EN | Chilumi Week 2022

𝟽. ✧ The Children of Lux and Tenebræ

Prompt: Fairytales [2100 words]

Tenebræ [latin] : darkness, obscurity / Lux [latin] : light.

"Mommy, tell me a story!"

A little five year-old girl was running through the house towards the living room where her mother was. Dressed in her pink pajamas, with small cheerful drawings of clouds, on which her ginger hair fell, book in hand, she almost threw herself on her mother's leg to monopolize her attention. Her mother, whose name was Sonia and who was in her early thirties, turned her blue gaze towards her daughter, her blond hair with a single strand of ginger waving with the movement. An affectionate hand ruffled the child's hair as she put down one of her husband's shirts that she was folding, to kneel at her daughter's level.

"The teacher lent me this book today!"

Childish and joyful voice accompanied the gesture by which she handed the small children's book with a shiny cover to her mother with both hands.

The wide smile she wore was angelic and contagious, also curling her mother's lips as she reached for the book.

But that smile, instead of continuing to grow on her fine features, froze, blue eyes carefully detailing the cover, tracing the outline of the castle with her fingertips in a mixture of dread and longing, before drifting to the two characters, a knight in armor and a pretty princess adorned in a thousand finery.

"The Children of Lux and Tenebræ," she could discern in the foreground, written in fine golden letters and soft calligraphic style to lure young children, the recipients of this tale.

A slightly shaky breath later, Sonia looked up at her daughter who was all smiles and almost jumping up and down in anticipation.

"Kira, are you sure you want me to read this story to you? You might not understand it all," she tried carefully, but to no avail.

"Yes, I want to know the story!"

Stubbornness was definitely a character trait that endured in the family for a long time. So Sonia could only let out a sigh, and grab her daughter to carry her to her room. Pink walls, wooden toys scattered on the floor, and a soft little bed made up the room to plunge it into a subtle castle setting to make it all the more wonderful to a child.

Kira went under her comforter with haste, knowing perfectly well this little ritual that took place every night when she asked for a story to be read before going to sleep, while her mother lay down next to her, so that both of them could see the images that would be present in the book.

Once settled, with the dim glow of the bedside lamp illuminating the room, Sonia opened the book, revealing a first page filled only with a dedication: "to my parents, the heroes who saved us". Gulping with apprehension, Sonia turned the page again, ignoring the heavy dedication to reveal pastel drawings, perfect to delight young children and adults alike. Immediately, the story drew both mother and child into this parallel world created with rough strokes, exaggerated expressions and bright colors, conveying the depth of this children's tale.