#empty leash

Empty Leash - Memory 1

“Smile,” she told me from behind a raised phone. I performed the requested act, smiling to the best of my ability, though my anatomy was not built for such a human action. I bare my teeth, pulling the edges of my mouth to the closest thing I could manage.

“I said smile. You aren’t smiling.”

Her voice was sharp with annoyance as she kneeled forward, placing her thumbs on either side of my mouth, beginning to stretch it as if I was made of plastic. She was so close, I could have bit her. One small bite would be all it took for her to bleed.

Yet her hands acted on a trust that I would remain docile.

I sat there, watching her perfect what wasn’t human — only to be faced with the fact she could never change the soul within this body.

About The Bloom Series The Bloom Series follows eight-year-old Aarya Bloom and her four-year-old brother Kiyan as they navigate the big feelings of growing up—worry, curiosity, courage, loss, and joy. Through warm, gentle stories filled with humor and heartfelt wisdom from their family, each book invites children and caregivers to explore their emotional worlds with kindness. Designed for readers ages 4–8 and their families, The Bloom Series supports emotional literacy, resilience, and authentic expression—helping children grow, one feeling at a time.