Lacking [Phan]

senza [edited!]

that's the ideal meeting... once upon a time, only once, unexpectedly, then never again

-helen oyeyemi

"Dan, are you home?"

"Yeah, mom."

Dan hid in his room just as he always did in the late afternoon, staring at the ceiling as his favorite wooden record spun on it's machine, unleashing a flurry of notes around his room. He had calmed down quite a bit, but he wasn't relaxed in the slightest. His hands clawed at the blankets that pooled around him as he laid in his cot. His bed was his favorite feature of his room, suspended two feet above the ground by beautiful rope chords on each corner of the frame. He owned three blankets and five sets of two pillows, providing Dan with the comfort he craved. The warmth of his blankets kept him from the frigidness that encased his mind and body on a daily basis.

"Dan, honey," A knock came upon Dan's door, followed by his mother's voice. The door opened with a low creak, making Dan sit up in his bed. "Your father and I are going out tonight with the neighbors, so you're going to be alone."

"Alright," Dan nodded, his bed gently swaying behind him. "Do you need me to do anything?"

His mom smiled. "No, that's okay. Just stay out of any serious trouble."

She closed the door tightly, leaving Dan alone once again. He could hear his parents light chatter through the thin walls of their home in the sky. They had no clue he could always hear what was said between the two of them; they didn't know he could hear every flap of their wings and every conflicted sigh that escaped their mouths. Dan had always been quiet for obvious reasons, and this fact had become useful and occasionally devious.

As soon as he heard his parents leave, he jumped up to open his bedroom window, throwing back wooden shutters to reveal an overly pleased Bishop.

"Hey, buddy," Dan chuckled, opening his arms for the small monkey to leap into. Bishop let out a small squeak of contentment and leapt off of the windowsill into the boy's awaiting arms, flapping his wings twice. Dan's hands pressed against the monkey's back, giving him a small squeeze. "Are you hungry?" He asked in a tone that was reserved only for Bishop. Bishop seemed to smile and nod as he climbed out of Dan's arms and onto his head.

"You're ridiculous," Dan laughed, allowing his friend to remain perched on top of his head. "Let's go make some dinner."

Every building in Dan's world was proportioned for people with wings. Large, wide archways were present in even the simplest of homes. His home was designed just like everyone else's; the towering arches made Dan feel smaller than ever, if that were possible.

"Let's see what's on the menu," Dan said, reaching up to pull Bishop off of his head. In the icebox, there was barely anything besides frozen meats and packaged foods; nothing Bishop could safely eat. Dan turned to see the monkey perched on the kitchen island, a small vine of grapes in his tiny hand.

"I see you've found something on your own." Dan smiled. The tiny mammal made little noises of content as he plucked a purple grape from the vine and popped the fruit into his mouth. Dan watched Bishop eat, chuckling at the tiny slurping sounds that came from the juice of the grape being devoured by the monkey's tongue.

The rest of the evening was still undecided, but it was most likely going to pertain to playing a game of fetch with Bishop, followed by an extended painting period. Dan's parents had bought him a complete art set recently, containing everything from paints to pastels to chalk. He felt a big guilty that they spent so much money on him, but he knew it was their attempt to make up for everything else he was lacking.