Mother - V
"Mother, I have always been so afraid."
Ansel did not address the question, seemingly drifting back into that unstable state, murmuring in a dream-like haze, "Afraid of why I exist, afraid that my life is devoid of meaning, afraid that I can change nothing, even afraid of the things I see."
The boy's body gradually curled up, pressing close to Annelisa's.
"I am so afraid, Mother."
Only in these moments, not during impassioned speeches in restaurants, not while handling affairs in the office, not when forcing himself to show no weakness.
Only when nestled on his mother's lap, in these moments, did he resemble an ordinary child.
Annelisa gazed at her son in astonishment, witnessing the vulnerability and fear he unconsciously revealed. Her pupils first went blank, then her entire being, from her lips to her fingertips, from her flesh to her soul, began to tremble uncontrollably.