BEFORE NOON (On Hold)

Chapter 4~Water Lily Child

Mercy stood still, with the water she was about to drink paused in motion.

Emily could only stare at her, completely blank, she had tried to understand what was going on in her head but she couldn't.

This is because she had already lost the memories of the day and if she eventually wakes up from her drug nap each night . She was an empty vessel.

The time was 7.10 pm, the injected drug she was given has already worn off and she woke up by 6 pm. To behold a blank memory.

She took a closer step to Mercy, in the kitchen.

"What's...wrong...with...me?" she asked as she stared into Mercy's eyes, who rushed to put her to a seat.

"You're just waking up" Mercy simply replied.

Emily only stared.

Mercy ran to the fridge and poured out a glass of water, offering it to her.

Emily slowly accepted after a long hesitation. She resumed staring at the glass cup of water, which seemed all foreign, adding up to how she felt right now.

A vibration on her body distracts her, as Mercy quickly helped her to it. While fishing out Emily's watch from her hoodie pocket.

Mercy paused for a moment, so she had put it in her pocket instead of wearing it. That way the AI would be alerted that she had woken up and briefed her as usual. She looked at the screen of the watch knowingly and handed it back to Emily, who appeared more confused with creased brows.

"What- is this?"

"Your robot assistant, endeavour to wear it often and never remove it, that way it would ease your mind whenever you wake up."

"Look, you've set a reminder, and that's why it vibrated. it is created as a map, which can only direct you to your destination, just like it is automated" Mercy explained.

But Emily could only get more confused. She had no idea of whom she was, now she's being fed things she hasn't heard before. Why couldn't she remember anything?

Mercy helped her up, and pointed at the phone's screen." Here, you'll follow the line it makes, the indicator lets you know where to go"

With Emily being dumbstruck, she allowed Mercy to guide her, as the line got longer, she followed.

They soon made an entrance to a room, but this was where she had just come out from. She glanced around her room and to Mercy.

"Until the map pointer stops, you've reached your destination, so let's continue to follow it"

They moved closer to the wall connecting to her window, and Mercy stepped back, letting Emily look up at the wall that dinged to her hearing, as it slid to the side, making room for her to enter.

She stepped in without taking a glance at Mercy.

Whom stood watching her, as the walls closed behind her.

She sighed and made her way out of the room. Knowing that Emily has entered one of her safe places. A place she would constantly fetch, if not in the morning, in the afternoon, if she ever wakes up from the drug nap.

It was a place she creates her little world, where she could be happy. A place where she made all her impossibilities possible. A happy world, where she isn't a child with no memory of whom she was, the sick lonely child.

It was where she can only connect rightfully with the outside world. The thought that she had made people happy with the work of her hands, only increased her elation.

Emily at the age of three was likely the most famous of the child art prodigies. Her painting and artistic production, which began at an earlier age has been nothing but splendid.

Before the age of 12, she had amassed a collection of over 80 paintings in the family's home. Her first exhibition sold out in minutes, which broke sales records. Making her the subject of the BBC documentary.

Despite her brain disorder, her ecstatic visions of art remained outstanding. And now at the age of twenty-five, she had shared what could be called a beautiful story, to everyone who owns any single piece of her art.

But no one knows or has seen this child art prodigy, who has remained a unique impressionist artist for years.

And her works are been still sold on her website.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emily sat on a black stool, as she stroked the brush on the watercolour paper, lying on the drafting table.

Revealing a landscape painting of a little child, whose parents stared at lovingly, while she played beside a little pool with lilies in lines, a yellow butterfly on her hair, another butterfly on her wrist. The painting had a rainbow effect, from the sky to their attires. Titled "Water Lily Child"

Emily dropped the brush and rested her soft gaze on the beautiful work she did.

Glancing around the room, which could only be classified as "Breathtaking"

From the wall of the enormous room to the displayed canvases. Hung several landscapes painted pictures and pencil sketched arts.

The unique thing that stood out, was that they were all pictures of a girl child, each had its quality. But no sad features were found.

"My name is Happy, your robot assistant"

Emily's eyes squinted at her watch blinking, as she slowly looked up at the walls which its lights blinked as well.

"Playing Lorde's album Pure Heroine"

Just then soft music filled the atmosphere of the paint scented room.

Thank you for reading 💜