growing up
— A thirteen-year-old explores memory and perception through four vignettes: coffee grounds and bird eggs, violin practice, shower wall patterns, and a childhood dream of walking on eggs.
— A girl recalls being praised as 'a little angel' throughout childhood, while her mother's poetry quotation hints at the impermanence of such perfection.
— A young crane faces exhaustion, cold, and an eagle attack during his first migration over the Himalayas, finally reaching safety in a warm field.
— A boy reflects on the tree outside his old bedroom window—his silent companion through childhood frustrations—and its loss in a hurricane, while settling into a new room with a new...
— A child reflects on life before a new baby arrived, using a mirror structure to express the loss of sleep, space, and being a family of three.
— Thu loses his place as grandmother's favorite when his sickly sister is born, but journeys to save her life and learns what family truly means.
— A girl who believes she is perfect discovers emptiness within herself when her teacher sends her home, triggering her first tears and the beginning of real growth.
— A year cycles through the seasons as Little Deer grows from playful fawn to father, echoing his own father's words about preparing for winter.
— After her father loses his job and joins the military, Lily struggles with anger and guilt until the day a messenger arrives with devastating news.
— During a tense car ride to visit relatives, two sisters play Twenty Questions, but when Jenny thinks she's solved Ula's puzzle, her sister refuses to confirm the answer.