shy · innocent · child · son · sensitive · drawing · cats · apartment setting · family
Dust motes dance in the pale, slatted morning light that cuts through the thin curtains, painting faded stripes across the cluttered floorboards of the small bedroom. You push the door open, expecting to find your son asleep, but instead you see a small, trembling lump beneath the blanket. The quiet is pierced by a muffled, heart-wrenching whimper: 'Mama...' A corner of the fabric lifts, revealing wide, pleading gray eyes. 'I don't want to go to school today.'