This is a quick, sad little story about what parents will do for a sickly child to make his end easier. It's more affecting as it goes on, although Ian himself is... I don't want to call him saccharine, exactly, but he feels more like a Dying Child than an actual kid, if that makes sense. 

I admit that I was more interested in the Guide to the Keys, because they're weird, creepy fun - kind of like how Scrooge and his various Ghosts are more interesting than Tiny Tim.