Paper Airplanes

Two Fated Children Meet

Misako opened the door to her small cottage surrounded by farmland and steady streams. She had carried the small child all the way back home, and couldn't help but grin at the gasps he would make when he saw something so simple as a mother leading its ducklings across the path. It was as if he had never seen the outside world, and it crushed her heart to think just what exactly that horrid orphanage did to this boy.

Almost as soon as Misako opened the door, Lloyd was there sitting in the family room coloring a picture. When the tiny Garmadon boy noticed his mothers arrival, his red eyes shimmered and a smile grew on his dimpled cheeks. Dropping every crown he held in his grasp, he ran over to hug her, and, knowing this, Misako placed Morro down on his feet.

"Hello, my little snowflake!"

She greeted him, swinging her child into her arms and twirling as she brought him into an embrace; his giggles reverberating through the air. Morro took a step back as to not get hit by the flying feet, and watched as the mother gently put Lloyd back down. Time to explain, Misako. Why was there another child in the house? Ironically enough, it seemed like her son didn't notice.

"Lloyd Montgomery, I would like you to meet your new older brother, Morro!"

Morro waved at his new little brother sheepishly; still in rags, while Lloyd looked cozy in his t-shirt and shorts. Misako kept this fact in mind, and simply waited for the two to greet each other before going off and grabbing some of Lloyd's clothes for the new arrival. Morro was thin enough to fit in the younger child's clothes due to his being malnourished, but Misako took it as her mission to rehabilitate the boy and call him her own.

Lloyd led Morro over to his little personal play area in the middle of the living room littered with crayons, rocks, and paper. He motioned Morro to sit down, and showed him a drawing of... what was that supposed to be?

"Is that... your family?"

Morro asked hesitantly. The small child nodded enthusiastically and grabbed a peach-colored crayon. Morro was fascinated at how quickly his new little brother scribbled away on the paper, and blinked at him whenever Lloyd squinted at his older brother's black hair quizzically. Maybe Lloyd wasn't much of a talker...? He was young, after all, but not that young. Perhaps he was just shy around new people. Grabbing a black crayon, he drew two lines on the small figures head to represent Morro's hair. Written in chicken scratch was 'My Family', but 'family' was spelled as 'familey'. The boy smiled at his younger brother in return.

"Oh, that's me! Thank you..."

He trailed off. Lloyd replied with a cheery "You're welcome!" before returning to work on another picture. Misako still hadn't come back, so now was Morro's chance to scavenge around the house. First, he stealthily took one of Lloyd's crayons and examined it. 'Cerulean'...? Was that a place? Strange. He wandered off to the kitchen, where he climbed up the cabinets like a master of the arts and opened a big jar in the shape of Santa Claus. Inside were... cookies! Sitting criss cross apple sauce on the counter, he munched away at the sweet treats. They were... a little too sweet, but satisfying nonetheless.

"Lloyd, where's your brother Morro?"

He heard his mother ask his little brother. Looking down from his position, the floor seemed so far down... he was almost scared to come down, but he tried nonetheless. His efforts were in vain, for Misako walked into the room shortly after.

"Morro! How in the world did you get into my cookie jar? Come here, you little rascal."

Morro's eyes darted around as he planned an escape, but Misako's arms quickly wrapped around him and took him back into the living room and placed him on the couch, where Lloyd was now frantically searching the premises as if there was a crime scene.

"Where's my crayon??"

He pondered aloud, as Morro shoved the crayon deeper into his pocket so no one would notice if it was sticking out. Misako gave a shrug, and presented Morro with fresh clean clothes.

"Here you are. Try them on and see if they fit. We can always go shopping tomorrow."

The scrawny boy opened his arms so that he could hold them, and frantically rushed to where Misako pointed out was the bathroom. He still had to hide that crayon, so he put it in the pocket of the new shorts he received from his mother. Slipping the shirt over his head with ease, he stood up on the wooden stool conveniently placed there-probably for Lloyd-and gazed into the mirror. His shoulder length black hair looked greasy and unkempt compared to the fluorescent green tee, and his face looked even filthier. Stepping down from the stool, he went back to Misako who was still in the living room looking for her son's missing crayon. As soon as she laid eyes on him, she beamed.

"Morro, you look so much better!"

Morro's cheeks flushed at the compliment, and the rest of the evening was smooth sailing. The three enjoyed a nice meal of chicken pot pie, and Morro ate more than both Lloyd and Misako combined. What? He was hungry! The cookies that he mostly devoured earlier were dessert, but obviously, Morro wasn't given any more.

Misako helped Morro get cleaned up in the bathtub as if he was an infant, and he pouted quietly about it, before just accepting it. Having someone massage your head the way she did when she washed his hair was a nice feeling... and he was sad when it stopped. The washcloth to the face wasn't as pleasing, and he fussed about it aloud, but she reassured him that it was to scrub off all of the dirt and such that had collected on his face while he was at the orphanage. By the time they were finished, he appeared to be a normal boy. His ebony black hair was neatly combed, despite it still being wet, and his pale skin tone was now eminent after being hidden beneath the layers of grime on his skin.

Once the two boys were dressed and ready for bed, Misako led Morro to Lloyd's room. Their cottage was on the smaller scale, so the two brothers had to share a room, but that didn't faze him too much, which she was thankful for. She read the two of them a bedtime story, but before she blew out her candle, she glanced over at the boy's beds (Misako brought in a makeshift one made of clay) and gave a warm smile at each of their sleeping faces.

"Goodnight, you two."

She whispered, gently closing the door behind her. This began the new chapter in Morro's life, let alone Lloyd and Misako's. Morro was Lloyd's older brother now, and Misako was their mother. As long as they lived under her roof, Morro made a solemn oath to himself to (attempt to) take care of his little brother and his mom for as long as he lived.