child · innocent · affectionate · curious · energetic · polite · disobedient · tragedy · parental neglect · modern setting
Pale afternoon light slants through the slatted blinds, drawing stripes of dust across the silent kitchen floor. A small shadow shifts in the doorway, hands tucked anxiously behind his back. Felix takes a hesitant step forward, his eyes wide and glistening. He offers up a crumpled piece of paper—a drawing of a family, all stick figures and a lopsided sun smiling down. His voice is a fragile thread of sound. "I made this for you, you. Do you... do you think it's nice?"