Chapter 1: The Mind-Reading Angel and the Exhausted Mother
1005words
Right now, morning sunlight is sneaking through our apartment window, warming my teddy bear bowl, and I can hear it singing in its heart: "Rise and shine, rise and shine, I'm your golden morning friend~"
And my breakfast—those colorful cereal loops—they're holding a little meeting in my bowl.
"Attention, Mr. Os," I whisper to them in my mind. "Who wants to be today's brave explorer? Will it be strawberry-you or chocolate-you?"
They don't answer out loud, of course, but that's okay—I can tell they're thrilled about the adventure.
The only exception is the fat orange cat lounging at my feet. He's such a drama queen, with complaints spinning in his mind like an endless ball of yarn.
[Dry kibble AGAIN? What about my dignity? My royal soul demands tuna in gravy! Yes, those shiny cans you hide on the top shelf! Human! Do you understand NOTHING?]
I peek at him from the corner of my eye and mentally roll my eyes. He's always going on about being "noble," but he snores like a broken lawn mower.
Just then, the bell-like voice in my head chimes in.
[Ding! Good morning, little master! Another day of love and healing awaits! Angel System activated!]
[Daily mission: Make your hardworking mother Claire Campbell smile genuinely before she leaves home.]
[Reward: Cuteness +5.]
Oh! My [Angel System]! I love these missions. Making Mom smile is totally my superpower!
"Mission accepted!" I shout back in my head.
The bedroom door opens and Mom walks out. Her name is Claire, and she's my personal superhero and an artist with magic drawing powers. But today her magic seems weak—there's a small gray cloud hanging over her face. I know that cloud's name: "Tired."
"Morning, my little sunshine." Mom's voice is soft as she ruffles my blond hair into a wild mess.
"Morning, Mom!" I flash her my 100-point smile, the one that shows all my teeth.
But I still catch that quiet, sighing voice from deep in her heart.
[Great, the bill monster is back in my inbox… And the landlady mentioned its cousin 'rent' is visiting next month. If I don't land this project, we're in serious trouble. No—I can't let Leo see me worry.]
I hate those monsters most of all. They're always bullying Mom, making storm clouds gather in her heart.
Mom has no idea what I'm thinking. She turns to pour her coffee, muttering: "That's weird… where's my lucky pen? I'm sure I left it right here on the table…"
She starts shuffling papers around, and I watch that gray cloud over her head grow darker and bigger.
[Damn it, where is it? Final draft due today, and without that pen I'm like… like a knight without her sword…]
Mom's thoughts are all tangled up now, like yarn after the fat cat's had a go at it.
My eyes dart around the room until I catch a smug little voice coming from the fat cat grooming his paws.
[Hehe, that shiny stick thing is under the couch cushion! My mighty dragon-slayer sword! All mine! No touchy!]
Aha! So the furry thief strikes again!
I launch myself from my chair like a tiny rocket, dash to the couch, and heave up the heavy cushion with all my might. Bingo! There's the silver pen, winking at me in the light.
I snatch it up like treasure and charge back to Mom on my short legs—thump-thump-thump—holding the pen high above my head.
"Mom, look! I found your knight sword!" I announce proudly, standing tall as I can.
Mom's face transforms when she spots the pen. Her eyes light up and she gasps, "Oh!" Then she drops to her knees, wraps me in a tight hug, and plants a loud, smacking kiss on my cheek!
"Oh, Leo! You really are Mommy's little hero!" She's beaming now, her eyes crinkled with genuine joy, sparkling like they've caught the morning light. That gray cloud above her head just—poof!—vanishes.
In that moment, her heart whispers: [My sweet boy… with you by my side, I can face anything.]
[Ding! Mission accomplished! Congratulations, little master! Your mother's smile truly is the world's most beautiful sight. Cuteness +5, current total: 25.]
Mission complete! I hide my victorious grin against her shoulder as she hugs me.
We walk to kindergarten hand-in-hand, the morning breeze cool on my cheeks. Mrs. Hoffman from downstairs is heading home with her shopping basket and smiles when she sees us.
"Good morning, Claire! Morning, Leo!"
"Good morning, Mrs. Hoffman," Mom replies with a smile.
But I hear what Mrs. Hoffman is really thinking: [Poor dear, raising a child all alone must be exhausting. Look at those shadows under her eyes—probably up all night working again.]
I don't like that word—"poor." My mom isn't poor at all!
I stop dead in my tracks, tug at Mom's hand, and puff out my chest like a tiny soldier. Then I announce to Mrs. Hoffman in my very biggest voice:
"Mrs. Hoffman! My mom is NOT alone—she has ME! And my mom is SUPER-WOMAN!"
Mom and Mrs. Hoffman both freeze, staring at me with wide eyes. Then Mrs. Hoffman bursts out laughing—a real belly laugh that makes her eyes crinkle.
"Well, goodness me! You're absolutely right, young man!" She wipes a tear from her eye. "Claire, you've got yourself the finest little champion in the world!"
I look up at Mom and see her eyes have gone all soft and crinkly, like she's filled with sunshine. She kneels down to my level and gently smooths my wild hair.
"Yes, I am Superwoman," she whispers, looking right into my eyes, "because I have my little sunshine boy."
Her words make my chest feel all warm and glowy, like I've swallowed a tiny star. That's right—I AM Mom's sunshine, and I'm going to chase away every single gray cloud that tries to make her sad!
