♛ I am no King.

          Eyes flickered. Vision: hazy. A dim light shone through his         lidded eyes, albeit dim causing the man to once more shut         his eyes to shield them from the light. ..Once more: though         this time with a hand to block the source of light that was          what penetrated his vision instantaneously, allowing his         eyes to slowly adjust to the light.

         ..Sleeping? No, perhaps not..  Recollections of memories         echoed in his mind, several worse than the others, a few         pleasant ones causing him to smile oh so gently. 

       ❝ ... Allen..? ❞ The word escaped his lips like a distant         memory, though his mind still hazy from his recent awakening        the name was clearly enunciated. An exhalation of breath        emerged from his breath soon after, gaze now averted to his        hands that trembled. He remembered. Everything that he         wished were nothing but a dream came to him, and he         remembered it all.

Staring at the man in front of her, she remained silent a few moments before answering,

… Oh… the book is entitled “ Alice in Wonderland “. I read it hundreds of times but I can’t get enough of it..

It wasn’t surprising; after all, the story is fascinating, especially for the children. While deep in thought, she then realized that she had become silent again. Not wanting to ruin the mood, she talked once again.

Wh– oh, ha ha ! sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Anis. I spend most of my time at the library. She crossed her arms. What about you ? Who are you ?

                          { ♛ }  ꜰᴀᴋᴇ  𝓚ｉｎｇ                                                                                          

        Alice in Wonderland.. A book that he had ownership to,         at the very least-- Allen had definitely read it several          times by now. It was a pleasure to read for both young         and old, so it was no surprise that this girl would be          indulging herself in its wondrous tale as well. Though,          that would mean that he ought to acquire a different         book instead of Alice in Wonderland.

         .. She liked books, didn’t she? Perhaps it would be          a help to ask for her opinion as to what he ought to          get for Allen, as someone with similar interest. 

                             { ♛ }  ꜰᴀᴋᴇ  𝓚ｉｎｇ                                                                                                

         A bookstore. One that he would not have stumbled          upon if he had not met a particular child that had          a love for what lies beyond those doors. Quiet          tinkling reverberates upon his pushing the doors--          as well as his noticing a young girl trying to reach          for a book at the higher shelves.

           ❝ Ah, let me help you.. Here! ❞

What luck, he had been watching from the World in silence, hand upon the opened cupboard that he could not traverse through. The silent gift was silently received, though not physically but from sight. It wasn’t the most neat gift that he had received, but the decorations seemed to imply that it had been handmade by the boy, and perhaps together with the other children.

A smile slipped onto his lips, his hand clenching into a fist lightly, as he watched upon the boy placing the trophy by his bedside, and wordlessly walking back out of the room. 

                               { ♛ }  ꜰᴀᴋᴇ  𝓚ｉｎｇ                                                                                                    

          The very chance that he had to stumble upon            another individual was slim in any circumstance,           considering that he rarely made his way to any            where outside the facility. Of course, he did have           his chances whilst doing groceries-- which would           be how he bumped into this person. 

          Very much literally, bumped into them. Physically.

If he were awake, a smile would’ve played upon his lips as he read through each and every page, before going along and making some sort of special dinner for them all. Though, yes– he would certainly protest to the fact that they saw him as a mother figure rather than a father, he would be happy that they thought of him as a parent in anyway.

.. Though all Allen got in response was light breathing, his eyes still fluttered closed and no signs of stirring whatsoever. He could not speak, could not say a word as to whether he appreciated this gift, and show no signs of waking any time soon.