after the death, we cleaned; we hoovered the carpets, dusted all the surfaces thoroughly, and washed the bedclothes interwoven with littlewhitehairs, in an attempt to move on. and for two days after i heard him calling me from places where he wasn't, went to fill a bowl with food and wondered four hours later why it was still full...
but some spaces you can't purge. it's been a year since. how fitting that i find that particular relic this afternoon...