A really touching story that's scarily close to what's happening with my cousins at the moment. I'm very impressed with the maturity of the writing here, and look forward to reading some more of your stuff!

This is really powerful, and very well-written. The second-to-last paragraph actually brought a tear to my eye; it's that heartbreaking to imagine that little boy growing up without his mother. I can really appreciate the symbolism at the end.