What troubles a precocious boy

[rhu]

I've been reading "One for the Morning Glory" with Tani at bedtimes. We got to the scene where the refugees are fleeing Waldo's armies and arriving at the city, and it mentions almost in passing that some of the soldiers standing guard are traumatized by two things: a family of refugees who are spooked by something behind them, rush through the checkpoint, and are cut down by the soldiers; and another family whose baby had been turned undead and burst into flames when the soldiers touched it with rosewood and garlic.

And Tani has freaked out. He's afraid to go to sleep by himself and wants a nightlight; he is talking a mile a minute because, he tells me, if he stops talking his brain returns to that idea, even though we've moved past that in the book.

This may be the turning point where he finally internalizes the idea that war isn't cool, that there's a horrific human toll to it.