Challenges: SciFi Short Stories

Prestigious Raising

The door opens. A family enters single file into a cubic room with rounded edges, painted immaculate white from floor to ceiling. Two young boys followed by their father, then their mother sit on the sofa facing a wall screen which broadcasts their image. They smile and an artificial voice is heard.

"3,2,1 Record started!"

Enthusiastic, the mother speaks.

«Good morning, my name is Frigg, but you can call me mom »,a little embarrassed laugh cuts her momentum, she tries to regain her calm while excitement appears on her lips, «here is my husband Nargr, and our two children, Küken 16 years old and Böd 11 years old."

"We live in a house, spacious, illuminated, air-conditioned! Each room, including the bedrooms, has its own AC controls. Our diet is vegetarian, and we eat three times a day. But most importantly, we are a family that loves each other! »

Laughter breaks out.

"Yes, for sure. We are a happy family.", replies the husband, winking, while the children laugh and grimace with joy.

They say in chorus.

"We are ready to adopt!".

The wall screen turns off, the door opens, and an artificial voice closes the session.

"Record ended! Next family!"

***

Frigg, Nargr, Küken and Böd sit on the sofa in the living room of their house. The television is off, the clock on the wall reads 4 p.m. At times, they peer out of the corner of their eyes, through the opening in the living room, at the main door to the house.

The door rings, they all get up impatiently, quickly put their clothes back in place, stand in a row in front of the door. The door opens by itself. A man stands dressed in a white suit with his arms at his sides and in his left hand the fluttering sleeve of a cobalt blue sweatshirt speckled with garnet covering an inhuman form, smaller than Böd, at the height of a human's knee adult, an egg on webbed feet, a hooded Humpty Dumpty, face hidden, its strong respiration make the cords of the hood dance, and its discernible left wing makes the sleeve flutter.

For a few seconds the family remains motionless, their eyes glued to the oviform, while the man in white pushes it into the hallway and leaves. The door closes behind him.

Frigg, all smiling, approaches it, kneels down, grabs the two sleeves on the floor, pretending to shake it hand, and says:

"Hello there! You okay?"

No response.

Frigg hands one sleeve to Küken and the other to Böd.

"What do you say about playing with your big brothers in the living room! I'll prepare dinner."

In the living room, they put on a little background music, draw freely, laugh in unison, like a doll, the stoicism of the creature attracts all the attention.

In the kitchen, Nargr paces back and forth while Frigg remains unfazed.

"Dinner is served"

Everyone sits down, but the oviform doesn't reach the plate with his chair. Frigg uses one of the living room sofa cushions as a booster seat, but the oviform can't take the cutlery with its sleeves. She drags her chair next to it in complete silence, and grabs some a spoon to feed him.

"Bon appétit", she said slightly out of breath.

"Bon appétit, my dear", replies Nargr with a gaping smile.

"Thanks Mom!", answer the happy children.

"I made a corn soup with a mixture of seeds and meal-worms. Your favorite dish!"