The Oak Remembers

Tonight, as Gia-Rose sleeps, the Oak recalls another child — a boy who once lived in the blue house long ago.

He used to sit beneath its branches and ask the moon why he felt so small. The Oak felt that quiet ache — the way he tried to fold himself into the shadows, hoping the world wouldn’t notice how unsure he felt.

One night, sensing his smallness, a leaf drifted down, glowing softly in his hands with a glowing affirmation, “Though I feel small, my courage stands tall.” A reminder that even the smallest hearts carry a light the Hollow can see.

He carried it for years.

And though he grew tall, he always said the courage inside him began with a whisper from the Oak — the moment it showed him he was never as small as he believed.