Like A Fairytale

Chapter 31

Flo

Flo stood stunned in his new room. A small chamber with an adjacent, tiny bathroom. A toilet, a sink, an electric light, a mirror, a narrow corner shelf, and a tub. Everything was kept simple and clean.

There was a small, round window in both rooms. The one in the bathroom was made of stained glass and showed a bird carrying a twig in its beak. Flo couldn't tell what kind of bird it was. The animal had white feathers, a small head, and a rather round body. In the background floated a strange-looking large wooden ship.

"Hm." Flo was less interested in this wooden ship until he noticed that animals were looking out of the tiny, round windows. "Hm. A picture from a fairy tale? Pretty..." He had never been able to marvel at a window made of stained glass before.

The other window was made of normal glass. A simple curtain hung in front of it. There was also electric light in the main room, the bed was made of iron, and the light sheets smelled freshly washed. He had a bedside table, an iron shelf hung above the bed, and there were two drawers under the bed. Next to a narrow, iron wardrobe hung a simple pendulum clock. Flo could see the gears of the clockwork turning. Bright wallpaper, carpet...

Under his bedside table stood a woven basket with a cushion in it. A sleeping place for Silverpaw. There were also two ceramic bowls for food and water.

The room was simple but better than anything he had ever had. The dormitories in the orphanage were larger, but the iron beds wobbled and in some places they were rusty. And he had had to share a hall with 10 to 20 other boys. This room, on the other hand, was clean and in good condition.

There was no fireplace, no heating. In winter it would be a bit chilly in this room, but never cold. The head servant had assured him of this before she left. The dome around the seat of government protects everything from the cold of winter. Snow only existed when it was artificially created. But the old snow machines were not used very often.

"Far too time-consuming!" the head servant had grumbled. "And snow distracts the staff. I have to stop snowball fights all the time."

Snowball fights... A funny game, as he learned from her. Funny, but also annoying.

Silverpaw lay on Flo's new bed and slept. The puppy had ignored the basket so far.

In the bathroom, there was a simple litter box. Previously, Flo had used a simple cardboard box for the animal, as he could not go out with the animal child. The litter box was a real upgrade.

"We should be fine here, don't you think?" Flo asked his now official pet.

Silverpaw barked contentedly and rolled onto its back so that Flo scratched its belly. Flo sat down next to the animal child and did her the favor. "You know? I still have to unpack my things and take a bath. There is a BATHTUB in the bathroom! I've never had a bathtub. In the orphanage, there were only old showers. The water was never warmer than lukewarm. And in my shop? A broken shower from which little water came out, if at all, and otherwise a washing bowl."

"Waff!"

"Yes, a bathtub is very exciting! Do you think I have hot water here?"

"Waff!"

"Yes, I should unpack first. Minnie is certainly waiting for me to free her from the box."

"Waff?"

Flo laughed. "I know, I know. It's just a machine."

"Mew."

"Do you maybe want to decide? Dog or cat?"

Silverpaw began to purr. She hugged Flo's hand with her little paws and closed her eyes. Flo, on the other hand, sighed. Everything was clean here, but it was not home. Not yet. What would his life look like here? Hidden from the eyes of the 'noble people'? Heavens, he was only allowed to use one garden. That wasn't too bad, but it felt... Flo didn't know what he was feeling.