The writer looks at the box in her hand, three and a half years over, just like that. And all of it fit in a box? One less key hangs on her key rack. They can't afford to pay her anymore. Money always came back to money. 
She sets the box in her closet. Dealing with stuff from her office can wait. Miss Flo lays her head in the writer's lap. It helps a bit. Tears flow, and the release of emotions comes. It's a mixed bag; she'd seen it coming, but it still stung. 

The planner in her craves a new plan; she needs a job after all, life isn't free. The writer shoves those thoughts away. There would be time for that later. 

 Beth and the other characters from her made-up world call her name. She has time to write now, and one less major stress! The writer ignores their call. What was the point? She couldn't afford to release the story now; she was losing her income. The payout they gave her would only go so far. 

The calendar over her desk mocks her, a timeline she didn't sign up for. She's been working on a plan, and today it went up in smoke. She turns out the light over her desk. And crawls into the darkness of bed. 

 Dawn arrives bright and early; it's not raining, that's a plus. The sky is stubbornly blue, completely indifferent to the storm running through her mind. So the writer dons a ball cap and running shoes and grabs Miss Flo's leash, and off they go. They walk for an hour. 

The movement gives the writer's energy somewhere to go. It gives her space to think through the last six months, the last 3.5 years and all that went on. 

She takes a trip to the theatre with her mom to see a friend in a play. He has no idea what's gone on in her world, but he makes her smile and reminds her of the importance of different types of creativity.

She breathes a bit easier when they get home. Editing still feels like too much, but an idea that has been lingering for months comes back in full force. It was time to relocate her website. Give it a new digital home and a fresh coat of paint. 

So with thought and with care, she works on a fresh start for her puddle-sized stories and all that comes next. It gets her excited about writing again. Maybe she will find the time for Beth's story again.