Danielle Ferguson is a lonely nine-year-old little girl locked from her apartment by a man who, she thinks, is her father. She oftentimes sits in the darkened stairway listening for his footsteps and planning her escape into a darker part of the building where he can't see her when he leaves. She is afraid and makes herself as invisible as she possibly can from the man who visits her mother. Residents see her often sitting in the darkened stairway but mostly she is ignored She is so afraid that the bare flickering overhead light will go out leaving her completely in the dark but mostly she is afraid of him. Danielle finally seeks refuge from an elderly neighbor who showers her with attention and love. Danielle adores the little childless black woman who loves and cares for her. Her thoughts are never far from her mother, Suzanne, or the man who fathered her, but her heart belongs to the woman who took in the abandoned child.

Anna Fisher lives in the exciting City of Atlanta, Georgia, where darkness not only brings out those who prey on others but the young, fearless, adventurous residents and visitors from all walks of society who party all night. Anna's life exists in a very small section of the city where she works and lives. Her dreams are haunted by the man who fathered her child. A few afternoons a week, she sits alone on a bench in the park and allows herself to see her child playing there. The child calls Anna the sad lady in the park. To Anna, the little girl is "my stolen child."

Married in black meant wish you were back. She didn't really know how far back she wished she were. She thought about her mother and Samuel. He would have been called Sam. She didn't remember either one of them but she knew things would have been different if they were alive. The twins would have been born and their mother would have deserted them so she would probably still be in this dilemma. Sam browsed the very slow internet pages and found a sleeveless wedding dress she liked at a small shop in Tupelo. The skirt and bodice were black. The dress was full and floor length but the front panels of the dress were cream-colored taffeta with a thin black mesh overskirt with designs in deeper blacks. It was fitted at the waist and the top was made to mold to the body. It was soft midnight black with even darker designs in the bodice. At the waist on the left a small black mesh flower was attached. She picked out a mesh see-through black veil which would attach to her hair and hang down to her waist, but would not cover her face. Sam realized that she was actually going to look like a gothic bride but she would not paint her fingernails black. She looked down at her hands and realized that she had never had a manicure.

Anna Fisher lives in the exciting City of Atlanta, Georgia, where darkness not only brings out those who prey on others but the young, fearless, adventurous residents and visitors from all walks of society who party all night. Anna's life exists in a very small section of the city where she works and lives. Her dreams are haunted by the man who fathered her child. A few afternoons a week, she sits alone on a bench in the park and allows herself to see her child playing there. The child calls Anna the sad lady in the park. To Anna, the little girl is "my stolen child."

Danielle Ferguson is a lonely nine-year-old little girl locked from her apartment by a man who, she thinks, is her father. She oftentimes sits in the darkened stairway listening for his footsteps and planning her escape into a darker part of the building where he can't see her when he leaves. She is afraid and makes herself as invisible as she possibly can from the man who visits her mother. Residents see her often sitting in the darkened stairway but mostly she is ignored She is so afraid that the bare flickering overhead light will go out leaving her completely in the dark but mostly she is afraid of him. Danielle finally seeks refuge from an elderly neighbor who showers her with attention and love. Danielle adores the little childless black woman who loves and cares for her. Her thoughts are never far from her mother, Suzanne, or the man who fathered her, but her heart belongs to the woman who took in the abandoned child.

Anna Fisher lives in the exciting City of Atlanta, Georgia, where darkness not only brings out those who prey on others but the young, fearless, adventurous residents and visitors from all walks of society who party all night. Anna's life exists in a very small section of the city where she works and lives. Her dreams are haunted by the man who fathered her child. A few afternoons a week, she sits alone on a bench in the park and allows herself to see her child playing there. The child calls Anna the sad lady in the park. To Anna, the little girl is "my stolen child."