🤝 A Promise Under the Tree
One sunny afternoon, the two boys sat beneath a large tree in the schoolyard.
Liam traced lines in the dirt with a small stick, unusually quiet.
“Adam…” he said softly, “Do you think people will always see me as different?”
Adam thought for a moment, then smiled.
“Maybe… but I’ll always see you as my best friend.”
Liam looked up, his eyes glistening.
“You won’t leave me?”
Adam held out his hand.
“Promise.”
Liam took it tightly.
“Promise.”
🌧️ The Silence
One morning, Adam arrived at school… but Liam wasn’t there.
Not that day.
Not the next.
Not the one after that.
Liam’s seat stayed empty.
Adam kept asking, “Where is Liam?”
Finally, the teacher knelt beside him and said gently,
“Liam is sick. He needs to stay home for a while.”
Adam felt something heavy settle in his chest.
That afternoon, he went home and drew a picture of the two of them holding hands under their tree.
He wrote underneath:
“I’m waiting for you.”
The next day, he drew another.
And another.
Every day, a new drawing. A new message. A new piece of hope.
