[2] FAR FROM HIM // t.stark

Chapter One

I unlock the thick and heavy chain on the garage door. Surprisingly, Dad had a low budget, modest, and non-updated garage door that people would mistakenly think it's just another store full of unused house items. I think that's intentional. Dad once told me that he was tired of people hacking into his labs back in the day so he didn't try hard to install a high-tech security system on his garage door. However, you can't think Dad will make it easy inside.

Just as I stepped inside the garage, a neon blue light appeared as a second door in front of me. I almost crossed them, and if I did, I'd wake the entire animals that live together with us in the woods. I know the alarm will go off and that means Morgan's attention.

The neon wall showed a weird-looking password that, at first, I was confused if I'm really in Dad's working garage. It looks like–

"A jigsaw puzzle!" someone squeaked excitedly beside me. I turned to see Morgan watching the neon wall with "jigsaw puzzle" like her favourite toy. "Hippopotamus!" Morgan solved.

"How do you–"

"H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M-U-S."

Just like that, the neon wall disappeared and Morgan cheered beside me. We entered deeper into the garage but before I could take the third step, another neon wall appeared.

"What is it this time..." I said uninterestingly. Clearly, Dad was inspired by Morgan when he built these stuffs. Really. Before Morgan, Dad put a calculator-like device on his glass wall, and it only appeared to the surface by hand gesture. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to key-in the password. And the access was numerical!

A picture of a jungle, full with greens appeared.

Great.

But Morgan is here. Of course she knows that to do. Dad built the garage with her. I was in another world five years ago. Right, how can I forget that. That's why I've never really entered the garage before this because I don't know how to pull these questions off. I would look stupid if I stood there all by myself, trying to solve the puzzle.

I watched Morgan tapped on a small plant. How did she eveb see that one in the corner, I wonder. As soon as the plant gets bigger on the neon wall, Morgan confidently says, "Eucalyptus."

Wait...is that even–

Morgan begins spelling the plant's name and gives their scientific name and a little description of the plant. As I stood and listened to her – although I stopped listening right after she said "It is also known as" – I looked at other trees and plants in the picture. I felt so proud that, at least, I recognised one: Banana tree.

"Ah, that was easy," Morgan beamed. I rolled my eyes on her and followed her entering Dad's garage.

Morgan was quick to find a spot, that I assumed she usually sat on while accompanying Dad. She doesn't looked awkward and foreign in the garage. It's like her second home. The one who's amazed is me because as I looked around the garage, despite that the walls inside are made of bulletproof metal – which means the garage has two layers of wall – I noticed things that I knew Dad hated to store in his lab.

First of, there are rainbow unicorn figurines everwhere on Dad's equipment shelves. Some of them are looking at each other like they're a couple and they're kissing. I saw Barbie and Ken holding hands. There are soldiers in a troup pointing at Dad desk. I approached one shelf and pulled a drawer. Inside the drawer, there were kitchen toys.