The Cuckoo's Call

by Lily Morton

I groan. “But even though I love him, he’s still gone. I’m not enough.” “Not the way you are at the moment, Mateo,” he says plainly. “You think to compartmentalise him in your life. A shiny possession that you keep packed away and bring out to admire. He’s not that and can never be so. You cannot stop the world from hurting Wren. He’s a warm and curious young man, and people will be unkind to him. It’s human nature for some people to see something shiny and want to besmirch it. But you can be there for him when he comes home. You can listen, and you can hold the world at bay for a while and strengthen his armour, so he goes out again with that indomitable sturdy nature that Wren has. His armour will get battered, but he will carry you with him, and that will give him strength.”