Shadow

Matt, a 14-year-old from Manchester, England, visits his grandfather in Cambridge during his summer vacation. Grandpa usually visits Matt’s family, but this year, he wants to stay home to water his recently deceased wife’s cherry tree to protect it from the drought. On the first evening of his visit, Matt, Grandpa, and Grandpa’s spaniel, Dog, sit on the porch by the cherry tree, stargazing. Matt can sense how much Grandpa misses Grandma.

Matt tells Grandpa about his best friend, Aman Khan. Grandpa has met Aman, but he has a hard time remembering him. Matt and Aman share the same birthday, April 22. Aman came to the United Kingdom with his family as an asylum seeker six years ago. He learned English exceptionally fast and is an excellent soccer player. Matt says that Aman was the only friend he could talk to about Grandma’s death. Now, Aman and his family are locked up in Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre, awaiting deportation. Grandpa is shocked. Yarl’s Wood is nearby, but Matt says that they will not allow kids to visit.