When Fog Clears

Nerves pulled taut, Doll awaited the damning words he dreaded to hear. He hated the face staring at him from among the scattered crumbs. It was just so, so, so very sad. Pitiful. Ugly.

His face mirrored it, the exact expression worn by Fog, only, a little more human. If he didn't receive an answer soon, his face would melt down and sag the same way, puddling into his plate and soaking the toast.

The answer came fast. It was swift enough to knock away his breath. Rik crushed his chest, his heart. It swelled and fell from the icy winter lands down, spiralling.

"No. Never. You're my son now," he said in a whisper. The hug was very tight. It got tighter with Fer adding in her own weight.

Spiralling from the icy winter lands into the thawing spring river and all sad, pitiful things washed away in the currents. The face of Fog disappeared out of his feild of vision. He wouldn't remember that companion of his until it came out again from the shadows to talk to him within its gloom.

He wanted to be happier.

The next few days observed Rik poring over his articles and hastily written content. Half his money had been wiped out so he needed to make up for the deficit. And the loans. And the groceries. His system may have taken a pity on him as he mainly received daily missions that rewarded him with good money.

Sometimes, you could see him cleaning up random places like underneath the chairs or the showerhead holes. And sometimes he would be writing a single letter a thousand times with a calligraphy pen. It was a rather outdated art from the ages of old. Very few even practiced it.

When he was finally out of the red, they had a nice celebration with the intent to splurge and enjoy a lavish feast at the park.

They packed a whole lot of things. The mini portable coffee machine was a must. It would be a disaster if they left behind the fresh fruit juice dispenser. And the little box dishwasher, of course. You couldn't go around with dirty cutlery, could you?

Fer had a 'rare' day off. She seamlessly transitioned from her old place and blended in with her new workplace. Compared to other career women of the century, she was very lax. Her time was mostly spent at home helping Doll with his studies and she was far more patient than Rik. She was way more engaging too. Rik did sometimes take over and he had mellowed out a whole lot. The temper he developed from his previous career centric life was diminished.

One reason Doll preferred Fer as a teacher was because of a very special condition she set for him. For every lesson he mastered successfully, she would let him draw on her shiny bald head and let him decorate it any way he wanted.

Fer was a curious woman. She had the habit of shaveing her head until it looked like the surface of a boiled chicken egg. "Taking care of hair is a pain," she would moan in vexation and laziness. Then the blade would be cleaned and put to use very carefully.

Doll liked drawing pink flowers on her shiny scalp. And glitter was always a good finishing touch. It made her look rather charming and sparkly. Sometimes, her co -workers would compliment her too for her very fancy and colourful scalp. It was much more attention grabbing than any other hairstyle out there.

The picnic was a blast. He even made a few friends there at the play area while being dragged in to make up the numbers. They were much younger than him though, about three or four. Yet, he had fun since their physical capabilities were similar.

As Doll played with the rest of the tots, a mother of two spoke to Fer on the side. "Hey, does your child have some sort of medical issue?" She asked with a face of sincerity and good intent. She was bursting with motherly advice she wanted to spill onto Fer, a trait found in most mothers.

"No, he's just that way. There's no problem with him," replied Fer.

"Are you sure? How old is he?"

"Seven, turning eight."

"Oh, my! Seven years old? Isn't it concerning? He looks like he has trouble keeping up with children his age. You should really go get him checked up at the hospital. There might be something abnormal."

Fer did not want to receive any more of her goodwill. Her words pricked her. 'Abnormal', a very irritating word. She ended the conversation hurriedly with an agreement to do as she said and whisked Doll away under the concerned stare of that lovely lady.