Jess desperately wants to be a mother, so when she discovers a young boy lost in the woods near her home, her heart goes out to him. The boy, who Jess and her husband call “Buddy,” can’t tell them his name or anything about his family, but he’s clearly been through a lot. When her husband cautions her not to get too involved, Jess brushes him off. She would do anything for this child—and soon, she’ll have to prove it.
—from publicity material
Jess is running in the woods near her home when she sees the child. He’s lying in a fetal position in a little copse of trees, hands tucked neatly under his chin, as if he is sleeping. She thinks, at first, that he is lying on a black mat. But then she draws nearer and sees that the ground around him is burned.

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  1. Making Space by R. F. Kuang (Amazon Original Stories, November 2025) [ebook].
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by R. F. Kuang
  2. Making Space, by R. F. Kuang (Brilliance, November 2025) [audio].
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by R. F. Kuang
    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by Kristie Lee Walsh