With One Touch [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter 4

Joseph woke with the sound of birds chirping in his ears. He smiled and opened his eyes; feeling the comfortable feeling of his bed reminded him that he had fallen asleep on the floor while he drew his new world. He also thought that his father must have returned home that night and tucked him into bed - he could only hope. He sat upright in his bed and smiled delightedly at Echo snuggling up next to his legs; he nudged his happy face and grinned as Echo's unimpressed look glanced at him.

The sound of birds chirping their songs continued to play, so Joseph went to the window to see which birds were singing the melodic tunes. He stepped out of his bed and walked to the window, anticipating the sight of beautiful avian against the dull atmosphere of soggy England. He pulled across the curtains and smiled, but there were no birds, and the music seemed to get quieter now that he was beside the window.

On top of that, the closed window could not let as much sound inside the room as there was, even if there were birds singing; yet, the singing was still going. "Echo - where's that cheeping coming from?" He asked the black and white creature, which crept up behind him in his usual, confident walk. Joseph listened out for the chirps again, specifically the volume, nearing the areas where it appeared to be louder. It did not take him long, for the sound came from the bedside table.

The book on his table seemed to be emitting the sound from within the pages. The birds were loud even though the book was not open. Joseph crouched down so his eyes were just visible above the top of the table - he took hold of the book cover with his forefinger and thumb, he then lifted it slowly and peered inside. It was an old drawing of a mermaid, it had not quite worked right - it had a shark-like tail and its eyes were as black as coal. It sent a chill up his spine so Joseph flicked up another page, this time it showed a wolf - it was similar to the one on the wall, yet it had bat-like wings and dark, red eyes - although it looked aggressive and violent, when he looked at its eyes Joseph could not help but feel sorry for this creature. It looked innocent, misunderstood, and lonely.

Joseph knew that the bird chirps belonged to neither of these drawings, so he continued to flick through the pages, however this time he flicked them up from the bottom and stopped when the sound became prominent. Why am I thinking that the sound is coming from in here?

He flicked them; Echo watching with his blue eye closed and green eye open, half way through a groom, waiting for the loud sound. About twenty pages passed and the sound was not any louder, but after the next five, the birds seemed like they were ready to fly out of the book. Joseph was nearly there, he was intrigued to find out why there was a sound of singing birds in his book - it seemed illogical for something like this to happen, but this was, so far, the most exciting part of Joseph's day.

The birds' song was getting closer, so Joseph slowed down the flicking of the pages. He could hear all of them; soft birds, loud birds, deep birds, light birds, gentle birds, and birds of prey - all were there. He was closer now, their screeching, and crying beginning to ring in his ears. He was there. "What is going on?" He whispered, entranced by the calls.

"Joseph!" Gregory balled, slamming the door open and scowling at Joseph kneeling over the book.

Joseph let go of the book and stood up straight, the birds ceasing their calls, staring at the tall figure in the doorway that had fists on his hips. He gave the familiar look of disappointment that stabbed him right in the heart every time he saw it. "Y-yes dad", Joseph stammered, peering at the now silent book through the corners of his eyes.

"What were you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Joseph replied, trying to sound and act as innocent as he could. It obviously was not working, because Echo decided to bail and leave Joseph to fend for himself.

Gregory ignored the cat and walked closer into the room. "Why have you been up here for so long, flicking through pages of a book you've looked through so many times before?" He questioned, standing firmly with his feet on the floor. "I heard you moving around minutes ago; what's taking you so long?"

Joseph stiffened and took a breath, moving his eyes away from the book. "I heard birds cheeping and wanted to see where they were. They were really pretty, so I thought about drawing them in my book." Gregory seemed a little confused, and Joseph noticed it - he was surprised he was this far with this excuse without making total nonsense. "I was looking for a clean page without having to open it...so I didn't disturb them. The birds"

Gregory nodded, smiling a little. "So you decided to try a bit of real life drawing, for once?" He brought an open arm out to Joseph, who took it in confident caution. "That's my boy - England may not be a perfect canvas, but with care and compassion it can become a masterpiece." He looked out of the window at the smoggy and smoky air of his country, leading Joseph in front of him.

Joseph managed to sneak a look at the book before his father closed the bedroom door - he was going to find out what had happened and he was not going to leave a good opportunity to waste - "Yes dad".

*****

The day had not been eventful, and so far, the singing birds had been the most exhilarating thing to happen to Joseph. He now sat at a round, smooth and varnished table, waiting for Gregory to serve dinner. "Now," his father began, "I know I've never made anything fancy in the past, but since it would have been your mother's birthday today, I thought we should celebrate with a dish she would have served us." He walked to the table and presented Joseph with a plate of vegetables, bread, and meat. However, the arrangement of the food was peculiar: cauliflower and broccoli surrounded the rim of the plate, forming a barrier between the rest of the food and floor contamination. Slices of neatly laid bread on the bottom of the plate, hidden under carrot slices. New potatoes covered the carrots, drizzled with melted butter. A large chicken breast was sliced and sat upright in the centre, drenched with beef gravy.

Joseph's eyes widened and he had to lean back in his chair to make way for the huge platter, "chicken pie!" he threw his arms up in the air and stared at the food, his mouth watering and stomach rumbling on queue. He looked up at his father; he noticed the pleased smile he had on his face and decided to the honourable thing. He lowered his arms and stood up, Gregory watching him as he did so. He looked up at his dad and smiled, finally wrapping his arms around his father's waist. He squeezed so hard his fingers were nearly able to touch tips - "Thank you, dad."

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