\u2019t do this again.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

I stood there long after she was gone. I had just found my daughter again, only to lose her a second time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

When I went back inside, Willa was still by the window.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cDid you talk to her?\u201d she asked softly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I forced myself to smile, kneeling in front of her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cThere was someone out there,\u201d I said carefully. \u201cBut it wasn\u2019t your mom. Just someone who looked like her.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cDid you talk to her?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

She studied my face in a way no six-year-old should have to.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she said gently. \u201cIt was Mommy. I know it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

I didn\u2019t argue. I just hugged her tight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

That night, after she fell asleep, I sat alone at the kitchen table until well past midnight, replaying every word, look, and chance I might have missed to stop Nora from running again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

I didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The phone rang the next morning while I was making toast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cDad,\u201d Nora said, her voice barely holding together. \u201cCan we meet? Please.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cWhere are you?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cA caf\u00e9 downtown,\u201d she said. \u201cThe one near the courthouse.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be there,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She hung up before I could say anything else.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be there\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I dropped Willa off at my sister Mary\u2019s house and drove across town. When I walked into the caf\u00e9, I spotted Nora immediately. She looked exhausted \u2014 and smaller somehow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

She didn\u2019t waste time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI want to come back,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to leave him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She stared at the table, then finally looked up at me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cCan you forgive me?\u201d she asked. \u201cAfter everything?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

I didn\u2019t answer right away. I reached across the table and took her hand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cYes,\u201d I said. \u201cI can. And I\u2019ll help you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cAfter everything?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

She broke down then, covering her face as years of fear and guilt spilled out of her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

When she finally steadied herself, she pulled out her phone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI have to do this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

She called and put him on speaker.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cI\u2019m done,\u201d she said, her voice shaking but firm. \u201cDon\u2019t call me. Don\u2019t come looking for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

There was shouting on the other end \u2014 threats, promises. She listened and then ended the call.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cDon\u2019t call me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\u201cI\u2019m done running,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

We left together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Mary was in the living room with Willa when we walked in. Willa looked up, froze, and then bolted across the room.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cMommy!\u201d she cried.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Nora dropped to her knees just in time to catch her. They held each other, both of them sobbing, while I stood there with my hand over my mouth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

That Christmas wasn\u2019t perfect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

But it was real.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

And it was ours.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cMommy!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For two years, I believed I had survived the worst loss a parent can face. Then, on Christmas Eve, my granddaughter said something so impossible that it stopped my heart … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3656","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3656","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3656"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3656\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3661,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3656\/revisions\/3661"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3656"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3656"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readinstory.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3656"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}