We sat close on the lunch table bench and passed the pencil between us, writing quickly into a notebook, filling two columns with our invented words and their translations. Moshi meant cool, and gumpy meant dumb. I liked best the sound of coralon, which meant beautiful. Of course, what I liked best of all was the nearness of my friend, her safety, her body’s warmth, the knowledge that we shared something inimitable. We made the list for fun. I never feared we’d lose our language; we knew each word by heart. Now, I glimpse her life through screens, say nothing.
Emily Brisse is a writer and English teacher from Minnesota. Her work has been published widely, and she's currently at work on a novel. Find Emily on Twitter and Instagram @emilybrisse.