Small Requests

"What? Why?" Dad asked, his voice filled with confusion. He and James sat in the living room, assuming I was fast asleep while they enjoyed a drink.

"I still don't understand why you accepted so easily," James repeated, swirling his glass.

Thanks to Bob, I could hear every word from my bed. Honestly, I was just as curious. I knew it wasn't right to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help it.

"Yeah, woman, this isn't like you," James added, taking another sip.

All eyes turned to Mom. Well, all eyes—and ears—me included.

She sighed. "He never asks for anything," she said softly, her voice tinged with sadness.

"Ha!" Both James and Dad reacted the same way. "What do you mean he never asks for anything? That's not true," Dad said, sounding both defensive and puzzled.

Mom held her ground. "He doesn't. Tell me the last time he asked you for something," she challenged.

I felt a twinge of guilt.

Dad paused, clearly trying to think. "That's not true. Just the other day, he kept bugging me for some cookies," he finally said, as if he'd found his defense.

"And how much did those cookies cost?" Mom asked, her eyes fixed on him.

"Nine coppers," Dad replied, still unsure why it mattered.

"Anything else?" she pressed, waiting for his answer.

After thinking for a moment, but before Dad could answer, she interrupted him. "Anything else that isn't food and costs less than 10 copper coins?"

That last sentence bewildered him. Even James, who had been lounging lazily, straightened up, his drink paused mid-air, waiting for Dad's reply.

After a moment of reflection, Dad answered, somewhat desperately, "Not that I'm aware of."

"He never asks us to buy him anything. Did you really never notice?" Her words made him feel embarrassed, but she continued.

"He only asks for food, and it's always under 10 coppers—never more. No toys, no games, nothing. I see the neighborhood kids constantly asking their parents for new things, but he never does that. At first, I thought it was cute, how he's trying to act all grown up for his age—not just with money, but with everything. His actions, the way he talks—it seemed so mature, so responsible for a child." Her voice cracked, close to tears. "But then it started making me sad. Did we do something wrong? Did we make him grow up too fast with our parenting?"

Hearing all this, I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. I thought I was just being responsible and well-behaved, but now I realized she saw it differently.

Did I make another mistake? I wondered.

"I tried to change that," Mom continued, her voice softer now. "I wanted him to act like the other kids, but he was always so well-behaved that I stopped trying. Then I thought—maybe he doesn't ask for anything because he thinks we're poor. So, I tried to make him believe we're wealthy, that we're just living simply by choice. I even told him he could ask for anything he wanted."

Dad interjected, "But he asked you to buy that stuffed toy for Bob last week, right? And the ball before that. So, it's fine, isn't it?"

"No, it wasn't fine." Mom shook her head, her eyes clouded with emotion. "Remember when that new store opened two months ago? We were walking by, and I saw him staring at the stuffed toys. I asked if he wanted one, but he refused. He gave me the sweetest smile, but I knew he wanted it. He didn't ask. Do you know how worthless that made me feel, knowing my own son wanted something but wouldn't ask for it?" Her voice trembled, as she fought back tears.

Was I really that bad of a son? I wondered, guilt crashing over me. Bobo snuggled into my arms, and I hugged him tightly. Whether it was because I was exhausted or because of the comfort of holding him, I fell asleep before hearing more of the conversation.

Mom's voice echoed faintly in the background. "Then I started giving him pocket money, hoping he'd buy something for himself. That stuffed toy you mentioned—he saved up for it for 15 days. I knew that. I waited, hoping he'd ask me for money, but he never did. I gave him the money for snacks, and he saved it to buy a toy for Bobo instead. He chose that over asking us for help."

After that, a long silence settled over the room. No one spoke, because they knew a four-year-old child shouldn't naturally have this level of independence. At his age, he should be carefree, a little spoiled, asking for things without much thought. But their child was different. They'd always noticed it, yet they kept telling themselves it was fine. He was just more mature for his age; it wasn't that big of a deal.

The silence stretched for over five minutes, until Sarah finally calmed down. Then James spoke.

"So... it's maybe because of his race," James suggested.

It was an idea they hadn't really considered before. He looked human, with an almost celestial beauty—but nothing else seemed different. They had never seriously thought about that possibility.

"Could it be?" Sarah asked, looking at James, hoping for more of an explanation.

"I don't know," he replied. "But he's definitely not human—I'm certain of that. Even if he looks like one, he's not. So we can't just dismiss the possibility. The problem is, we don't know what he actually is. I tried researching, but... I couldn't find anything."

Silence fell over them again, heavier this time.

"So... now what?" Theodore finally asked, breaking the quiet. He felt so helpless. This realization, that so much was happening without anyone fully understanding, was unsettling.

"Nothing," James said without much thought, his answer immediate and blunt, which earned him quick, questioning looks from both Sarah and Theodore.

"Sigh... you two are such idiots, as always," James said, shaking his head with a smirk. "He loves you guys, and that's all that really matters. You're worried about him not asking for things? Maybe it just means you've given him everything he needs already. And as for him not spending on much—just raise his allowance. Easy fix!"

He lifted his hands in triumph, grinning as if he'd just come up with the most brilliant solution.

Hello, sunshines!

I hope you're all doing well. Here's a new update for you, and I want to thank you for your incredible support! A huge, warm welcome to our new family members: Alexa, Koroko, Khaulat, Kape, Boyslove, Animelovers, Jamal, Moon, Coolin, Aki, Kyte, Apresh, Ash, Parix, Melodi, Victoria, M3o, and Lak. Thank you all so much! ❤️

By the way, I've just started a new story! I'm still deciding if it'll be a BL or not, but I'd love for you to check it out and share your thoughts. The title is Echoes of a Lost World.

Thank you, and happy reading!