Chapter 4 - Mother's Magic

 After 6 months: 

"Alesss!" I've learned to crawl now, and I've been exploring every nook and cranny of the house. This has made everyone in the household quite paranoid. The house is luxurious, with numerous rooms and a huge living area, complete with three one-horned, rhino-like deer statues. And yes, my name has been decided: Ales.

Recently, I discovered a mirror. Despite the persistent fog in my head, I can now see things a bit clear now. I look quite adorable with golden hair and blue eyes, and thankfully, I have my left arm. My father's genes didn't try to mess with my looks, though I wish I could have a body like his. Even though he looks a bit foolish, he possesses incredible strength. He tore apart an entire tree with his bare hands yesterday. When he saw me, he said, "I hope you don't turn out weaker than me." What do you mean, weaker than you?!? Such inhuman strength is beyond my comprehension. Maybe Anatomy of people is different in this world?

So, my father's name is Thorus Barson, and my mother's name is Anne Barson. How do I know this? I suppose I've started to understand their language better now, thanks to my early studies in linguistics. Though my vocal cords haven't developed yet, I can grasp the structure of their language, which follows a Subject-Verb-Object pattern.

What intrigues me most are the books in this world. I found no books in the house except in the storeroom. Two months ago, when I couldn't crawl, my mother carried me to this storeroom. It had swords, arrows, chairs, brooms, and, most importantly for a book lover like me, a shelf filled with old, leathery books from top to bottom. That was the last time I saw those books.

Now that I can crawl, I've found that the storeroom door is always locked. However, once a week, a maid comes to clean it. I decided to sneak in and hide behind the door after the cleaning was done. I went straight to the books and tried to pull one from the lower shelf with my tiny arms. Although I didn't know how to read yet, I flipped through the pages and saw diagrams of the human body with circles in the head, heart, and stomach. As I continued flipping, I saw diagrams that resembled hydrogen atoms.

I was absorbed in the book for half an hour when suddenly the door burst open. My mother rushed in, crying, "Ales, I thought I lost you!" She picked me up, and I managed to hold onto the book despite her tears mingling with mine. "You must be hungry. I'm such a terrible mother," she said, noticing the book in my hands. "Oh my, my little enchantment. You were reading books?" She took the book from me and sat me in a chair.

She turned the page with the hydrogen atom diagram and clasped her hands, saying, "Oh heavenly being, grant me the strength of water that brings life." I wondered if this was how people prayed in this world.

 "Excuse me, Ma'am. I am atheist, although after seeing some mountain-like statues that can talk, I'm starting to question—" Suddenly, snow began falling from nowhere. I looked up, mesmerized as the snowflakes appeared above my head.

 "Wait, what!? How is this possible?" I was astonished by what was unfolding before my eyes.

My mother sighed in relief and said, "Phew, I thought I'd forgotten. It has been a year."

My mind was numb at this point. "Is there magic in this world?"