Stories From The Hermit Crab's Shell

Erin's Loss

STORY INCLUDES: dislike for family, spoiled children, family loss, riches to rags, depression, blocked memories

Erin was a young boy, living in the Hermit Crab's Shell, island paradise for lost children.

Erin's parents had given him his name, and unlike many of those around him, he was content with what his parents did. Some kids around him changed their name to one which fit their gender identity, others in defiance of the parents who gave them it, but Erin loved his name.

Erin's parents had been government workers, he didn't remember what they did exactly as being a child he hadn't cared. They had loved him with all their might. He remembered being given overalls and dresses and button up shirts, with no care for whether he'd wear them or not. He remembered sitting on his bunk bed playing the "Alphabet Adventure" video game. He remembered being told that if he woke up on time and ate his vitamins he could get donuts before school.

Erin had lived a spoiled childhood, loved by his parents unconditionally. And he knew well now that they were what bred that stubborn ego of his that got him into trouble so often.

He remembered most clearly, the day his dad told him his mom had died. He had been too young to understand death, throwing a fit at the funeral because he was bored. He regretted that deeply now.

He had been tough on his dad, his lifestyle was hard to maintain, and though his father tried, things kept leaving. First the amazing food was replaced with simple meals, no more donuts or sweets around. Then things disappeared, being sold for cash, his video game, the clothes he didn't wear, toys he didn't play with, and nearly all of his father's possessions. He had cried, screamed, hit his father, been horrible. As an older, wiser child, he knew his dad had fallen into depression, and had his salary cut for poor workflow, that keeping his child happy was costing him all he had.

Erin was certain that if he tried he could remember what happened, but he didn't try. All he remembered without the digging he refused, was the feeling of emotional pain. He remembered how horrible he had felt in that time, even his first weeks at the Shell were shrouded in a sad fog. All he knew was that something went bad. His dad had stopped being fit to raise him, he knew that otherwise he wouldn't be here, but he refused to remember why.

Now Erin is a Child at the shell, he eats the food cooked by the Avaunts, sleeps in a bunk bed with his best friend, and is learning how to do house chores. Erin is a young boy living at the Shell, he knows it isn't paradise, but there's nowhere he'd rather be.

Authors Note: The inspiration for this story was simply me being frustrated that spellings of nearly identical sounding names (Erin, Aaron, Arin, Aron, Eran) get sorted by gender. So I wrote up a dude named Erin.