Chapter 6: Learning

I was floating in an ocean, looking up at the sky. I don’t know how I got here, just a few minutes ago I was sleeping on Ms. Clare’s couch. As I floated aimlessly, I felt this pressure on my chest. It wasn’t painful or visible, but I could tell it was there. I ended up bumping my head on something and when I looked up….it was Mother. “M-Mother?” I said, but she didn’t respond. She didn’t even acknowledge I was there, she just stared off into the distance. A vacant expression on her face. I tried to move my arms to tap her, but they wouldn’t move. I tried to say something again but when I did, my body was pulled into the ocean. The weight on my chest got heavier and heavier as it sunk me down further and further into the depths. I tried to shout, but nothing would come out. I kept sinking faster and faster….my chest felt like it was ready to explode. But Mother…I got to see her again! I have to tell her I’m sorry, and that I want to be with her. Please. PLEASE! Don’t take her away from me! PLEASE!! I finally hit solid ground and my body jolted hard. I shot up, sweating and breathing heavily. I looked around to see I was back in Ms. Clare’s home. It was dark, so that meant it was still night. I dropped my head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. What WAS that? My mind couldn't process what had happened. I couldn’t even remember why I got like this in the first place. But my chest hurt, the same pain it felt wherever I thought about Mother. Was I thinking about her? I tried to forget about it and go back to sleep, but I couldn’t. WHY?

My alarm went off at its usual time of five o’clock in the morning. So, I got up, went to the bathroom to wash my face, and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. As I walked into the living room, I noticed Ferral still sleeping on the couch. It’s good to see him getting his sleep. I didn’t know when he’ll wake up, but I tried to be as quiet so he’ll get as much sleep as possible. Adding to my daily routine of making breakfast, I decided to place sticky notes on things Ferral can do while I’m at work, as well as things he’ll have for lunch. I place the notes on the T.V. remote, the bathroom door, the fridge, and some microwavable frozen dinners. I tried to keep things as simple as possible for him. For breakfast, I decided to make some scrambled eggs and sausage. I made enough for about five people….because I’m sure he can eat for four. It was about six-thirty, breakfast was finished and I put down all the notes for him. So, I went to get dressed for work.

My eyes had a hard time opening, but once I did, I got and scratched my head. It looks like I actually did go back to sleep, but I still felt tired. The air smelled good, and I got to find the scent. Curious, I got off the couch and followed the scent to what Ms. Clare calls her kitchen. There, I found two plates of what looked like food. One had more food on it than the other, but then I picked up another scent….it smelled like Mother! I turned and ran toward the scent, leading me to a door which I opened quickly and saw Ms. Clare standing in a room. She jumped back when I entered, “Oh!” She exclaimed, “*sigh* Don’t scare me like that.” She pressed her hand against her chest, breathing heavily. “I’m sorry,” I replied, “It’s just, it smells like Mother in here.” She looked at me confused and sniffed the air. “Oh, what you’re probably smelling is my perfume bottle. It’s got a pretty strong scent, even if you put a little.” She told me. “Perfume? What’s what?” I asked. She picked up this small bottle. “This is perfume. It makes the person who sprays it smell good.” She took off the top of the bottle and pressed down on it, making this mist come out and hit my shirt. I looked down to smell the same scent that she and Mother had, was on my shirt. “OHHHHH.” I smelled my shirt more, it reminded me of Mother. “You can have this if you want,” She handed me the bottle, “I’m not a huge fan of the strength of that one, but if you like it, it’s all yours.” I looked down at the bottle and back at her, “Thank you.” She smiled, “You’re welcome. Just, try not to waste it all, okay?” She told me and I nodded. “So, did you have breakfast yet?” She asked. “Uhhh, no. What’s that?” I asked. “It’s on those two plates in the kitchen, You get the one that has more on it.” She responded. I walked back to the kitchen to find the plates with food on them. She said the one with more is mine, so I picked up one of these little grey things and threw it into my mouth. IT WAS DELICIOUS! I started scooping the rest of what was on the plate. Even the yellow food was amazing. As I ate, Ms. Clare walked over and her eyes widened. I swallowed the rest of the food and put down the plate. “That was amazing! What was it?” She stared at me for a second, not saying a word. “Uhhh, it was eggs and sausage.” She said, “You managed to finish all of it that quick, huh?” She chuckled. I nodded, “It was sooooo good.” She smiled, “Well I’m glad you like it. But when you eat again, use this.” She handed me a small pointy object, “It’s called a fork, and it’ll keep your hands clean.” I looked down at my hands which had the remnant of the eggs and sausage. I nodded, “Okay.” She walked off and I looked at the “fork.” It was interesting. “Okay, I’m going to leave…” She said as she was walking back, “I left you instructions on what you can do on these little yellow notes.” She slid this yellow square toward me, “They’re placed on parts of the apartment for things you can do. Please don’t try to go outside, I’ll be back soon.” She finished. I was very confused, “Where are you going?” I asked. “Oh right, I should've started with that. I work as a lawyer. Similar to how your Mother worked as a scientist.” She said. “Ohhhh. So, you’re gon leave me here?” I asked. “Only for a while. I’ll be back soon, I promise.” I nodded and opened a door….like the way Mother did when she would leave me. “Bye.” I waved. She smiled and waved back, “I’ll be back.” She left. Leaving me alone….like I always am.

After she left, I wandered around her home to find all notes she left me. I easily found one on a long black rectangle in the living room. It read: THIS IS THE REMOTE. POINT IT AT THE T.V. AND PRESS THE BIG RED BUTTON. I didn’t know what this “T.V.” was, but I found the big red button and pressed it. Then, the large black square lit up and people were on it. My head shot up and I jumped back. Was that the T.V.? It has to have been. I looked back down at the not to read more: USE THE CH. BUTTON TO CHANGE CHANNEL. I looked to find a button that had “CH.” on it, and I pressed it, then the people on the T.V. were gone, bringing new people. I was so amazed, I sat on the couch and started changing the channel. “Today on FOX NEWS.” The person on the T.V. said, but I changed it. “Kaioken x4!!!” another person on the T.V. yelled. Kaio-what? That’s a funny word. I changed the channel again, “Coming up next; The Demon with a Heart.” Ugh, mid. Huh, where did that come from? I changed it again and this channel showed…animals? “Ooouuu.” I’ve never really seen what REAL animals looked like, only in books Mother showed me. So I put the remote down and watched the animals. A person was talking while animals were being shown, but I couldn't see him. He talked about what the animal was, where they were…basically everything that was happening. I was amazed, learning so much about each animal that was shown. I liked this channel. After a while, I got hungry. So, I walked over to the kitchen to see if there were any notes. I found one on what Ms. Clare called “The fridge.” It read: OPEN FRIDGE. GRAB FROZEN DINNER. I opened it and found another note on top of a tray that reminded me of the ones they gave me at the Organization. I grabbed it and the note said: POKE HOLES WITH FORK ON PLASTIC. PLACE IN MICROWAVE FOR 2 MINUTES. PELL OFF PLASTIC ONCE READY. I know what a fork is. I walked over to the table where my empty plate was and grabbed the fork. The note says to poke holes in it, so I jabbed at the top of the tray and four small holes were at the top. I poked more until I saw another note. It was how to use the microwave. Once I learned how to use that, and got a tray (which was super hot!) I grabbed the fork again, took off the plastic, and started eating the food that was on the tray. It was delicious! Then, I walked back to the living room and sat back on the couch to watch the animals. Then I got hungry again, went back to grab another tray, and as it was in the microwave, I got an idea. What if I bring it over to the couch and eat there? It could work. So, I did and it worked just like I thought! This was my routine for as long as I had those trays. I enjoyed watching the animals, I was learning so much about them. I was so distracted watching the T.V., I forgot that Ms. Clare was gone. She said she’d be back soon, so, I continued to watch the animal channel and learn.

It was around eight at night when I finally got back to the apartment. When I was about to open the door, I was preparing myself to be pounced on by Ferral. But when I opened the door…nothing happened. I heard the T.V. so I walked quietly and peaked my head around the corner to see Ferral was watching it. He watching the Nature Channel and seemed to be very glued in. Figures. Well, at least it was getting his mind off the last few days, so that’s a relief.