The world is such a big, bright coloring book, isn't it? Every morning, I wake up and pick the brightest crayons I can find. I draw the sky in a soft, peppermint blue and I make sure the sun looks like a giant gold coin tucked behind the clouds. Tick-tock, tick-tock... My clocks are the heartbeat of this house. They tell time, but they also keep the rhythm of our laughter. As long as they keep ticking, the game never has to end!
I was in the kitchen, humming a song about a little bird that flew into a glitch—oh, I mean, a little bird that flew into a rainbow! I put on my favorite apron, the one with the silly little stains that look like maps to secret islands. I was making the most magical breakfast: golden bread with honey that tastes like summer afternoons.
Father : "Eluned! Sweetie, breakfast is ready!"
I shouted with all my might! My voice felt bouncy, like a rubber ball hitting the walls. I love it when Eluned comes down. She's the star of the show, the princess of my little paper kingdom.
But wait... something felt funny in the air. Like a scratch on a record player. Why was I thinking of myself as "Father" just now? It's a very heavy word, you know. "Father" It sounds like old books and dusty shelves. It sounds like someone who has to be serious and boring. I don't want to be a "Father"—I want to be Demian! Demian who plays, Demian who laughs! It's strange... for a second, I felt like someone was writing a story and calling me "Father" in those little black letters on the page. How silly! I'm just me!
I heard Eluned's footsteps. They sounded light, like a kitten's paws. She went into the bathroom first. I stood by the stove, flipping the bread. Flip, flip, flip!
Demian : "Good morning, princess! Did you notice the sun rose today in the exact same shade as your hair?"
I turned around to give her my biggest, brightest smile—the one I practiced for a hundred years! But as she stepped out of the bathroom, I saw her eyes. They looked... cloudy. Lost. Like she was looking at a world that hadn't finished loading yet.
Oh no! The game was breaking! She was looking at the kitchen, but she wasn't seeing the honey or the sunlight. She was looking at Claire, who was sitting very, very still (she's the world champion at being a statue, you know!). Eluned's face started to change. It started to look sharp, sad and grey.
I looked at the bathroom sink through the open door and saw them. Her glasses! They were sitting there all alone, like two little windows waiting for a house.
Quick, Demian! Fix it before the bad thoughts come!
Demian : "Wait, wait, wait!"
I chirped, hopping over to her like a happy frog. I grabbed her shoulders and spun her back around toward the bathroom.
Demian : "You forgot your magic windows, silly-billy! You can't go to the ball without your crystal slippers, and you can't have breakfast without your special eyes! Go on, go back and get them!"
I pushed her gently back toward the sink. I held my breath, my heart thumping like a drum. Please look at the glasses, Eluned. Don't look at anything else. Don't look at the corners of the room. Don't look at the grey static outside. Just the glasses.
As soon as her fingers touched the frames, I felt the world snap back into the place. The colors got brighter. The smell of the bread got sweeter. The "Father" feeling went away and I was just Demian again.
Demian : "There we go!"
I clapped my hands.
Demian : "Now everything is perfect! Come sit, come sit! I have stories to tell you about the mountains made of marshmallows!"
I didn't look at the chair in the corner. I didn't think about the silent person who might be sitting there. If I don't think about her, maybe the "Restart" won't happen. Maybe we can stay in this sunny morning for a little while longer. Just one more loop. Just one more game of hide-and-seek with the truth.
Demian : "Eat up, princess! It's a wonderful day for a wonderful girl!"