Purity became obsessed with uncovering the stories behind each item.

Two nights before her Literature paper, her mother didn’t come…

Guilt clung to me like sweat. Mama’s tired eyes, the…

Nobody wants to hear your sad story anymore. You are…

Gift! Gift! Why would my parents even name me that?…

She bought us tickets. We were supposed to fly to…

It was easier to stay in her room than face…

Other children could eat as much as they wanted, but…

She had learned to count food in bites...

When Papa died, the blue tin stayed empty for months.