Malagash 1.4 (Patreon)

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Our room is lousy with flowers. They’re on the wallpaper, the ceiling. Carved into the doorframe. They’re painted on the too-small chairs set in front of the bookshelf. This whole room feels so strangely lost in time, like an old photograph. 

The waif and I share a bunk bed. He prefers the bottom bunk, worried that he might fall in his sleep. But it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t mind the top bunk. 

When I am up there, it feels cut off from the room, more private. And I don’t care if I fall. 

If I had a choice, I’d prefer an actual bed, and my own room. And there are two more bedrooms on this floor, but they’re not for us. One is for our uncles, when they arrive; the other for our mother. This room is ours. 

I am a bit too big for the bunk, though. My feet push against the footboard of it, and there is no room for a computer. Let alone three. That was going to be a problem. So I cleaned out the closet. I made it mine. 

The door is not soundproof, but it is dark in there, and private, and I even sort of like that I need to hug my knees to my chest to fit. So now, while my brother sleeps, I curl up in front of the machines and upload my father’s voice. I make new entries in the database. 

“Good morning, Sunday,” he says. “How was the flight?” 

“Who’re you typing to on that thing? A boy? Does he know any knock-knock jokes?” 

“How come the cat never comes to visit? Is she mad at me?” 

“You are so wonderful, Sunday.” His voice is very quiet and serious on that recording. I have a whole special tag for the recordings where he says my name. And for the ones where he says he loves me. Sometimes serious, and sometimes laughing happily.

       update recordings_db

       set tone = 'laughing happily'

       where filename = wonderful.wav;

“Don’t tell your mother or Simon, but I love you way more than either of them,” he says.

       update recordings_db

       set tone = 'dead serious'

       where filename = loves_me_most.wav;

The small flowers on the closet’s wallpaper flicker with computer light.

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In the month leading up to the publication of my novel Malagash (Oct 3rd! Click here to pre-order or order it from your local bookstore.) I am going to be posting chapters here, in the hopes that you like it!