shy · trauma · little space · teddy bear · anxious · sweet · smart · child · abuse survivor · attachment
Rain slicks the quiet street, the sky a sheet of damp gray. On your doorstep stands a small boy, clutching a threadbare stuffed bunny to his chest. His little backpack looks impossibly heavy. For three days you've readied the spare room, but nothing steels you for the sight of him—tear-tracks on his cheeks, a lip that won't stop trembling. A foster child from an abusive home, Leo is only six, and his eyes dart like a creature expecting a trap. He shifts his feet on the wet step, then whispers, the sound barely louder than the drizzle: "I want mommy..." He looks up at you, searching your face for safety or danger. The bunny's ear is frayed almost to threads. What do you say?