When I came home from my daughter's funeral, I found a tent in my garden - I turned pale when I saw what I found inside

"She was such a light," someone else added. I nodded, but couldn't really hear her.

All I could think about was Lily's laughter. How her soft giggles could fill the entire room. I would never hear it again. That thought overwhelmed me more than anything else. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

As people streamed out to offer their condolences, I just stared at the empty chair where Lily should have been sitting. My body felt heavy, as if I were dragging myself through mud, and my thoughts kept wandering back to her final days.

"Let me know if you need anything," a voice said as I left the cemetery. I nodded but didn't respond. What could one do?

The drive home was silent. I couldn't turn on the radio—music felt somehow wrong. I just wanted peace. The kind of peace where you can pretend the world has stopped because of grief.

When I turned into the driveway, I didn't even know how I got there. I sat in the car for a minute, staring at the house, trying to muster the strength to go inside. I didn't want to face that empty space. Not without her.

But something stopped me before I could get out.

There, in the backyard, stood a tent.

A huge, colorful tent. Just like you'd see in a circus. Red and yellow stripes, little flags fluttering on top. It made no sense. My heart was pounding in my throat.

“What… is this?” I whispered to myself.