The sun was nowhere to be seen, but still, one could tell that they were closer to dawn by looking at the dampening night. The air was fresh and cold; the tinge at the tip of the nose gave that away. Each breath marked its way with fog; steps were rather free to make their own trails, being restrained by nothing.
Ring! Ring!
Down the road, a bicycle announced its presence with the cheerful jingle of its bell. Eyes instinctively followed the distant sound, initially aimless. A young boy rode atop it, skillfully throwing newspapers into the houses. Our eyes met as he passed by, but only for a moment.
[So, people are awake at this time of day too... what an idiotic thought, that's a given,] he sighed, his gaze still following the boy on the bicycle, not openly as it might look rude, just stealing glances.
Looking back at the sky, [anyways, it's a beautiful morning,...yeah, it is]
The steps continued, each revealing a distinct scenery. Over the bridge with glistening water running beneath it, past the empty plot with its own little forest within it, through the playground that seemed never empty but was now deserted, and even the houses with dogs were silent.
Morph was observing the surroundings like never before, taking in every detail with heightened awareness as if a child who is curious about everything.
These strides seemed perpetual, maintaining their speed even while walking up the road to the mountain. And, perhaps like every other journey, these steps also came to a halt, stopping at what seemed to be the destination of Morph's voyage.
"Hmm... it indeed was a fine choice, the view is just so good," Morph chuckled lightly, as he again measured the horizon, knowing that what his eyes could show him wasn't even a grain of sand in the desert. He closed his eyes, which were moist, and soon tears began to trickle down his cheeks. His entire life seemed to come to him in that moment—moments of every color, happy ones, troublesome ones, funny ones, embarrassing ones, sadder ones, and many more.
[And it was a fine choice to not give up on it...] And that was the moment that Morph had smiled most honestly in his life.
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[If sun rose right now it would be quite cinematic...lol] being caught in his own embarrassing line of thought [what a cringe...ha] A faint yet deep smile.
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The kitchen was quiet today. Susan moved from the stove to the dining table, serving hot food on one plate, then back to the stove to make another serving. She repeated this back-and-forth motion until all four plates were filled, along with her own share. Meanwhile, Philip sat quietly on the side, reading the newspaper with one hand while holding a toast in the other, taking a bite of it once in a while.
"You woke up early today... No, you woke up on time all by yourself," Susan said with a warm smile as she made herself comfortable in her seat.
After chewing onto the food in his mouth replied, "Guess I did."
Susan let out a quiet hum as if contemplating something. "Is it because your summer vacations are starting from tomorrow onwards? How delightful it would be if you could retain that habit, but alas..." She sighed softly, her face showing an expression of concern and doubt. She also took her toast and started eating it.
"I've finished mine..." he said, picking up his empty plate and glass, and putting them into the kitchen sink before leaving the room altogether.
"First time bro has left the kitchen before me, keep it up bro!" Morph heard Francis call out to him with a cheery smile on his face, giving him a double thumbs up as he glanced back over his shoulder.
Nodding slightly, he left the kitchen.
Looking at Morph's back as he left his line of sight, Francis leaned his head slightly as if thinking. Noticing this, Susan pondered aloud, "What's my little prince thinking so hard about?" snickering a bit.
"Mom! Please, don't call me that. I'm not a kid anymore," Francis replied almost instantly, his face showing a mixture of embarrassment and shyness.
"Hehe, anyways sweetie, what were you thinking about?" Susan asked.
"Just... I was thinking that brother looks way quieter than his usual self. I was wondering if he was alright," Francis said in a concerned tone.
"Aww, my sweetie, always caring about others. Don't worry about your brother. I'm sure it's nothing," Susan reassured him.
"Okay, Mom. I should finish my breakfast too and get ready for school," Francis remarked, continuing with his breakfast.
__ End of The Chapter __