Issue 7 | Thresholds
Here, in 100 words or fewer, writers make quick work of compelling true stories, in the lead-up to Multiplicity‘s 2026 Spring/Summer issue, THRESHOLDS.
After Dropping My Daughter Off at College
by Lindsay Rutherford
“Flight 324, now boarding.”
The line inches forward. My body resists, unsure how to step into this future without her.
A toddler, golden-haired and gleaming in fresh pajamas, lurches through the boarding area giggling, brothers in hot pursuit.
He dodges a duffel, wobbles, rights himself, and stops at my feet.
Wide-eyed, he gazes up, reaches for me.
I reach back, through time, to my daughter at that age, lift the warm weight of her to my chest.
The line quickens. He swerves away. I board the plane, holding only memory in my empty arms.
About the Writer
Lindsay Rutherford, a Bay Path MFA candidate, wrote this piece in the Multiplicity Studio class during the 2026 spring semester.