Taking a deep sip of his steaming coffee, Vontell let out a sigh of content. He was currently bundled up in his study, looking over his latest edits to his manuscript. However, it wasn’t long until his concentration was broken.
“Ah! Leo, my boy, is there something the matter?”
His pet capybara set a book at his feet before staring up at him, unblinking. This caused Vontell to let out a warm chuckle, gently patting his furry friend on the top of the head before moving to lift up the book.
“I suppose you are right, I could use a break. Ah-” His thoughts trailed off as he finally caught a glimpse of the well worn cover of the book in his hand. A smile softly spread across his face, “A fascinating choice…”
Vontell always loved this time of year. Although the outside was chilly and dark, inside the home was so full of warmth and crackling light from the artificial fire. Of course their home would not need the original, archaic heat source. He not only lived in the realm with the most advanced technology, but his father was a top scientist in all of Electric. Of course, this meant he would not be home, even during the Solstice season.
This didn’t seem to bother the young boy as he laid on his belly, flipping through a thick novel. He let out a chuckle as he engrossed himself with epic tales of adventuring knights and dangerous beasts locked in battle.
“Haven’t you read that story enough?” A teasing voice called out, causing Vontell to look back and beam up at his mother. She stood in the doorway, hands behind her back as she tilted her head, “How many times is this now? Three?”
“Four!” Vontell replied proudly, a grin on his face as he hopped up to greet his mother. He wrapped his arms around her waist in a loving hug as he gazed up at her, “It’s one of my favourites, and I’ve already read through the others!”
He gestured back towards the pile of carefully discarded books on the floor, indicating how he had spent his day. His mother laughed warmly as she returned his hug with one arm, “You burn through those books quicker than I can stock them…” She laughed gently, “Luckily, I came prepared…”
“Oh?” Vontell’s eyes lit up curiously as he hopped back to gaze up at her, “How so?”
His mother’s hand moved from behind her back, presenting a hardcover book to him, “You’re a very bright boy, Vontell. You already read at an advanced level. Even though you’re still so young, I think you’re mature enough to handle this one…”
Taking the book from her hands, Vontell read over its cover, “War and Peace… Is it good?”
“Mhm, it’s one of my favourites. It wasn’t easy to get my hands on, so take special care of it!” She smiled playfully as she gently ruffled his curly hair, “We can discuss it after you finish, if you’d like.”
Vontell paused to consider it, before shaking his head vigorously. His mother’s eyes widened in surprise, before smiling as she heard his response, “We should read it together!”
Letting out a warm chuckle, Vontell’s mother reached out to take his hand, “I think you’re right, we should…”
“War and Peace…” Vontell ran his fingers over the aged cover, before glancing down to his capybara with a smile, “A novel by Leo Tolstoy. Did you happen to know this is one of my favourites?”
Leo grunted as he calmly moved to curl up by Vontell’s feet. Cracking open the book, Vontell’s eyes scanned over the familiar words and smiled.
“How about we read it together?”
art by Saeyra
