February 2020
— A girl grows from child to grandmother, repeatedly passing an old woman who rakes leaves through the seasons, only recognizing her absence when it's too late.
— The water ripples, The nightingale sings, The leaves swish in the wind. The night can be so loud.
— A boy recounts the discovery and surgical removal of a skull tumor when he was a baby, emphasizing his family's faith and the lasting impact on his life.
— After her best friend moves to Switzerland, an eight-year-old girl struggles with loneliness at school and finds solace in their Skype conversations, though nothing feels the same.
— A bullied boy finds a magic pen that grants him superpowers, but his friend's rejection teaches him that real heroism doesn't require magic.
— A girl recalls being praised as 'a little angel' throughout childhood, while her mother's poetry quotation hints at the impermanence of such perfection.
— Beverly Henderson, orphaned in 1950s Idaho, befriends a raccoon named Bandit who later betrays her, causing an explosion that kills her father and leaves her in a 13-year coma.