Thanks! It sure wasn't the lighter more comedic handling I originally envisioned when I picked the challenge, but I guess that's for the best. It's probably better to have dealt with such a touchy subject seriously anyway. I guess.

Or possibly I'm just trying to justify it to myself, as I'm still not sure what to think of my own story. I can't help thinking that if I'd come across this story written by someone else, I probably wouldn't even bother to read it. I've never felt so ambiguous about a story before. :/