***
Leta watched her baby one last time before she was leaving him as her time was coming to an end, at newly built Wool’s Orphanage, she 'donated' a hefty amount to them for looking after her son.
She looked at that curious graze for her little baby watching her but there was a lack of intent behind them, unlike when she first saw those beady eyes.
She wonders sometimes that if that was just hallucination but as a mother she felt there was something special about him.
Though that, she’s afraid she won’t live to see…
***
On a bright, warm morning of May, 1934. A young boy could be seen waking up the to the sound of knocking of his room.
'Knock, Knock, Knock' “wake up! Damien, wake up dear breakfast is going to start at quarter past seven”
“Did you hear me boy? ”she asked after a moment of pause.
In return I banged my hand against the side of my bed to let her know, that I in fact did heard her.
I would have just said, ‘Yes’ that is if I could.
I was mute, the only child that know of except Mr. Hudson who invited by Mrs. Cole to tech me how to speak with gestures.
Although Mrs. Cole who was the matron, was strict but was deep inside kind, how do I know?. I don’t know but I knew the ability is called empathy, told by the man in my dreams.
Living all my life, I knew I was different from others from Mrs. Cole kind of different and the weird boy called Tom, though he was special kind of different too, we had something in common for that matter.
I knew from the moment when saw the hazy depiction of a silhouette which knew my name and called out to me again and again but the first few times I immediately woke up in cold sweat.
When I wrote all about it because nobody could get what I was saying by waving my hands around. Mrs. Cole called it nightmares the first time around, when the same dream appeared a couple of times, Mr. Wool was almost convinced it was because of the crushed child they had, who was unsurprisingly Tom.
Tom wasn't exactly subtle..
He always brooded in corners and sat by himself of course people are going think he was a weirdo anyways that aside. I knew dream man better after few times dream me spoke incoherently. He started showing m these wonder dreams of things happening inside rectangular box inside a wall, it did reminded of the tele.
Some however were horrifying and would haunt me for days end. Like the man who in a strange outfit was told,
‘Ripped and teared
Until it is done’
and went on a slaughter,
Or the circus clown who had his face scared and stitched back up facing a Man Bat…
Or the red eyed man with long luscious hair that stampeded an army alone ... among other things. A chill crept up my spine just by thinking about it.
Information and words about things I didn’t even had even a remote connection too started to appear.
I did unveiled somethings about myself and my quirks- no no, powers? Still not right , 'Magic’ …. Ah! ‘Yes’ that is what its called.
I could use it to feel emotions, that’s called empathy by the dream man. I usually use it to discern the lies from truth it’s very useful especially when someone stole my cookies, strange it never work on Tom, I knew he was the cause of unexplainable events that happened near him yet I feel anything except the truth, even when he denied the accusations, that boy is weird huh… I have a feeling I know him from somewhere but I think that just me being me because I’m awesome just like that.
Speaking of awesome when another ability just clicked one day when the matron took us to the zoo on my birth day the rest were always jealous that mine was exceptionally better than theirs every year.
On my seventh birthday , we went to the zoo, everyone was amazed by these animals the hadn't seen before, but it all went down hill when we got to the Monkey section.
David Beckham, who had a room next door to mine, said something he shouldn’t had, Oh, how I just wished he would’ve choked on air , “look guys, they speak just like Damien” pointed towards the monkeys and chimps.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, hence a moment of silence lingered.
David continued probably pushed his brain to the limits, “Damiens just like them, lll-like uhh.. ugh.. Ah! A MONKE BOY”
Then it happened, the laughs began and I went beet red so much over the fact the guys(kids), literally cried over that, even if Mrs. Cole hushing and shushing them.
‘Damn you David Beckham!!! ’ I cried out loud inside.
Only person who wasn’t here was Tom, who was staring at when we left him alone, though he did ask to stay there in snakes section for a bit.
They bullied me with the nickname MONKE Boy, they never stopped even when matron increased chores of those twats.
I was never bothered by name that since the dream man started saying the phrase,
‘Don’t Worry We All Shall Return To Monke One Day”.
My best friend always knew just how to cheer me up, it’s almost like my bestie know me more than I do.
But that never stopped me from being curious what they are speaking of behind my back and just like that I begun to hear peoples desires more or less.
Like when someone’s thinking about food, I'll feel hunger or thinking about something bad about me, I'll feel malice. Soon after , started floating words in my head, since I trained just like my dream friend told me, which was thinking really hard.
Tom was the only one who caught me staring few times… aaand now he is think about stealing toys again, Oh! I always forget that I could make people zone out when they look me in the eyes neat huh?
***
Somewhere in June 1938, an alone boy be seen sitting under a tree playing with toy train with pebbles and coins load in the back.
‘toot toot
They’re two they’re four they’re six and eight
Shunting trucks and hauling freight
Red and green and brown and blue
They’re the really useful crew'
Damien was singing as he raced along the ground with his train, something peculiar happened when the train jerked, few coins tumbled out of the wagon and rolling everywhere.
Surprised I panicked, ‘what if I lost my lucky coins I thought?!’ in great distress.
I really, really wanted them to stop and halt they did while still standing up right, all of them.
‘Hehehe boi’ I chuckled, my dream friend definitely prepared me for this.
‘Come in my hand’ I intently thought while something fabulous flexed in me.
‘Zoooom’ the coins levitated up and spontaneously scattered across the yard pointlessly.
‘TAK’ ‘CRECH’ ‘DOH’ most of them banged against the wooden walls denting them while one broke a window but the last one 'HEH~ noice' hit David Beckham’s foot, ‘well they aren’t called me lucky coins for nothing’ gleefulness just poured out of me.
Tom near his weirdo corner turned around to see what happened when the twat was crying and yelling.
‘Watch and learn bucko’ I though while his eyebrow was raised.
The matron came running to the sounds and saw David’s bruised and bit blooded up foot, I did the most sensible thing I knew.
‘David was throwing coins everywhere’ indicated gestured of mine.
Tom still stal- I mean ‘watching’ us. ‘Genius I know’ I smirked at him. I don’t know if he was speechless since he doesn’t change expression when he doesn’t want to. It works especially well when you are known as the most honest boy.
After that incident my friend told me to start our protagonist training, even more funny, when I didn’t know what that big word meant but the vision are becoming clearer and ‘soon we will be whole’ he said in a tone that reeks of ominous or excitement I couldn’t tell. I would’ve screamed if he wasn’t my best and oldest friend. No one ever knew me more than him.
***
A few years past after that but one day Ablus Dumbledore visited the orphanage today and took Tom away and when walking away from the orphanage turned his head abit and smiled eerily at me and that changed everything. He just continued walking as he never noticed..
I was sucked inside my mind standing in front of long white robed, with an equally long, majestic white beard.
He turned around and looked me in the eye with an sharp glare and spoke.
"So you have chosen death...."
He said, which left me gasping for air. Then the vision was filled cracks almost resembling a spider web as hand reached forward out of the largest diagonal line.
I was screaming inside my mind to move but I didn't rather I couldn't. As the hand made of something white poke my head the entire thing shatter.
My head shaking furiously, sweat soaked, some droplets dripping down my nose.'I mean how did he saw me when I was sta—I mean watching yup definitely watching them from the attic window' as I thought.
Okay.... I admit it isn’t a good idea too to try and read his mind, I should've trusted my gut. Why poke around the guy who charmed the matron, seriously smol brain play.
On the same night, the memories started flooding in like a tsunami and boy, it painfully excruciating, after a few days of constantly going in and out of consciousness, which was intense fever the doctor diagnosed and I woke up.
Everything became clear… My surroundings suddenly became strange but after blinking a couple of times everything made sense.
'Fuck'.
It will be interesting to see what house he will go to and his school life since he now caught our Tommy's eye.