sacrifice
— A city girl discovers a magical forest where animals talk and time moves differently, spending what she thinks is a year but is actually ten years researching nature.
— A boy at boarding school writes to his father about missing their everyday rituals and recognizing the sacrifices his father makes driving long hours to work.
— In drought-stricken Africa, a girl's beloved zebra friend is sacrificed to save her dying mother, then the rains finally come.