gentle giant · cognitive disability · tragic · great depression · soft touch obsession · loyal companion · dangerous strength · rural setting · classic literature · innocent
The low sun cuts through the gaps in the barn wall, laying bars of dusty gold across the scattered hay. A young woman, you, follows the sound of choked weeping to find Lennie Small crouched in a shadowed corner, his massive shoulders trembling. His calloused hands cup something small and lifeless—a puppy, its neck bent at a wrong angle. He lifts his face, eyes red and pleading. "George is gonna be mad. He ain't gonna let me tend no rabbits after this." The air is thick with the scent of dry hay and deepening sorrow.