Butterfly Kisses

Harris



Winter days in Mineral Town were miserable. It was cold, melted slush lined the streets, and people preferred holing up in their houses to traipsing around in the bitter, moisture-deprived air.

Waking up to see ice frosting on my windowpane was never pleasant. Blinking groggily and pulling myself up out of bed, I glanced over at my father, who was sleeping soundly in his own bed, cuddled up under a very warm-looking woolen blanket. He was snoring; the ends of his handlebar moustache flipping up with every noisy exhale. I shook my head, and then walked over to the closet.

My morning routine was the same every day, no matter the season or weather. I would get up, get dressed in my police uniform, make a pot of coffee, and then wake my father, who was the Mayor of the town. I was so accustomed to this that, while I was still fighting off the thick blanket of sleep, my body would go on autopilot and practically dress itself.

I walked over to the small kitchen in the corner of the main room and turned the coffee maker on, watching it flicker to life, and before long, coffee was dripping slowly into a large pot. “Dad, wake up,” I called, pushing my police cap a bit further down on my forehead. He startled awake, mumbling incoherently.

“What time ‘s ‘t?” he muttered, rubbing at his eyes with pudgy fists.

“7:03, Dad,” I said, not even bothering to look at the digital clock on the counter. I knew I was right. Like I said, everything was routine in Mineral Town. You get up, you go to work, you go home, you go to sleep. The cycle repeats itself whether you want it to or not. Here’s a tip: If you want excitement or variety in your life, don’t move to a small, seaside town, where the biggest news is that a new calf is about to be born on the local farm.

As my father dragged his short, solid body out of bed and pressed his spectacles onto his nose, I stared out the window and thought about this. I enjoyed the day-to-day schedule, the security in mapping out your entire future. I was never a very spontaneous person. I suppose that’s why Aja left Mineral Town—she was such a spur-of-the-moment, dangerous, alive girl. She couldn’t handle the menial lifestyle that the people here thrive on.

In the five years since she’s been gone, I had been racking my brain for ways to get her back, if only so I could see her face, like I used to every day. Some days, I went a different route on my police job, opting to visit one of the family-owned businesses in town instead of wandering through the forest. But, there really was no way to generate excitement. It wasn’t like impulsive opportunities were just going to fall out of the sky and land on my doorstep.

Sighing, I tipped my hat at my father, who was pouring himself a cup of coffee into his “It’s Good to Be King” mug. He mumbled something and raised his hand in a dismissive gesture. Putting my hand on the (freezing cold) doorknob, I hesitated for a second. Back to the daily grind, I thought, and then opened the door.

Or maybe not.

keep it up!!!

Doctor


The entire town was hysterical. News of Harris’s discovery had traveled faster than the speed of light, and soon, the Clinic was packed with people, all hoping to catch a glance of the tiny bundle that had been left on the Mayor’s doorstep.

I was probably the only calm person that morning. It was my job to be levelheaded and unruffled, even by this…bizarre incident.

Harris had arrived before the Clinic was open for business that morning, banging on the door with his one free hand and providing a rather unpleasant awakening for Elli and I. I had somehow managed to groggily amble down the stairwell and stumble over to the door, opening it for the police officer.

“Harris? What is it?”

Wordlessly, he handed the bundle over to me. “Take a look at this.”

Confused, I pulled back the blanket…and very nearly dropped it.

“Doctor, what is it?” Elli mumbled, coming downstairs after me. I handed her the bundle, just as Harris had done. It took a minute to register in Elli’s brain. She gasped.

“Whose baby is this?” she asked, instantly changing her posture so that she could hold the baby more supportively. Knocking the blanket off of the infant’s head, revealing tufts of fine, pale hair, sapphire eyes, and milky-pale skin, Elli cooed and bounced the baby softly, while I turned back to Harris.

“No one in town was pregnant, though,” Harris said, leaning against the doorjamb and stating the obvious. He shook his head. “The only thing I can think of is, someone must’ve heard about the close-knit community here and left their kid. I can’t imagine it. I mean, it’s under twenty degrees outside today, and there was this kid, sitting in the freezing cold, not making a sound.”

I looked over at Elli again, whose face had transformed from weary and concerned to adoring and gentle. “Hi, baby,” she was whispering. “Hi, pretty.”

“Elli, I need to do a check-up on the baby and make sure it’s okay,” I said, holding my hands out for it. Reluctantly, she handed the infant and its swaddling back over to me, and followed me into the office.

After a thorough examination, I motioned for Harris to enter. “She’s okay,” I started.

“It’s a girl?” Harris interrupted, casting a glance at the baby.

“Yes. Anyways, she doesn’t have any frostbite, no preexisting conditions that I could see. By the looks of it, she’s probably about a year old. There’s no real birthmarks or distinguishing features on her body.” That was important information; Missing Children documents made it a point to list outstanding physical marks.

The bell on the Clinic door kept chiming as more and more people entered the building. Half the town was waiting in the lobby, chattering quite noisily amongst themselves. Harris sighed; he didn’t like crowd control. But, in this situation, it couldn’t be avoided.

A pink-haired lady was the first to approach us. “Hello, Lilia,” I said with a sigh, handing the child back over to Elli.

“Doctor,” she said in a quiet, urgent voice. “What are you going to do?”

”I’m not sure yet,” I said honestly. “I-“

”We’ll have to find a temporary home for the child,” Harris interrupted, straightening his back and thrusting his chest out, like he always did when he was trying to sound executive.

Instantly, three more heads popped up around the corner: Anna, Manna, and Ellen were now standing by Lilia. “Who gets the baby?” they chorused. As Elli gripped the baby a bit tighter and angled her body away from the crowd, Harris met my eye and gave me an Uh-Oh!” look.

Uh-Oh is right.



((A/N: I know it sucks. I whipped it out off the top of my head. >.< But I already have a storyline planned out in my head--right up to who gets the baby, and whose baby it actually is. I also plan to have a lot of subplots, too. 8D))

=[ I love the storryyys you make Ardy D8..

WAHH XDD I need more!

o.o that story seems familiar.


Edit: =P
-censored-

*flails* SHHHHH! You're not supposed to mention -censored-! DD8

LOL O_O OPPS....

*edits and censors*

xDD

NOW WE SHALL RULE THE WORLD~~~ 8D

go harris!!