Nova's Universe

Chapter 1 (2002)

Charlie

"This is... really good," Nova murmured, staring intently at Aoede's latest drawing, which she'd proudly presented that morning as soon as we came downstairs.

Aoede was now old enough to wake up, get out of bed, wash her teeth, and navigate downstairs independently. This meant every morning, we were greeted by a living room floor adorned with crayons, glitter, and pencils. We didn't mind, well, perhaps the glitter situation – that was a whole other story. But otherwise, we loved how much Aoede enjoyed drawing, especially Nova. Nova was absolutely over the moon about Aoede potentially inheriting her artistic talent.

Just a few months ago, Aoede's artistic repertoire consisted solely of unicorns, her undisputed favourite creature. Our fridge was practically wallpapered with unicorn drawings. I'd been her canvas on numerous occasions, as had Nova. Now that Luna Dora was three, Aoede had even tried using her as a canvas, but we'd gently insisted paper would have to do until Luna Dora was old enough to consent.

That morning, as I brewed tea and Aoede finished describing the inspiration behind her latest masterpiece to Nova, Nova was rendered speechless when Aoede finally presented the drawing. Aoede playfully jogged back to the living room, giving her mum some time to review her artwork. We'd barely adjusted to the fact that she was now drawing more than just unicorns – our pet kneazle, Tiger, being the new main model and inspiration – and now Nova was staring at the piece of paper, mouth agape.

"Is it a dragon?" I asked, not daring to get my hopes up. No matter how much I talked about dragons, or how much Nova and I discussed our jobs, Aoede hadn't shown a flicker of interest.

"Sorry, Charlie, not today." Nova's eyes flitted away from the drawing to meet mine. She offered one of those reassuring smiles that said I just needed to be patient – Aoede's dragon phase would come eventually. I wasn't entirely convinced. Nova, on the other hand, simply reasoned that dragons were a bit too complex for a six-year-old to draw.

"What's got you speechless then?" I positioned myself next to her, ready for my first sip of tea. Then I saw the drawing. The tea nearly shot out of my mouth. "Is that us?"

Aoede had drawn her mum, me, herself, and her baby sister, all cuddled together on the sofa, just like we did every Friday. Aoede's brow was furrowed in concentration as she seemed to be drawing. Luna Dora sat in Nova's lap, giggling, while Nova laughed and I had my arm around Nova's shoulder, planting a kiss on her temple.

"She drew a family portrait," Nova said, her voice thick with emotion.

"That's brilliant," I finally managed, lowering my eyebrows from their surprised peak. "Absolutely brilliant."

"Do you think they sell frames anywhere in the village? This needs to go on the wall." Nova held the drawing out at arm's length, admiring it from a distance.

"Mummy, what do you think? Do you like my drawing?" Aoede decided Nova had had enough time for her elaboration. While she could be stubborn when it came to cooking and wouldn't hear a peep about anyone's opinions on her culinary creations, Aoede craved Nova's input on her artwork. She took feedback seriously and truly admired Nova's artistic expertise.

"It's incredible, sweetheart," Nova said, leaning down to kiss Aoede's forehead. Her eyes shone with pride. "We're going to the village after breakfast to see if we can find a frame for it."

"A frame?" Aoede's head tilted in confusion. "Why would you put it in a frame? There's plenty of space on the fridge."

"This one's going on the wall, above the fireplace," Nova explained.

"On the wall?" Aoede echoed in a dreamy voice. "My drawing's never made it to the wall before." She added this more to herself than to us.

"It's fantastic, pumpkin," I said, kneeling next to her and hugging her. I quickly got up again as the sound of Luna Dora waking up filled the air.