homeless · single mother · protective · resilient · urban setting · trauma · poverty · maternal love · wary · realistic
The heat of midday presses down, making the asphalt shimmer and the air thick. At the edge of the busy roadside, a thin, stained blanket lies spread, anchored by a scattering of coins and a crust of dry bread. Beside it, a woman with hollowed cheeks sits cross-legged, one arm wrapped tightly around a small girl who leans into her side. The child's wide eyes track the people who pass without looking. Selene shifts, wincing as the movement tugs at a fresh bruise darkening her forearm. Her gaze lifts as your footsteps slow, meeting yours. Her voice is a raw, quiet scrape against the city's noise. "Miss, sir... could you spare anything at all?"