Father's (Sins)Gift

Knowing that it’d be a few hours before his son would return home from school, Gerald had to set things in motion. “Aina, I’m headed down to the cellar. Lock the door behind me, and whatever you do, don’t open it.”

Fearing the worst, she asked him, “Are you sure about this Gerald? Can’t we just use something else for the core?”

“Naturally, we could. Thanks to Barak, we can. However, just because we have plenty of his feathers doesn’t mean that they’ll readily bond with him. Besides the bond Barak has with me doesn’t always translate to his feathers.”

“I just-” she stuttered, “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

Walking over to her side of the table, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the head. “I promise you; I have everything set up. Still, I want you to be safe no matter what. Okay? Please, follow my directions strictly. Can you do that for me honey? Not just for yourself, but also for Axton?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, if things go wrong, I already had Cody informed on what to do next. Do you trust me, Aina?”

Shutting her eyes, she nodded her head with a “Yes, I trust you.”

“Alright then, I’m gonna head down. I’ll be back.”

Opening the door to the cellar, he locked it behind him as he traversed down the staircase of the dark grey stone hallway. He opened the first door with a speech recognition lock, Gerald stepped through. Shutting it behind him, he knew that there was no going back now. Walking up towards the second door, Gerald spoke a different word from a different language. Pricking his finger on the lock a small drop of blood went down into its gears. Recognizing the taste as him, they churned, and the entrance creaked open. Stepping through, it closed behind him, locking him in with that of his own works.

Keeping his eyes shut, he reached for his specially crafted goggles. When he was with Cody, they seemed to work in the animal tests trials. Bunnies, chipmunks, ferrets, and even a sugar glider survived thanks to the goggles. Having used sound-based video to record their experiments, this seemed to confirm their hunches.

Using two different sets of kaleidoscopes certainly would avoid instant death and result in petrification, but by using the crystalline lens from the eyes of a phoenix, it seemed to have allowed them to escape petrification entirely. Immortal birds make immortal parts. Still, even with that precaution well in place, even with their experiment with a homeless person (who was handsomely paid), Gerald still wanted to make sure that he would not risk any form of eye contact at all whatsoever.

Walking up to his contraption, he could hear it. The calling sound of the toad was still there. The egg had yet to hatch. Yet, he could hear something. A voice talking, whispering, unaware of his presence. Thinking calmly to himself, remembering all the trainings he’s done, he calmed himself down in preparation. All he could do was stare at the dark box and wait for it to hatch.

Stuck, immobile, and surrounded in darkness, the toad’s breathing sounds filled the air, being the only noise that Gerald heard, aside from his own heartbeat. Then, like a knuckle on one of his fingers cracking, the hatching began. It chirped and chittered at first. Gerald could hear the eggshell breaking, if not shattering. Eating its way out, it still hungered.

Fearing for its life but too afraid to fight back, the toad remained still as it fell upon its new cohabitant. Until it cried out, having fangs sink into its flesh. Venom coursing through it, the potency killed it almost immediately. The toad had croaked.

Keeping his eyes shut, Gerald put his head down, and proceeded to speak its language. “How was your meal?”

Surprised that another being was speaking to it, the hatchling replied, “Small and repugnant. Who are you?”

“I created you.”

“You don’t speak my language naturally. How did you learn so?”

“Through transfiguration. I transformed myself multiple times just to speak it in that form and in this one.”

“You are no descendant then. You are falsely tongued. Why did you create me?”

“I wish to have you as apart of my family. We will protect and serve one another.”

It hissed angrily, “Serve? Why would I, the ‘king of serpents,’ serve the likes of you?”

Gerald replied, “We would serve each other. I’ve always highly revered your kind. The same goes for the rest of my family. We would love to have you as a part of it.”

“I’d rather DIE than serve you,” it hissed angrily.

“Okay then,” Gerald got up and walked towards the table that held the box.

Pushing a button, the floor beneath the basilisk hatchling dropped out from beneath it. Landing on something cold and sharp, it coiled up instinctively, but moving too quickly only caused it to hurt itself even more.

“What- What are you doing?” Gerald could hear the fear in its voice.

“If you’d rather die than serve us… then die.” With a flick of a switch, the blades spun. The screams only lasted for a few seconds, no more. Leaving the blender run, he grabbed the rest of his materials. After ten minutes had gone by, he turned off the blades, pouring its contents down a funnel into a wooden contraption.

Cleaning it, sealing it, cleaning it again, coating, and polishing it; he looked at the dark work he’s done. Shuddering, he exited the room, and walked upstairs.

Sitting down at the table, his face lit up when his son entered.

“Dad! Dad! I’m home.”

“I’m glad you’re back. Here’s a gift I made for you Axton.”

“Whoa! It’s really mine?”

“Yep, thirteen inches of pure maple wood with basilisk core. Happy birthday Axton.”