Sanders Sides One Shots & Shorts

Ad Astra Per Aspera (Analogicality)

Date Published: Nov 15, 2020
Word Count: 3548
POV: 3rd Person

The office was warm and cozy with the curtains drawn closed to block out the snow, and the desktop lamp glowing gold. The room was small, barely big enough to hold a corner wedge desk, a small bookshelf, and a chair. But this wasn't bothersome.  Secluded, quiet, it was all you could ask for in a makeshift home office. A steaming mug of coffee sat on the desk, it was two-thirds drunk already, but still comforting and thawing. A black liquid ink pen swirled and spiralled across the printed articles laid out in small stacks before the holder.

Sixty pages, one-sided, twelve point font– Times New Roman, of course. A twenty-thousand word paper plus a bibliography. That's what he needed for his college thesis. The paper was two dozen pages long by now, and he was spending his Sunday morning researching for the next dozen. He reached for his coffee cup absentmindedly, not lifting his eyes from the news report he was annotating. Pressed to his lips, the steam fogged up the base of his glasses as he took a sip. The caffeine shot through him like serotonin.

"Hey, Logan? Can we make cookies after this, do you think?" A voice as soft as autumn wind drifted down from his shoulder. Logan was too used to hearing it by now to be surprised. He didn't even pause his reading.

"Why? I don't think we even have flour," Logan replied.

"I dunno. Just for fun?"

He was nearing the end of the paragraph he was on, underlining and circling things as he went. He could probably take a break soon. There were only a couple of lines left. "Maybe after this article."

"Yay, okay!"

Logan felt a light ticklish sensation descend down his arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. He glanced over just in time to see the tiny apparition slide off his arm to stand on the desk. The apparition had big, doe-like eyes behind frames reminiscent of halos and hair like the rays of the sun. It was colder today, so he was wearing a miniature cardigan with the sleeves pulled down over his hands. He had a yellow aura and emmenated the same warmth and comfort as a cuddle. Logan watched him wander over to sit beside the paper in front of him.

"What are you doing, Patton?" Logan asked him. Patton was the name that Logan had given his positivity when he was younger after Patton had insisted that he and Logan were friends.

"Nothing, just waiting," Patton said with that gentle little voice of his. He stuck his feet straight out in front of him, tapping his toes together as he leaned his weight back onto his hands. Even with his legs outstretched, Patton could have sat comfortably in the palm of Logan's hand.

And Patton did wait, remarkably patient, as Logan finished up reading. He wasn't distracting. He never was. If anything, his presence made working easier, an extra light and heart in the office. When he was finished, Logan set down his pen with a satisfying clatter, and Patton's interest was piqued. He looked upwards at Logan excitedly. Logan chuckled and shook his head, offering his hand open-palmed to the apparition.

"Come on then."

He didn't need to be told twice. Patton stood and clambered up onto Logan's hand. "Can we make gingerbread?"

"It's only November."

"So? They're so yummy, and it's snowing. That's close enough. Please?"

Logan couldn't help the small smile that played at the corners of his lips. He rolled his eyes, but his tone was fond. "Why not?"

~ ☀ ~

The cold had bitten Logan's nose by the time he made it back to his apartment. The walk from the bus was especially long today, and he'd been fighting against the wind all the way here. After a long day of walking halls and climbing stairs at school, he was ready to sit down and let his legs turn to jello.