Chapter One - Memory Of Old Times Passed
Chapter One – Memory Of Old Times Passed
Lucas swept the laser point left to right swiftly, causing the kitten to claw, swipe, and twitch his tail, determined to catch the alluding red dot. And, in turn, causing Lottie to erupt into laughter, finding the kitten to be the most entertaining fixture in the playroom.
Lucas had essentially removed Lottie from Christine’s arms at the slight sign of the tension brewing between her and Henry. He hated to see them fighting or, as they may say, ‘disagreeing,’ and the best distraction was the small pale limbed child that was currently trying to catch the rambunctious kitten between her two small palms.
They were currently in the playroom that, at first glance, looked more like a standard family room perfectly adapted to keeping a child safe more so than a playroom. A small boxy TV in one corner, a central fireplace against the far wall, with a soft home sofa. However, the lush cream carpet was everything repellent, as well as having an extra pile beneath that meant anything that fell would be cushioned on impact.
Not last week had he gotten a nosebleed in this very room; he had held his head back in fear. Staining this beautiful carpet was the last thing he wanted; however, Henry entered the room and forced Lucas’ head forward, allowing the blood to run naturally out of his nostrils. Promising the boy not to worry about the carpet. Low and behold, there was no longer any evidence that his nose had spirited a red river over the playroom floor.
The last wall in the room, the outside wall, was made of floor-to-ceiling glass panels, almost allowing for an uninterrupted view of the breathtaking English countryside if it wasn’t for Lucas’ rocket standing proud in one corner.
Lucas looked back on the memories very fondly. Henry had taken him into town that day to kit him out with some new clothes and shoes that fit correctly so that his toes would no longer pinch with each step. At the same time, in the shopping center, they happened to walk past a toy shop. Henry shot the boy a kind and caring look at the absolute amazement written across his face. Then, he pulled at Lucas’ hand in his and steered him into the said toy shop to buy the kid anything he wanted.
Lucas found himself revisiting that day regularly, keeping the memory close to his heart.
Lottie erupted in giggles all of a sudden at having finally imprisoned the not-so-innocent kitten between her two clumsy palms. It was strange really, with Lucas’ little knowledge of cats, Churchill never seemed to live up to those expectations when in close proximity to Lottie. However, he had first-hand knowledge that those claws and canines were, in fact, lethal, and the kitten did know how to use them.
Lucas was pulled from his trance by the brisk opening of the office door out in the hallway, and the sound of nattering told him that they had clearly not settled the issue at hand. The voices were accompanied by soft footfalls and the loud sighs of the two disregarding their conversation for the moment being. Henry and Christine entered the room, clearly unsettled but smiling at Lottie giggling and manhandling Churchill.
He may have only been 9 years old, but Lucas knew that whatever had disrupted the two’s happy bubble wasn’t going to go away quickly, and Lucas worried what that might change.
