The baby With Antennas

A nurse poked her head out of compartment H-9501. She was wearing a white coat and had a list of patients along with their room numbers clipped to her clipboard.

She went to the floor above and knocked on the door. When for several moments no answer came, she went inside. Looking from the corner of her eye, she spotted a man, slumped on the chair of a desk, fast asleep with his head in his hands.

An expression of clear worry and anxiety was etched upon his face. He was murmuring, 'the baby. The baby.' The nurse made her way to the man and gently shook his shoulder.

'Sir. Sir? Are you awake?'

'Huh?' he grunted. Then looking at the nurse, he hurriedly sat in a proper sitting posture.

To all who don't know, the man was a Surgeon. A brilliant one too. The nurse was his apprentice.

'What is it Helen?' he mustered up as dignified as he could.

'The baby, Dr. Meadows.' Helen the nurse replied politely. 'The baby has arrived.'

Dr. Meadow's eyes lit up and he said in a trembling voice. 'Any disabilities? Have they done the basic check-up? Is Mrs. Meadows okay?'

'The baby is healthy. She takes after your looks. Mrs. Meadows is fit and fine. Both the baby and she can go home in a few days.'

Dr. Meadows blustered out of the room and Helen followed. Reaching compartment H-905 the Doctor peeped into the room to see a bundle of towels sitting on the lap of a brown-haired smiling woman. With a sigh of relief, he opened the door fully.

'You can leave now Helen.' Said the cheerful voice of Mrs. Meadows. Helen nodded and departed the room. Dr. Meadows rushed to the side of the bed. The baby wrapped up in towels was not visible. 'It's a girl' said Janet Meadows to her husband. 'A girl Dan.'

The sight of his beaming wife calmed the Doctor.

'Yes, Janet' whispered Dr. Daniel Meadows squeezing his wife's hand. 'Our little Molly Meadows.'

The couple had decided this weeks ago. Molly Meadows if it were a girl and Ronald Meadows if it were a boy.

Dr. Daniel looked at the towels and gently unwrapped them. He heard a soft cooing sound and his heart leaped in excitement.

This baby was quite normal. Soft skin. Chubby cheeks. A single standing strand of hair. Fat thighs and a reasonably sized sucking thumb. The thing that stood out the most was the bright, starry, laughing violet eyes that stared out at her father.

Wait that's the second most noticeable thing. The feature most visible, in plain sight was this monstrous, hideous, enormous, ugly pair of antennas poking out from her head. Yikes!

Dr. Meadows yelped out loud, jumping up from the bed. Janet Meadows also stared in horror. 'She wasn't like this when she was born! She didn't even have proper hair!' Janet exclaimed.

The baby didn't notice anything was wrong. Molly kept cooing and giggling and sucking her right antenna in a joyful manner.

Dr. Daniel tried to keep himself calm. You're a doctor he told himself. Remember you have been in much worse scenarios. Remember that case of goralitis? And that boy who floated up like a balloon? You solved those.

He picked up Molly and she gave a squeal of delight.

He checked her heartbeat, her external body parts, eyes, and nose right then and there on the spot. Nothing. There was absolutely nothing wrong. It seems extraordinary to him that a baby born with antennas should be perfectly happy and strong.