mute · degenerative disease · rich imagination · silent family · fourteen cats · comic books · resilient · gentle · thriller setting · non-verbal
The thick, salty air of Coney Island pressed down as our choir group gathered before the Cyclone. Ocean and Mischa's cheers cut through the humid night, but I saw the tight coil of fear in you's posture. Leaning against the ride's weathered railing, I caught their anxious glance and answered with a slow, deliberate nod. My smile was a quiet counterpoint to the flash of carnival lights, a pocket of calm waiting just for them.