The Apologists
Novella 21,060 words Recommended by 4 award/anthology sources
"A dual-carriage road descends from a flyover bridge in Thamesmead, bearing sluggish traffic on both sides. From inside bus number 229, a woman looks out of the large windows and thinks the other vehicles look like toy cars. For all she knows, the 229 itself looks like a windup toy to the rest of the traffic."
Content warnings 5
child-deathdeathdeath-of-a-loved-onemental-illnessviolence
Quasar links out; the story lives on Clarkesworld, where the author gets the click.