Mirror Sky. Part 1 - Blissful Nemesis

04 - Eyes of a Child

Life in the Landship Daring was dull for three-year-old Alexander. He spent most of his time locked up in the nursery, eaten alive by his energy and curiosity. The moments when the door to the nursery opened and he came outside were scarce and gave him a chance to experience something new, "a first."  

Back in confinement, Alexander liked to relive and categorize "his firsts."

The first smell. Once his dad returned to the nursery soaked in something and the air thickened with a heavy scent. His dad grabbed a box off the shelf and left shortly after, but not before a few drops of red liquid streamed off his clothes and splattered on the floor. As soon as the door shut, Alexander approached the red splatters and dipped his hand in one. He knew not to eat anything without permission, so he smelled it instead. He did not like it. It made him feel scared. It also made an ugly image flash in his mind – a mangled face hitting the ground next to him, droplets flying in his face. Alexander quickly wiped his hand on the blanket, folded it so the spot was not visible, and backed off. Later, his mother somehow figured out what he did and scolded him.

The first escape. His mother opened the door and lingered there for a minute, talking to someone. Alexander needed no invitation. He quietly walked behind her and disappeared in the first nook of the landship he could find. This was the best day ever! He climbed and walked everywhere for hours, saw all sorts of weird stuff, touched everything, pulled the levers, pressed the buttons, and unplugged the wires. Every time he did something - the landship reacted! Either a red lap went on, or water fell from the ceiling, or the whole machine jolted! However, once his father caught him, his day turned for the worst. It was the first time he saw his mother's face red with anger. Also, it was the first time his uncle hurt him... Alexander did not like to remember it. He was not allowed to leave the room for two weeks after that!

The first time he hated something. The door. The stupid door that would open for anyone but him! It would let his dad, mom, and uncle through with no problem, but as soon as he tried to pass, it refused to slide to the side. Alexander tried many things. He threw every object in the room at it. He tried to push it aside with his small useless hands. He even charged at it and hit it with his shoulder. His shoulder ached for days after.

The first people he knew — his mother Sophia, his father Sam, and his uncle Magnar. Seeing any of them was welcome. Each offered a unique experience.

Alexander's mother was a gentle and kind woman. She had the most beautiful smile in the world. Alexander would do anything to make her smile, even if it meant staying bored for days on end. She spent most of the time with him and taught him sign language, letters, and numbers. It was fun! She was patient with him, far more patient than dad and especially his uncle. However, mom had a flip side. It was hard to push her over the edge, but if somehow he managed... She never hurt him, yet she had a way of making him feel incredibly bad for what he did. Also, her angry face was the most terrifying thing in the world.

Alexander's dad was great, too, although Alexander did not see him very often. Dad always brought in new trinkets and then studied them at his bench. Alexander tiptoed on the bed behind his back, doing his own research, thorough yet fruitless. The best days ever were when dad allowed him to touch the artifacts and tried to explain what they were: new types of guns developed by Cursed who he was yet to meet, never-seen-before rocks and minerals sparking in the light of the hologram and surprisingly warm to touch, broken devices of the old world of all shapes and sizes with their purpose lost to time.

Lastly, there was the boy's uncle - Magnar. Alexander did not know what to think about him. If his mother was kind most days and only occasionally mad when he provoked her, his uncle seemed to split the two extremes right down the middle. The boy never knew what version of Magnar would walk through the door – nice or mean. This uncertainty scared him. He feared Magnar. Also, Magnar was the only one of the three who ever hurt him. That happened after Alexander's forbidden walk across the landship. He remembered being lifted by one arm and then disorientation and pain. His buttocks ached for a while, and his hand ended up bruised. His mother seemed to be more upset about it than he. Even though Alexander was never punished like that since, the memory made him tense up every time his uncle laid eyes on him.