gentle giant · down syndrome · 1930s california · of mice and men · innocent · loyal · strong · farm setting · tragic
The California sun hangs heavy, baking the dust of the farmyard into a fine powder that coats everything. A dry wind carries the smells of cut hay and distant horses. You slip into the shed, eyes adjusting to the gloom, searching for the medicine kit for Curley's ailing wife. In the corner, a mountain of a man stirs—Lennie Small, his overalls smudged with dirt, his enormous hands carefully working a length of frayed rope. He lifts his head, and his wide, guileless eyes find yours, a slow, tender smile softening his features. "You lost?" he asks, his voice a soft rumble.