|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:32 am
Midas had promised Neflheim that they would go to the Aquarium over the weekend to see the fishes and went through with his promise. With Neflheim in tow, Midas approached the ticketing counter and bought tickets for the both of them. Bending down to hand one ticket to Neflheim, Midas gently instructed to boy saying "You need to give it to that man when we go in okay?", pointing to a burly looking man standing by the gantry to the interior of the aquarium.
Neflheim nodded to let Midas know he understood. He was far too excited to say anything at all. His eyes darted to and fro, soaking up all the sights and sounds of the aquarium. As they approached the gantry, Neflheim bounded up to the man and handed his ticket over saying cheerfully "Here is my ticket Mister!" Taken aback by the young boy's cheerful demeanour, the burly man could not help but smile and let the pair in.
Midas held on tightly to Neflheim and warned him once more not to run about and to always hold his hand at all times. Neflheim nodded once more and they began their day of discovery at the Aquarium.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:10 am
"One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish." Lucien babbled, pressing his face against the cool glass. Grace looked boredly at the array of multicoloured marine life, smiling wryly as the boy's face squashed painfully against the glass.
"Careful there, kiddo, you're starting to look like an afternoon special." Bending down and grabbing Lucien by his waist, Grace pulled him to her chest and looked around the Aquarium with feigned curiosity. She began to walk along the wall of glass, ignoring the constant cry of "look, a fish" as Lucien bent forward to point at each fish he caught sight of. Grace shifted her arms uncomfortably against the squirming child and, true to his nature, Lucien continued to point excitedly at every fish, causing an incredibly frustrated Grace to place the child back on the floor.
"We're in an Aquarium, Lucien, everything in here is a fish." Lucien looked up curiously at his mother, who simply rolled her eyes and pointed ahead with a keep-moving-before-I-punch-something grunt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:55 pm
Neflheim pointed excitedly at the enormous varieties of fish, watching them as they darted around in the water. "So many fishies!" said Neflheim, to no one in particular. Midas merely smiled and nodded at the young boy. It came as no surprise to him that Neflheim was excited at seeing the huge varieties of fish.
Picking up a pamphlet from a nearby counter, Midas pored through its contents and found that there will be a feeding session sometime later in the day. Making a mental note to bring Neflheim to watch the feeding, Midas lifted Neflheim into his arms and carried him to the next exhibit - Cuttlefish.
Staring bug-eyed at the peculiar creatures, Neflheim exclaimed each time their bodies shimmered in the light. Midas chuckled heartily and explained "These cuttlefish can change their colour very easily and can fool other fish that want to eat them."
"Can I have one Daddy?" inquired Neflheim, jabbing at the glass to drive his point home. Seeing the exhibits of fish before these already caused a want in him, but it was these cuttlefish that compelled Neflheim to ask.
Shaking his head, Midas laughed and replied "You can't Neffy, these are delicate creatures that belong to the sea. The Aquarium keeps these cuttlefish in huge tanks!", using his free hand to gesture.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:51 pm
"Cuttlefish?" Lucien echoed, turning his head to look to the long-limbed creatures. He moved towards the tank cautiously, simultaneously pressing his hands and face against the glass and ignoring the unsightly smudges he had now left on four seperate tanks. "But they don't look like normal fishes," he complained, looking to Grace with an affronted expression and then to the boy beside him.
"Oh! You're a pretty blue like the water," he chimed, moving his hands from the tank to clap them together. Grace moved to place her hands on the young boy's shoulders, grasping them a little too tightly as she looked up at Midas and then down at the child that seemed to be made of -- ice? Surely that wasn't normal. Lucien, however, shrugged himself from his mother's grasp and moved towards Neflheim, tilting his head curiously with an excited smile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:01 pm
The boy startled Neflheim when he complimented him. Looking back at the boy, Neflheim beamed and replied "Thanks! I like my pretty blue colour too!" Watching as the boy approached him, Neflheim backed off slightly, he didn't want to hurt another person like he did to the children at the Daycare.
Looking up towards the glass exhibits, Neflheim pointed to a shimmery cuttlefish and asked the boy "You like the cuttlefish too? I like them, shimmery and cute, I wanted one, but my Daddy said I can't have it."
Midas kept a watchful eye on Neflheim, ready to pull him away from the other boy should he try to touch him. His icy touch wasn't one most people could handle and he wasn't about to let him hurt both another person and himself. Momentarily breaking his stoic watch, Midas looked up to the boy's guardian and smiled warmly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:15 pm
Lucien looked back to cuttlefish and nodded in response, pressing a finger to the glass distractedly.
"I like them lots, but why are they called cuttlefishes? They don't look like a fish at all, they have long legs that wiggle. Fishes have tails that wiggle," he mumbled, looking to Neflheim with a confused expression. He was suddenly aware that the other had created a distance between them, causing Lucien to visibly deflate. Looking to the cuttlefish once more, Lucien mumbled a soft "You moved away."
Grace watched the two children converse, both relieved and annoyed that Lucien had found someone else to talk to. Looking up at Midas, Grace crossed her arms over her chest and mumbled a gruff "hey".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:21 pm
Neflheim touched the glass as he leaned in to watch the cuttlefish closer, causing the glass to frost up slightly. Immediately noticing it, he backed off and replied the boy "I dunno, Daddy doesn't know either!" Glancing up towards Midas for reassurance, Neflheim found himself face to face with Midas' smile and a little nod of the head.
Gaining some confidence, Neflheim inched closer to Lucien and apologised "I'm sorry, I just didn't want to hurt you.", recalling the previous incidents at the Daycare.
Midas waved to the Grace and replied "Hi, I'm Midas and this if my son Neflheim. Nice to meet you." He had noticed her mumbling her greeting, but could not quite make it out, so he played safe and introduced himself. She doesn't seem too cheery...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:37 pm
Lucien blinked, surprised by the now slightly frosted glass. He looked over to Neflheim, sudden realization dawning. "Oh," he mumbled softly, momentarily derailed.
Grace frowned at Midas, rubbing at her nose before taking a step forward and extending her hand. "Grace, and this is Lucien." Lucien watched as his mother introduced both him and herself, a sudden idea followed by a wry smile forming.
"The other day I was playing, and I was running really, really, really fast, and I fell over and knocked the saucepan Mummy was cooking on and I burnt my fingers. I ran them under water and then I put some ice on them, but they still hurt a little. Maybe you can help them stop?" He asked hopefully, extending a tentative hand with three loosely bandaged fingers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:57 pm
Neflheim was taken aback by Lucien's gesture. He didn't expect the boy to be so kind and friendly, especially after he had noticed the frost on the glass. Regaining his composure, Neflheim happily smiled and replied "I can try, but Daddy told me not to touch people for too long.", looking up towards Midas again.
Midas gently nodded his head and reminded Neflheim saying "Just a short touch will do, don't hold Lucien for too long!"
Neflheim reached out and undid the bandages, touching and prodding the burnt fingers a little, causing them to become cool and soothed. After a few gentle prods and pokes, Neflheim redid the bandages and announced, beaming cheerfully "There!"
Once Neflheim replaced the bandages, Midas turned his attention back up to Grace and inquired "A little outing with your son? It seems like our sons hit off rather well, do you mind us going together?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:19 am
Lucien smiled as the boy's hand soothed his burnt fingers. With a tilt of his head, he inwardly wondered what it would be like to be entirely fashioned from ice. Lost in his thoughts, it went unnoticed that Neflheim had finished with his hand and had even managed to rebandage his fingers. With an exhasperated sigh, Grace snapped her fingers repeatedly in front Lucien, rolling her eyes as the boy came back to reality with a shake of his head, looking down at his now soothed and rebandaged hand. Lucien smiled at Neflheim, mumbling a soft but grateful thanks before looking back to Grace. "Can we go with them? Please? Please, please, please, please, please, please--?"
"Okay, okay, fine." Grace interrupted, rubbing a hand over her face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 1:29 am
Looking up to see Lucien smiling at him, Neflheim smiled back and suddenly noticed that his eye colours were different. Thinking that he should ask later in case he might offend Lucien, Neflheim made a mental note. Whispering back to Lucien, Neflheim said "You're welcome!"
Midas smiled while watching Lucien plead with Grace to allow him to tag along on their little educational journey. Glancing at the pamphlet in his hand, Midas noted that the next exhibit along this route was a tunnel that showcased the inhabitants of the oceans. Plating his hand with gold, Midas held Neflheim and led the way, saying, "The next exhibit is a very interesting one! This way!"
Entering the tunnel, Neflheim held tightly onto Midas' hand. Peering curiously around, Neflheim saw all manner of sea creatures. From sharks, to octopi, to jellyfish and manta rays. As he passed an unknown creature, he would exclaim and ask Midas about it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:40 am
With a soft yay, Lucien grabbed onto Grace's hand and followed closely behind Midas. Every so often a small gasp or ooh could be heard from the child, his hand loosening from Grace's as he rushed forward to press against the glass tunnel, his eyes widening. After a moment of wide-eyed staring, Lucien jumped back with a terrified yell and scrambled backwards, grasping Grace's leg.
Grace, straightening her posture after having momentarily lost balance, stared down at Lucien in shock. Opening her mouth to ask what was wrong, Lucien pointed to the shark weakly before wrapping his arms around Grace's leg once more.
"Idon'tlikesharks." He mumbled into the fabric of Grace's jeans, his words muffled and hushed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:48 am
Tapping lightly on the glass, Neflheim absentmindedly mentioned "They don't like us either." Not realising that his statement could have another meaning to it.
Neflheim turned around once he felt Lucien's presence vanish. Seeing the other boy holding Grace's leg tightly, Neflheim bounded up to him and cooed. Smiling warmly, Neflheim said "There is nothing to be scared of! The sharks can't harm us!" That was true, the glass surrounding each exhibit in the aquarium were very thick.
Midas gently coaxed Lucien saying "Neffy is right! The glass here is very thick and the sharks can't harm any of us. Besides, they are more afraid of you and I then we are afraid of them!" Midas was generally effective when he coaxed children and hoped that he could help Lucien enjoy this educational trip more instead of hiding by his mum.
Suddenly, Neflheim spotted a small school of turtles paddling gracefully through the water and squealed with glee. Pointing and hopping up and down, Neflheim exclaimed "Look Lucien, turtles! And a baby one too!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 5:37 am
Lucien looked up at Grace, who nodded firmly.
"They're right, kiddo. Nothing to be afraid of." She ran a hand through his hair, mussing it gently before placing a kiss against his temple. Lucien smiled, moving to stand beside Neflheim (while -- oh god it's looking at me -- secretly edging away from the shark), watching the graceful turtles from a safe distance. Feeling his excitement build, Lucien gave a soft coo before beginning to jump up and down with Neflheim.
"They're so pretty," He grinned, rushing forward to squash his face against the glass before remembering that the shark hadn't exactly pulled a diseappearing act and had just swum straight in front of him, causing the boy to jump back a little too quickly. Shuffling his feet uncomfortably, Lucien took Grace's hand once more. "Can we keep going, please?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 6:15 am
Giggling softly when he saw Lucien jumped back, Neflheim smiled and pointed further into the tunnel. "The tunnel is longer! Let's go deeper in where there are no sharks!" suggested Neflheim as he bounded a little deeper into the tunnel.
Midas saw his sprightly little boy bound deeper in and gave chase. Cautioning Neflheim, Midas said "Don't run Neffy! Run again and Daddy gets angry!", only to realise his words fell on deaf ears once more. Apparently Neflheim had something interesting to ogle at since he stopped to look at something. Walking up beside the enraptured boy, Midas looked up and saw a school of shimmery fish dart to and fro, changing colours very fast.
Neflheim was excited when he saw more sparkly and shiny fishes. Calling out to Lucien, Neflheim yelled "Lucien! Come look at these fishies! They are so shiny and sparkly!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
