When eight-year-old Harry Horan passed away from cancer in 2019, a deep sadness swept through the small mining town of Kambalda, in Western Australia, where his smile had brightened so many days.
As his family and friends tried to grapple with their loss, they looked through their photos of Harry, watched videos that captured his cheeky sense of humour, and remembered how passionate he was about his favourite football team, West Coast Eagles.
"He would talk to anybody and everybody."
Ms Horan said the grief of losing her precious boy could overwhelm her at any time.
"Sometimes it's an hour at a time, sometimes it's a minute at a time," she said.
"We'll certainly never be the same people that we were, but we have to go on for [our daughter] Ava."
'What a beautiful boy'
In this pit of grief, there has been one small piece of comfort for Harry's loved ones.
A children's book inspired by his life has helped his young friends to process their grief and find ways to feel close to him.
The book, Where are you, Harry?, was written and illustrated by teacher's aide Sunny Ling, who has worked closely with children for many years, and had a brief — but memorable — encounter with Harry at Kambalda Primary School, in the state's Goldfields-Esperance region.
Ms Ling said Harry was skipping along the path as she headed for a classroom to help another student.
"I could tell he was kind of on a mission and he stopped to look at me and he said, 'Good morning Ms Sunny'," she said.
"I just remember thinking what a beautiful boy."
'Harry's always around'
A few months later, Ms Ling heard that Harry's cancer had returned. Not long after that, she found herself preparing to attend his funeral and thinking about how his young friends would cope with their grief.
Among those friends were Jaxon Crawley and Molly Waye.
They say Ms Ling's book has helped them to find a way to stay close to Harry.
Jaxon said after reading Where are you, Harry?, he felt assured that his mate would never be too far away.
Jaxon says he speaks to Harry every day and they still laugh together about some of the funny adventures they've had.
"I knew Harry since I was three years old," Jaxon said.
"He always made me laugh.
For Molly, her sadness has been comforted when stormy weather rolls in.
"It taught me Harry's up above us and when it's stormy, he's turning on his motorbike," she said.
Children our 'biggest teachers'
Ms Ling, who wrote the book with the support of Harry's family, said talking about dying and grief was often difficult for many people.
And discussing sad and traumatic events with children could be even more challenging.
"Children love simplicity so we've kept the book very relatable," she said.
"I've tried to convey that urgency and then portray a whimsical approach to the possibilities of where a loved one has gone."
Ms Ling said children were not afraid to imagine, and could be "our biggest teachers".
"We can turn to religion, we can retreat, we can shut the world out," she said.
Book 'a great comfort' to family
Ms Horan and her husband Lee have been deeply moved by the book and how it has kept Harry's smile brightening up the lives of those who read it.
"As grieving parents, our worst fear is that Harry will be forgotten, so if people are reading his story and seeing his face in the book, then that brings us a little peace," Ms Horan said.
"Thank you will never, ever be enough for Sunny for creating this book."
Mr Horan said Where are you, Harry? was written in a way to help children understand and express their grief, which was crucial for families coping with tragedy.
"You've got to look out for each other, support each other when you're not doing so well, and talk to your wife and your children," he said.
"Try and keep moving."
Harry's sister Ava says the last page of the book is her favourite.
