By the time I re-entered the kitchen, Mom was nowhere to be found.

  A big yawn escaped my lips. She must be getting ready for work. I assumed. I’m not much of a morning person but Mom says I’m still too young for coffee. So my pick me up of choice is sickeningly sweet sugary cereals.

  I threw open the pantry. Only took me a brief moment of searching to find what I was seeking. Then I snagged a bowl from the cupboard above the fridge before opening it up to grab the milk.

  Next I poured myself some Lucky Charms. Call me a man child, but something about the whimsical marshmallows never gets old to me. Though you’d never catch me admitting to anyone that I like seeing little hearts, rainbows, and unicorns in my breakfast. Helps clear up my morning moodiness in addition to waking me up. A must for April firsts.

  As soon as it had poured the milk, my right hand reached into the top drawer for a spoon. That was when I noticed the ring on my left hand. Huh, I don’t remember putting that on.

  “Did you wash your hands?”

  Startled, I looked turned to find Mom had returned, her makeup all done up for work.

  “Aww c’mon Mom, it’s only cereal.”

  “You were just touching garbage April.”

  “But I haven't touched anything that’s going directly into my mouth yet.”

  “All the more reason to wash your hands before you do.”

  Mom certainly had a point but I had one st trick up my sleeve.

  “My Lucky Charms are gonna get all mushy” I whined.

  “Then go wash them quickly.” she countered.

  With a sigh of defeat, I reluctantly retreated to the foot of the stairs. I caught sight of Mom pyfully shoeing me away when I turned back for one st look at my beautiful breakfast before

  breaking away to enter the bathroom across the front hall from our kitchen.

  The door had been left open so I closed it behind me. I thought I caught a whiff of Mom’s perfume as I did so. Not gonna lie, I kinda liked the lingering leftover scent of Mom’s cosmetics. She takes good care of herself and looks great for her age as a result. I’d consider myself lucky to be as attractive as she is when I grow up. Or as attractive as I could be for an adult man I mean.

  Suddenly a strange chill ran through my body, as often happens when one finds themselves barefoot on cold tile wearing solely one’s peejays. Yet the lingering tingling I experienced afterwards was odd. A sneaking suspicion started to grow in the back of my mind that I’d feel better if I checked myself out in the mirror real quick.

  A brief gnce at my reflection confirmed that my messy, shoulder length brown hair, bored blue eyes and soft, smooth jawline were just as I remembered them. Thankfully I didn’t have much in the facial hair department so I didn’t have to shave, which saved me some time in my morning routine. Nothing seemed different about me.

  Before getting my hands wet, I decided this was the perfect time to remove the ring I found. Holding them up in front of the mirror, I grasped it firmly and pulled as hard as I could.

  My heart skipped a beat.

  It wouldn’t come off!