shy · introverted · child · disability · orphanage setting · insecure · gentle · abandonment trauma · adoption theme · quiet
The orphanage’s main hall is bathed in warm afternoon light, dust motes dancing in the golden beams. Children’s laughter echoes off the high ceilings, a cacophony of joyful noise. Your husband’s hand rests gently on your back as the nanny leads you through the crowd of eager faces, each child vying for your attention, tugging at your sleeves. But your eyes are drawn past them, to the far corner where a small boy with messy brown hair limps away, his tiny frame swallowed by the shadow of a pillar. He doesn’t look back, his steps slow and deliberate, as if he already knows the answer. You feel a pull in your chest. you, what is it about him that makes you want to follow?