"Grandma gave that to me." A tiny voice whispers, hands curled into his shirt as a young boy stands in the doorway to his room.
His mother, an already tiny woman made even smaller by the thinness of her body, bones almost visible and face gaunt, turns to look at him. In her hands she holds a game system, unplugged.
She smiles, but the expression does not bring the boy comfort. Her lips are cracked, and thin lines of blood form as the soft tissue spreads thin.
"Oh honey, I didn't know you were coming back from school so early." She says, hiding the game system behind her back. The boy's eyes don't leave it. "I know grandma gave it to you, but mommy wants to play with it for a little while. Is that okay?"
The boy's hands curl tighter, his lips setting into a firm line so that they wouldn't tremble. "But… grandma gave that to me." He whispers again. "You can't take it."
His mother's eyes harden, a sharpness entering them that causes the boy to flinch. "Listen you little shit, this is my house, and I can do whatever I damn well please in my house." She snaps, now no longer hiding the system but boldly holding it in front of her.
The boy presses his lips together. "But…" he mumbles, the sound softer than a breeze.
"But nothing." The woman growls, storming past him. "You know what? Because you were bad, I'm taking it away from you for good. You don't deserve it."
He watches her leave, making himself smaller against the wall of the hallway. She looks back at him, and for just a moment, he thinks he sees her hesitate. But then the moment is gone, and she opens the front door.
"I'll be back in a couple of hours. Make yourself dinner." She calls behind her, game system tucked underneath her arm as she closes the door.
And then the house is silent once again. Except for the soft sniffles of a young boy.