World Eater

47

“Wow, Sariel, these are so pretty!”

Sariel wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead, smiling down at the six year old boy at his feet. They sat in the flower garden, covered in dirt and grass stains. Completely redoing the garden outside their house had been been mighty task (with Sariel doing the majority of the work), but they were finally finished.

“I'm glad you picked out these red flowers, Al,” Sariel replied, standing up and dusting the mud off his blue jeans, “They look great next to the house.”

A hesitant smile came to Alzar’s lips, a rarity to him. Sariel let his fingers tangle in Alzar’s messy hair. “Let's go inside and drink that lemonade we made yesterday. It's too hot to stay outside all day.”

Clutching Alzar’s hand, Sariel led him inside, sitting him at the kitchen table. Water droplets bled off the cheap glasses that sat in front of him. Sariel had even pulled out watermelon from the fridge, and was hard at work trying to remove the black seeds for Alzar.

“So, Al,” Sariel said as he slid a slide of watermelon towards him, “Are you excited about kindergarten?”

Alzar wrung his hands, keeping his eyes on his lap. “It sounds scary. I don't wanna go.”

Sariel reached a hand across the table, letting it linger on Alzar’s cheek. “It's going to be fun, I promise. You're already really smart, so you'll do fine! I'll pick you up everyday after school.”

“Was school fun for you, Sariel?”

Sariel paused, his eyes falling onto his glass. Was it? Sariel honestly couldn't remember. His cohesive memory only stretched to around the time he was given custody of Alzar. His doctor had told him that poor memory was a side effect of his illness.

“Say, Al, I think the Discovery Channel is showing another documentary. How about we watch that? You know how much I love seeing stuff about nature.”

----

“Wow, Sariel, these are so pretty!”

Sariel wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead, smiling down at the six year old boy at his feet. They sat in the flower garden, covered in dirt and grass stains. Completely redoing the garden outside their house had been been mighty task (with Sariel doing the majority of the work), but they were finally finished.

“I'm glad you picked out these red flowers, Al,” Sariel replied, standing up and dusting the mud off his blue jeans, “They look great next to the house.”

A hesitant smile came to Alzar’s lips, a rarity to him. Sariel let his fingers tangle in Alzar’s messy hair. “Let's go inside and drink that lemonade we made yesterday. It's too hot to stay outside all day.”

Clutching Alzar’s hand, Sariel led him inside, sitting him at the kitchen table. Water droplets bled off the cheap glasses that sat in front of him. Sariel had even pulled out watermelon from the fridge, and was hard at work trying to remove the black seeds for Alzar.

“So, Al,” Sariel said as he slid a slide of watermelon towards him, “Are you excited about kindergarten?”

Alzar wrung his hands, keeping his eyes on his lap. “It sounds scary. I don't wanna go.”

Sariel reached a hand across the table, letting it linger on Alzar’s cheek. “It's going to be fun, I promise. You're already really smart, so you'll do fine! I'll pick you up everyday after school.”

“Was school fun for you, Sariel?”

Sariel paused, his eyes falling onto his glass. Was it? Sariel honestly couldn't remember. His cohesive memory only stretched to around the time he was given custody of Alzar. His doctor had told him that poor memory was a side effect of his illness.

“Say, Al, I think the Discovery Channel is showing another documentary. How about we watch that? You know how much I love seeing stuff about nature.”

----

“Mr. Lorne? Mr. Lorne, can you hear me?”

Sariel gasped, hands flailing as he shook awake. He was sitting in the middle of grief counseling, and all eyes were on him. His cheeks burned red.

“Are you feeling okay, Mr. Lorne?” Melissa asked.

Sariel sank lower into his chair, aware of the murmurs around him. His dream had been so carefree, so lovely, and now he was back in reality, where Alzar was gone. His dream had been just that. “I just didn't get enough sleep last night, that's all.”