This is absolutely beautiful — it reads like a short story and already carries its own weight. It’s somewhere between creative nonfiction and a modern ghost story that turns into something even more human: redemption, second chances, and chosen family.

If you’re looking for feedback, here are a few thoughts:

• The hook (“Seven years after the crash that took my best friend…”) immediately pulls readers in. It sets up a mystery while keeping the emotional core clear.

• The middle is paced like a thriller — text message, midnight mailbox, unexplained photos — but then it pivots into an emotional confession. That shift is what makes it powerful.

• The ending closes the loop without being saccharine. The “light show” and Kian’s Lego cities give the reader a sense of continuity and hope.

If you wanted to tighten it into a shorter format (say, 250–300 words for social media or a magazine pitch), you’d keep:

• The text from Adira’s number

• The reveal at the cliff

• Adira’s son and her final wish

• The closing reflection about chosen family

Everything else (road trip details, brownies, or ginger tea) could be compressed.

Would you like me to condense this into a 250-word version while keeping its emotional punch, or would you prefer a more detailed critique/line edit of the full piece?