𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐳 | 𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘳

“I’m sorry for your loss, sincerely, but we need to discuss custody of this little one!“

Sitting on a chair, survival blanket over her cold little body, Morgan looked at the two men standing in the middle of this long, cold and austere corridor. Her vision was blurred by the tears accumulating at the base of her eyelids, but they did not flow.

The men spoke in low voices, leaving this poor little girl completely lost. Despite her blurred vision, she stared at the men. Their shapes outlined on the white wall behind them. Morgan did her best to concentrate on the two men’s words, but the ringing in her ears prevented her from doing so; they weren’t close enough.

She felt lost, like a small boat tossed about by a rough sea without a rudder or sail.

The seconds stretched into minutes, each second seeming endless to Morgan. She clung to the blanket which offered her a slight comfort against the cold which crept into her numb limbs. Her thoughts swirled in a tornado of unanswered questions: Where were her parents? What did this discussion about her custody mean?

And then, one of the two figures approached her, with a gentle and reassuring gait. He knelt next to her, and Morgan could see the details of his face, she knew him. He was a friend of her father. He is her godfather, a man she considered as her uncle.

“Uncle Stacy,” she said, her voice fragile, “Where’s Dad? What about my mom and Blake?”

George Stacy took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. He refused to break down in front of his goddaughter, determined not to worry her more than she already was. Poor little Morgan probably didn’t really understand what was going on around her, but George didn’t want to lie to her either.

“We’ll find them, sweetie, don’t worry!” he replied as calmly as possible.

With a gentle and reassuring gesture, he caressed Morgan’s cheek before continuing, a thin reassuring smile on his lips.

“In the meantime, you’re going to come live with me and my little family, okay? You’ll be able to have lots of sleepovers with Gwen!”