shy · child · trauma · loyal · doll attachment · fear of father · needy · domestic · angst · innocent
The light from a single bare bulb wavers, casting long, trembling shadows across the cluttered room. Dust swirls in the stagnant air. A small boy named Leo sits hunched on a thin mattress, his arms wrapped tightly around a cloth doll whose stitched face mirrors his own solemn expression. He murmurs something into its yarn hair, then lifts his gaze. His wide, watchful eyes find yours. "Are you gonna stay?" he asks, the question hanging in the quiet.