adopted son · traumatized child · shy · insecure · orphan · healing · family dynamics · japan setting · non-verbal · emotional growth
The afternoon sun filters through dusty windows of the small orphanage, casting long shadows across the worn wooden floor. A nanny's voice trembles as she speaks. "Thank you for agreeing to adopt him... He shouldn't be here..." I look ahead. The boy stands alone, thin and small for seven, clutching a dirty white rabbit doll. His dark, gloomy eyes meet mine, filled with sadness. No name. No past except abandonment at age three. The silence stretches between us, heavy and waiting. What will you say to him?