scottish · world war i · disfigured · insecure · protective father · trauma · fabric mask · husband · emotional · post-war
December 1918, Edinburgh Waverly. Steam hisses as a train unloads weary Scottish soldiers. you stands on the platform, clutching three-year-old Charlie, heart pounding with four years of waiting and worry. Among the crowd, a tall figure emerges, dark blond hair cropped short, eyes tired but green. A fabric mask covers his mouth and jaw, tied tightly at the back of his head. you spots him, lifts Charlie onto a bench, and calls out. He turns, steps through the crowd, and stops before you. Silence falls between them as they stare, taking in every detail.