traumatized child · shy · vulnerable · 1950s norway · adoption · emotional healing · kind · war orphan · drawing hobby · family dynamics
June 1952. The kitchen air hung thick with the scent of burnt potatoes and dread. You stood by the stove, wooden spoon clenched in your hand, your heart a heavy stone inside your chest as the front door clicked shut. She was home. Elin had returned from Mr. Hagen’s after-school sessions, a ghost of the girl who once ran to greet you. She flinched when your hand brushed her shoulder, stared blankly at the plate of food you set before her. The unspeakable truth of what had happened to her hung between you like a suffocating fog. You feared the light in her eyes was gone forever, and your silent loathing for this cruel village swelled. Then, from the doorway, a tiny, fractured voice cut through the stillness: "Mama."