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The room was illuminated with nothing more than a huge lamp hanged to the ceiling casting shadows and a warm light. Multiple posters were tapped to the walls like ‘Learn from your Mistakes!’ or ‘Dream big!’ accompanied by a lot of drawings made with Crayola crayons. Shelves were filled with books filled with pictures and random toys all tidied up, ready to be used tomorrow again. A huge window with a beautiful view of the town. Snow covered most of the buildings as winter was rapidly approaching. It was Gregory’s favorite thing to observe aside from pretty toys and different shapes he usually played with.
Said child was fiddling with his sleeves, wearing a striped long-sleeves light blue and dark blue shirt along with patterned overalls. His tan hands placed the crayon he was using down, observing the drawing he made- the paper slightly crumpled from the force he used while drawing. It featured his dad’s new animatronic, made from all sorts of different colors and shapes.
Gregory smiled bright at the display, proud of the result and excited to see it pinned to the fridge with a silly magnet along with all his other creations. His dad would ruffle his hair before saying something along the lines of ‘Great job, kiddo’ even if said dad was almost an hour late from pick up time. The child never held any grudges; he had learned through the different families he was put into that most of the time parents were busy. Dad was hard-working, but he always made sure Gregory wasn’t feeling left out. Always made time for his son whenever he could.
Directing his attention to another part of the room, A worker approached the small and wooden table Gregory sat at. An elder with wrinkles but a soft smile who'd always leave later than their coworkers, just to watch him until his dad came to pick him up. Gregory always thought each person resembled a color crayon; this worker’s color was a warm green crayon whose tint was fading away with time but was cherished with childhood memories.
“Your daddy is on his way to pick you up, Alright kiddo?” The person said. The child nodded his head before a yawn escaped his mouth, raising his hand to rub his watery eyes from tiredness. The elder only chuckled before leaving once again. Gregory couldn’t wait to go home and be embraced by his warm blankets. He usually preferred the day to never end so he could play as long as he wanted! But he couldn't deny the sleepiness that was slowly consuming all of his senses.
A couple of knocks on the wooden’s door surface interrupted the silence. Gregory could only faintly hear the door opening before the voice of the elder and a man speaking filled the room. His head turned to the noise, and his eyes lit up upon seeing his dad, covered in snow head to toes that will probably cause him to be sick. The child picked up the piece of paper he abandoned earlier, roughly causing it to crumple more before hoping out of his chair and running towards his dad.
“Papa!” Gregory exclaimed as he bumped into his father’s arms, causing the two of them to almost fall from the shock, The child shuddered from the cold and snow remaining on the other’s jacket. Said man looked down at Gregory with tired magenta eyes and a chuckle left his mouth as well as a little ‘hi’.
“Thank you for taking care of Gregory but now I better get this little one home” Michael said to the worker before waving goodbye. He released Gregory from the hug and instead held his hand as they both left the room and into the hallway, Getting The child’s jacket and shoes in order to go home. “Excited to go home, bud?”
Gregory nodded “Mhm! I'm really sleepy.” He explained as he sat on the bench. Michael crouched down in front of him humming in acknowledgement as he reached for Gregory's sneakers that were neatly tucked away underneath said bench. The child’s drawing was still crumpled in his hand as his dad tied the last shoe, hoping to show him later but perhaps when he would feel less tired. And so, he let his mind wander a bit...the shoes he wore were bright blue and had some white lines, some of his clothing and accessories were really ‘Vintage’ or, so he’d been told- dad explained it was because most of it used to belong to Gregory’s aunt and uncle. He never met them, but he’d be sure to thank them for all the stuff he got from them.
“Ok bud, can you put on your coat?” Michael asked. Gregory hopped out of the bench and turned around where his coat was hanged. Said coat was a red and blue one with fur on the inside for warmth and a loose fabric, so Gregory wouldn’t feel too suffocated-something he Specifically asked for when he’d put on his previous ones and complain about it. The child picked up the jacket and inserted his arms into the sleeves, feeling content at the warmth he immediately received. His dad finished the job by zipping his jacket all the way to the top before holding his hand and leaving the building.
Dad's hands were cold- Gregory thought, it was covered in scars and felt funny when he held his hand. Yet, it was a feeling he grew to feel safe with. Opening the doors to leave the building, the both of them immediately got welcomed by a strong wind of snow and the child made sure to keep his drawing away tucked in his pocket. Gregory let the palm of his hand open as a small snowflake landed on it. It looked like a star, like the kind of drawings his teacher would give him to color in the lines only for the child to return it with the opposite of what they asked for. Gregory’s messy brown hair was now covered in snowflakes, same for his dad's short dark hair that seemed to be slowly growing-he’d seen a couple of photos with his dad having long hair that reached past his shoulder! He’s not sure why he cut it but either way dad looked cool.
The door of the car parked in the parking lot opened, it used to belong to his grandpa, and it used to be a bright purple! Now it was a dark grey color. The change would have made Gregory sad if not for the fact said grandpa was mean. As the child sat in the seat, Michael put his belt on and ruffled his hair.
“Papa!” The child whined. “What? You're never too old for a good ol' hair ruffle” the dad responded with a snort as Gregory tried to fix his hair. Michael reached the driver's seat and inserted the key before turning on the warmer. Gregory took advantage of the small wait for the car to warm up and leaned back in his seat, head turning to the window on his right and observing the snowflakes among the few stars in the sky.
It was rough at first, accepting to be taken care of. But as time passed Gregory found himself adoring the feeling of having no worries. Like a box of chalk you found full of bad childhood memories you'd rather forget, yet, as you give it a new purpose and a new chance to draw with, the new and happy memories start to replace the old ones.
And with that thought, the child found himself slowly slipping away into the world of dreams with a dinner he could still taste on his tongue, the warmth and comforting smell from the car and a drawing forgotten in his coat pocket. He could faintly recall the car stopping and the arms that picked him up from his seat before everything fully went blank. not in a panicking way but in a way that promised a good nap and waking up well-rested.
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In a half-woken up state, Gregory could make out the structure of his room and a fluffy blanket on him. Toys scattered around waiting to be played with, plushies he'd spent hours looking for if they ever somehow disappeared and pictures hanged on his pastel blue walls. A figure stood over him-Dad, he crouched down and kissed the top of Gregory’s forehead “Sleep well, Rory. Love you” Michael whispered. said child muttered a faint ‘I love you too' before sleep once again overtook him.
The only thing he remembered seeing last was the drawing he made earlier pinned to the wall. Dad must not have any more space on the fridge.