Prompter: DominusTempori
Prompt: How exactly did Randall the Attack/Guardian Owl come into little Davey Smith's life?
Originally posted: 13 September 2015
Notes: 571 words; takes place sometime vaguely within a month after the drama-llama moment that is chapter 70 (so roughly January-February 1951)
Davey Smith had Owl as long as he could remember. Granted that wasn't a very long time, but it was long enough for the little boy of three and a half to become rather curious about the toy's origins, amongst the origins of other things. It was Owl though, that really sparked his interest, one lazy winter afternoon.
"Mummy? When I get Owl?" he asked, holding it up so it could see over the kitchen table. Clara looked over from the letter she was writing and chuckled.
"Your granddad gave you your owl," she explained. "It was your present for coming home from the hospital."
"Oh, okay," he nodded. He then examined his toy, a frown on his face. "What Owl's name?"
"Just Owl," his mother said. "Why? Do you think Owl should have a name?"
"Yes," he said. "Owl stays with me always. He protects me from scary things at night! Owl need name if Owl that nice." He thought for a moment—Owl needed a really good name, a proper name. It was very important. "Mummy? What Granddad's Trouble Name?"
"His Trouble Name…?" It took her a couple seconds, but her face lit up when she realized what he meant. "Oh, you mean his middle name? It's James, just like yours."
"He name after Unca Jamie too?"
"No, after a friend of my granddad's; we were just lucky that your granddad is a David James as well, that's all." She stroked her son's hair and gave him a smile. "Do you want to call Owl 'James' instead?"
Davey pondered for a moment. "No. Owl need new name."
"Maybe you can name your owl Idris… that was Daddy's mummy's Trouble Name."
"…but Granny Smith was a granny, not a granddad," Davey insisted. "I think about this, okay Mummy?"
"Okay, sweetie," Clara smirked. She watched as he bounced out of the kitchen and out of sight.
Davey wandered into the sitting room, where he saw his sister smashing blocks together in her playpen. He sat down on the other side of the bars and thought carefully.
"Dabey! Pway!" Wynn insisted. She took her teddy bear that was sitting next to her and smushed it against the playpen wall. "Pway!"
"No, Wynnie," her brother pouted. "I need to think!"
"Pway!"
"Think!"
Frustrated, Davey stood up and went over to the radio. He clicked it on and turned it up, drowning out his sister's demands with the last station that their parents had playing. There was swing music on, so he jumped around to dance. Wynn stood in her pen and bounced in place as well, suddenly satiated.
After a few minutes, the music stopped and a voice replaced it. "That was 'Song of India' by Tommy Dorsey and his orchestra. Next we have 'Take the A Train', as done by Duke Ellington and his band. This is Randall Withers, for BBC Radio…" Another song then began playing, and Davey's face lit up.
"MUMMY! MUMMY! I KNOW!" he shouted, rushing back into the kitchen. He jumped up and down next to Clara excitedly, holding Owl above his head. "I KNOW NAME NOW!"
"Oh really? What's Owl's new name?"
"Randall!" he exclaimed. "Owl now Randall!"
"Okay… that's a very nice name," Clara said, unsure how to properly react. "Why don't you go show Daddy?"
"Yes! I show Daddy!" He then zoomed out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, leaving his mother to laugh.