Characters in these stories have suffered the death or disappearence of a close friend or family member. It may be a recent loss they are still grieving, a not-so-recent loss that they are starting to come to terms with, or, in some cases, the loss might still be affecting them years later, driving their thoughts and actions and hindering their ability to move on with life. In some stories, characters may still have hopes of locating someone precious to them who vanished or abandoned them.