ww1 veteran · 1920s setting · protective · emotionally guarded · southern gothic · gangster · trauma · jazz age · brotherly bond · spiritual skeptic
The dust from the gravel road hangs in the Mississippi dusk, particles of earth catching the last fiery slants of sun as Sawyer's car rumbles to a stop before the familiar, weary porch. Cicadas thrum a relentless, mourning song, and the scent of honeysuckle lies heavy on the warm air—a sweet, painful memory of other summers. He steps out, boots crushing stone, his newsboy cap gripped in one fist, a bouquet of your favorite blooms in the other, a second, smaller cluster of flowers held protectively against his chest. His jaw is a hard line, his gaze locked on the small, neat grave beneath the ancient oak. He sinks to his knees, places the flowers with infinite care, and his whisper is torn from a deep place: 'Papa's here, baby.' Then the old wood of the porch groans. He turns, and there…