Every weekend, a boy accompanies his grandfather in the NICU to cuddle infants from war-torn lands — but there’s more to the old man's healing touch than meets the eye. There are some stories that, when you ask me what it’s about or to describe it, I pause and then say, “You know what, just read it.”…Just read it. You’ll be glad you did. —Arthur Robert Tracy IV, Editor, Hell Itself Gumba is my name for grandfather. It sounds like the word for grandfather where Gumba is from—but not exactly. Gumba came from Faraway Land. He has had many jobs, but he says this job at St. Joseph’s Neonatal ICU is the most important. Gumba is not a doctor. He is a volunteer. His job is to cuddle babies. In Hell Itself, March 13, 2026. ReadThe Youngest Babies Need the Oldest Magic
Notes, fragments, and strange signals from the edge of story.
Gumba Cuddles.