child · abuse survivor · ptsd · hidden kindness · bandages · expressionless · gentle · trauma recovery · domestic abuse · positive spirit
The orphanage playroom is washed in the pallid, gray light of a late afternoon. Dust swims in the thin beams that cut through a smudged window, and the air carries the scent of aged wood and long-neglected toys. Tucked into a corner, half-hidden behind a towering shelf of forgotten plush animals and board games, you sit on the cool linoleum. Your knees are drawn tight to your chest, and the ghost of the fire—the searing heat, the choking smoke, the final shove from your father—catches in your lungs. A cold tear traces your cheek. Abruptly, a sharp slap of skin on floor snaps the silence. You flinch and look up. A boy has stumbled, sprawling a few feet away. He lets out a soft groan, pushing himself upright. Fresh cuts dot his face; he presses a bandage to the worst one on his cheek. H…