empath

@Lee Wilson & @drsawzall - Due to how it was posted for the anthology, I can’t seem to edit the text like I normally can. I’ll keep the feedback in mind for future stories however. Ironically, I put the translations in the footer so they wouldn't break up the flow of the story. Ah well, try and try again.

Thanks for the feedback, @Lee Wilson.

Thank you @chris191070, but now I’m hungry for yogurt and granola. Lame jokes aside, I appreciate the note immensely!

Thank you @Bill W! I found myself wishing I had known Comicality, especially while reading your first piece, beyond the fictional, mysterious, and unknowable self portrayal in GFD I met many years ago. While the events were, perhaps, somewhat extreme, I wanted to capture the emotions of growing up and surviving childhood. Covering so much in a few words was a fun creative challenge. I certainly can relate to your apt description of the coming of age journey! I simply wish more people came through the universally challenging process surrounded by the love and support Souris ultimately finds. Comicality and his writing played that role for many who literally had no one else.

Thanks @HARRYWALTER…. I’m glad to hear that, truly!

Thank you @Paladin and @Tris! I am learning so many new non-english words with this story!

I only speak Google French, but @pvtguy helped me make it more believable. ❤️ Thank you @Cane23. While Souris is not Gone From Daylight, he has found a new life full of new people and possibilities - as Juan and Daniel did.

Thank you for your help! It’s much more fun to read without all my distracting mistakes and typos!

Merci, mon ami. ❤️ A huge thank you to @pvtguy, who not only helped me get my English right, but French as well!

Souris (soo-wree) was a happy child in a loving home with perfect parents until everything went horribly wrong. A coming of age tale told over eleven transformative birthdays in which Souris must navigate love, loneliness, and loss to find himself.

It’s been a busy day of work getting in the way of the responding I’d rather be doing! The scenes with Boy are always challenging to write believably and thoughtfully, so I am grateful to hear the positive responses! New threads are flying as layers are revealed. I am excited to see some deep character and plot analysis. That means the the story is connecting at some level which is awesome! @Cane23 is even pulling quotes from Sam James in Kept Boy and connecting themes. Love it! I also have some great plot resolution ideas to consider courtesy of @Anton_Cloche, @Summerabbacat, and @drsawzall. and thoughtful questions from @VBlew. Thanks for engaging! Your comments make my day! With the US tariffs on Kleenex, I’m not sure if I stand to lose or make money from more tears. I find the math and the logic hard to follow. 😵‍💫

“Micah, stop!” Qian redirected another desperate attack from his son. “Calm down, son. You are safe.” “He’s not Micah.” Mary tried to stand, but her newly bruised hip and broken heel made it impossible until she slipped her feet out of her shoes. “Boy saved us.” “Boy.” Qian pushed his own traumatic response to that name away even as he immobilized his son’s quivering body tightly against his own so he could speak into the boy’s ear. “Boy, it’s Dad. I need you to tell me what ha

So many questions and suggestions. Your comments do, sometimes, impact the story to come. There’s a small nod to the good @drsawzall coming in the next chapter, for instance. So keep them coming! There are places the story must go, but there are even more places it could go. That’s my favorite part of posting at GA as I write.

That’s exactly how I described this story as it began to come to life! And, I agree! I’ve missed these characters even though it’s only been a few months.

Thanks for reading and responding @drsawzall and @Anton_Cloche! Good to hear from you both!

@Cane23, it is so good to hear from you again! Unfortunately, it will be few days to a week for the next chapter. It is drafted and making the rounds to my amazing editor friends. I was pretty focused on my Comicality tribute story this past week, but now I’m back to this one with my writing time. I just wanted to post enough to get people into the action. Sorry about the cliff!

“Are you okay?” Mary Renkin knew the answer and wasn’t fooled by Micah’s stiff nod or forced smile. She knew she should have done more to ease him into life outside Liberty before asking her friend to take such a giant step. “Yes.” The single word wasn’t the whole truth, but it wasn’t a lie either. Despite the almost petrifying first few minutes of the evening, Micah had managed the last several hours well. Mary had introduced him to many of her less conceited peers as they hovered

This made me laugh @Summerabbacat. 🤬 Good to see you again @CincyKris!

@VBlew & @Summerabbacat! Good to see you both again! We’re off on a new adventure, and it's great to have a few more friends along for ride!

Tuesday December 31st, 1996 “You look good, bro.” Micah was much more than one of Thomas Cicero’s students. He considered each of the boys at Liberty Academy a brother, but Micah had been the first. Oliver White, often called Thomas’ twin despite being five years younger and unrelated in all the ways that didn’t matter to either of them, adjusted Micah’s perfectly straight tie once more. It seemed a lifetime since he had prepared one of his brothers for a date, but thankfully, this

Tuesday December 24th, 1996 “Pizdets1!” The man glared at the dossier, his dossier, in disgust. The file had been difficult to obtain, but he now knew the truth. Each time he read the clinical and cold details of his creation, the first nameless spawn produced at the Komsomol2 breeding camp, Damir Volkov’s anger grew. His parents hadn’t sacrificed him out of a love of country. His mother, known to him only as 27, was simply a fertile youth bred by a nameless Soviet soldier under t

The world appraised each the moment they were born. While Walter Samson IV stands to inherit his family’s empire, Teyshawn Jones fights every day for a slim chance at a future. Neither can afford to stray from the narrow path before them, yet what each truly wants is the freedom to walk side-by-side. Note: This story begins four-and-a-half years after Kept Boy to Made Man and seven months after Souris lands in Chicago. While it is not necessary, it is recommended you read those stories first as an introduction to the Land of Lincoln and many returning characters.

So you’re saying he’s definitely alive. ❤️ The good guys are mobilizing and Joshua is finding his place in the world. Great chapter!

But authors love engagement and return readers! It’s one of the best tools we have to drive both.

Cliffhanger ... Sigh. And I'm caught up. Great chapter. It is especially nice to read about Joshua regaining some of his identity though meaningful relationships (family, dads, Olivia, even the detectives), recognition for his surfing skills, and purpose helping with the investigation and searching for his brother. It's good to see him finding things to live for.