Oliver & Avni

Oliver's Backstory

    Anne Knightly shifted the grocery bags in her arms as she dug through her purse for her house keys. Her four year old son trailed behind her, blabbering about his new friends from preschool. Anne spotted her keys, grasping them and unlocking the door, while hoping desperately that she wasn't about to spill her groceries everywhere.

    "An she said dat I was her friend!" Olly chattered on. "But Henry wanted to be my friend too!"

    Anne opened the door, and Olly waddled past her. He plopped down onto the living room rug and picked up a superhero action figure. Anne continued into the kitchen, where she set her burdens on the counter. She unloaded all of the brown paper bags, placing the perishable items in the fridge.

    "Mama!" Olly yelled from the next room over. "Can we have pancakes for dinner?"

    Anne smiled to herself, but called out to Olly, "We're having dinner with Grandma tonight!" She heard Olly cheer. "Your cousins will be there."

    It had been almost two weeks since she'd seen her parents, because Olly and his siblings kept her so busy. The snow had also been keeping them in. Since it was almost Christmas, she was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of preparing, decorating, wrapping and cooking she had to do. And on top of all that, Olly's older siblings were always clamouring for her attention.

    "Even Zoe?" Olly questioned loudly.

    Anne pulled out the apples and bananas, arranging them in a porcelain bowl on the dining room table. She was glad that Olly would be preoccupied by his cousins tonight, because she needed a small break, even for just a night. "Yes, Zoe will be there." She yelled back to Olly.

    "And Richie?" Olly called back. Anne leaned her head out into the hall, glancing into the living room to make sure Olly wasn't being mischievous.

    "Richie, too." Anne smiled when she saw him arranging about a dozen box cars to match the rug print. "Olly, all your cousins will be there."

    "All of them?" Olly announced, and she saw a look of shocked bewilderment on his face. He paused his task of arranging the cars for a moment, and seemed to be in deep thought. Finally, he returned to the toys in front of him, yelling out to Anne, "Even Morgan?"
Anne chuckled, realizing she wouldn't get him to acknowledge that there would be no cousins missing out on tonight's family festivities. She ducked back into the kitchen, opening and beginning to unload the dishwasher. "Yes, even Morgan."

Anne heard Olly exclaim quietly "Yes!" and she smiled. She continued pulling out the clean dishes and putting them away, letting her thoughts wander. The older kids would be home from school soon, and it was their last day of school before Christmas break, so she expected them to be excitedly talking over one another the second they walked in the door. They were all looking forward to seeing their cousins tonight, and Olly, it seemed, was the only one who'd forgotten. But she could tell he was still enthusiastic about the large family dinner. When the dishwasher was empty, she realized she hadn't heard Olly in a while.

     "Hey Olly," Anne called out, but there was no answer. She rolled her eyes. He was probably doing something he knew she wouldn't approve of, so he was being silent. "Olly!" She called his name again, knowing he would probably answer the second time around. But he didn't.

Worry settled in her stomach, and she hurried from the kitchen and into the living room. "Olly, what-" She stopped short, not daring to believe her eyes.

    Olly was... glowing. His body was letting off light! Was he on fire? She rushed toward him, peering at his glowing form, not daring to touch him. When she got close, she realized he wasn't on fire. Anne sighed in relief.