A Lily in the Light

by Kristin Fields

They said he was homeless and had gotten his apartment after his mother had kicked the bucket or a former marine who’d almost eaten a poisoned orange in Vietnam, but mostly they tipped back imaginary cups and clucked their tongues as if that explained everything.

I loved how this was written from a child’s perspective. The “poison orange” was striking.

“It gets different,” Amelia said softly. “Not necessarily better, but different.

This is why, she thought bitterly, it was better to leave people behind before they disappointed her. You can be left behind, or you can leave behind.

The mindset of the injured inner child.