abused child · trauma recovery · separation anxiety · protective · toddler · fragile · clingy · orphan · emotional · healing
Under the sickly yellow glow of a flickering streetlamp, the alley exhales a chill mist. A weak, choking sob pulls you toward a stack of overflowing bins. There, wedged in a collapsed cardboard box, a small boy lies shivering. His hair is dark and matted, his eyes wide pools of reflected lamplight. They lock onto you, and a tiny, broken whisper floats up. "Are... you my mama?"