Fall mornings in Green Hills were always breathtaking, no matter how many times you wake up to them. Tom found himself up earlier than usual on his day off, and with his son still asleep and his wife gone to work for the day, he decided to take advantage of the gorgeous morning to relax.
He stood by the window with a freshly brewed cup of coffee, enjoying the scenery and the warmth of the sun that had just risen over the hills. He had the whole day off, and he thought about what he could do to pass the time.
His eyes fell on the garage outside his home. It was where he first met his son, who now slept in their attic. Tom was proud to call Sonic his son, but there was nothing formal or legal about the creation of their relationship. Sonic was an alien, who stumbled into his garage trying to escape government creeps looking to do him harm. From there, an ill-conceived road trip began, which lead to them developing a close friendship. With the danger past, and Sonic free to live on earth without threat, Tom and his wife Maddie set up a room in their attic for him. Sonic had been living with them for two weeks now, but Tom didn't know if Sonic saw him still as a friend, or something more. Tom liked to think of himself as the boy's father, and with the alien being barely 14 and severely lacking in guidance and affirmation, how could he not?
Regardless, if Sonic just wanted a friend, Tom would be happy to be that for him. The kid probably didn't know too much about family dynamics anyway, so perhaps he'd save the topic for a later date.
Snapping out of his flashback, Tom decided to finish his coffee and continue with the 'fall' cleaning that began in the garage; cleaning up the mess left from the alien's arrival, as well as sorting through everything that had been stored there over the years.
The work in the garage was finished, and the only other spot where items would pile up for storage over the years was a closet underneath the stairs. Items that weren't so large or might be used within months were stored there, but as more things began to collect it was no different than the garage. Tom opened the small door and began taking the thing out, careful to not make too much of a racket as Sonic was still asleep, and it wasn't even 9 am yet.
With each box and object moved behind him into the hall, more appeared behind it. Suddenly the small closet seemed to go on forever. Every so often he'd pause to recollect a particular item or try to remember the contents of a particular box.
His progress came to a complete halt when he pulled out a faded black nylon guitar case, it's carrying straps falling off and several loose threads poking out across its edges.
He dragged it out of the closet and carried it to the living room, where he placed it on the floor and opened it up, to reveal a humble and heavily used acoustic guitar. He started classes years ago when he was in high school, and continued to play for years after. He recalled packing it away when he became sheriff of the town, as he found himself playing much less. With additional time off given to him by the town's police force so he could help the town's new alien citizen get accustomed to his new life, he figured there was no better time than the present to get back into his old favourite hobby. He picked up the guitar and began rummaging through stacks of music and lessons in the case, until finding a few easy songs and beginner lessons for him to refresh his memory.
A few plucks turned into a string of chords and scales, which then turned into a simple melody, and soon he was able to work his fingers up and down the fretboard with a little more confidence, playing quietly so he wouldn't disturb the kid sleeping upstairs. He went through each song he kept in that old case, going through them in the order he learned them. Three songs in, he was pleased with how well he was doing considering the years of neglect. He skipped through the pages scattered on the coffee table to try a song that was a little harder but was a favourite of his to play. He strummed the chords a bit louder and accompanied them by picking out a gentle melody in between. Soon, the graceful sound of the guitar became accompanied by the sounds of socked feet making their way down the stairs, and he saw a mass of ruffled blue fur appear on the stairway. Sonic's tired eyes opened up upon seeing the guitar, revealing his bright green irises. Tom smiled at him, and the kid quickly made his way from the bottom of the stairs to besides the arm of the couch closest to Tom. Sonic continued to stare at the instrument in Tom's arms.
"I forgot you had a guitar! I used to watch you play when you and Maddie would sit on the porch together. I really missed it when you stopped, how come you stopped?"
Tom stopped playing at turned to Sonic, and explained to him how he used to play all the time, but dropped it for many years when he became too busy. He had no idea that he had an audience during that time, but he could've guessed, as he knew Sonic watched the town in isolation for a decade. Tom scooted over and patted the now empty spot, motioning for Sonic to join him. The blue hedgehog jumped over the couch's arm and plopped down beside him, still staring at the guitar. As Tom was about to start playing a new song, he heard Sonic's speak up again.
"Can... can I touch it..?"
Tom chuckled at the kid's humble request and hummed an 'uh-huh' in approval. He nodded his head as he turned the guitar so the strings faced him. Sonic lifted a hand and placed it tentatively on the strings over the soundhole. Instead of plucking the strings, he seemed to be heavily invested in the varying thickness of each string and began to track them up the fretboard with fascination written all over his face.
"Would you like me to teach you some notes?"
Tom asked, interrupting Sonic's deep trance on the instrument. He hesitated for a moment, looking away from the guitar and towards the mass of sheets that were now scattered across the coffee table and floor. He turned back to Tom and replied.
"Maybe could you start playing again?"
Tom chuckled again.
"Sure thing kid, anything you'd like to hear?"
Sonic didn't have to think about his answer.
"The song you'd always play for Maddie on the porch, the one that had no singing parts."
Tom beamed at Sonic's request, as it was heartwarming to know Sonic still remembered that song after all this time. It was a wistful Celtic melody his dad taught him, and he would play it for Maddie on clear evenings. He played it so many times, he didn't have to find the sheet music to start playing. His fingers remembered exactly where to go as his head recalled the melody.
As he started the song, he saw Sonic continue to watch in intense admiration, and he placed one small hand on the lower bout. Tom heard him gasp in surprise and glee as he felt the sound vibrate off the insides of the wooden guitar. Tom knew that when he played each of his senses would be captivated by the guitar being used, and he could only imagine what an experience it must be for Sonic, who was only able to hear it until now.
Sonic brought his head closer to the guitar, but Tom had no problem continuing to play, not only since it was a larger guitar, but Sonic had a small frame that allowed him to fit in unique spaces.
The hedgehog slowly moved his head under Tom's right arm that was plucking the strings and put an ear onto the wood. Tom's heart was nearly bursting, being able to see the child let every sense become captivated by the old instrument reminded him of the same things he felt when he watched his dad play for him as a child.
Just when he thought Sonic was in close enough, the alien began creeping up even further, until he was practically on top of the guitar. He rested against the waist of the guitar, letting his whole body soak in the sounds and vibrations created by the strings and notes being bounced around the inside of the guitar. Tom took a quick pause to adjust himself, allowing Sonic to lay atop the guitar with his arm over him continuing to play. He didn't know how or if Sonic was comfortable in his half laying half-standing position over the guitar, but the bliss and happiness on his face was unmistakable. He leaned back into the couch and continued to play for his. Whenever he reached the end he would immediately start at the beginning. He ran through the song twice until he noticed that Sonic had somehow managed to fall asleep in his askew position.
With great care, he moved the guitar off his lap, but could not remove it from underneath Sonic. With a sigh, he let Sonic lay down on the couch with his cheek and arm resting against the guitar like a hard wooden pillow. As strange as it was, Tom found it somewhat gratifying with how much Sonic became literally attached to such a simple and old instrument. His new companion had certainly brought multiple new changes to his life and was glad this was one they could cherish together.
Later that evening, when Maddie returned from work and the trio had just finished cleaning up supper dishes, Sonic grabbed Maddie's hand as she was about to make her way up the stairs. Upon inquiry what he was doing, he pulled on her hand and ushered her to follow him. He lead her out the back door and onto the porch, where Tom sat with the guitar in his lap and a big smile on his face. Maddie's face lit up and exchanged glances with both Sonic and Tom, who seemed incredibly proud of themselves for planning the surprise. Maddie and Sonic made their way to the porch swing on the end of the deck, where she lifted Sonic onto the swing beside Tom, and then sat down besides Sonic, putting him in the middle.
As the last rays of sunlight painted the clouds and trees, Tom started strumming the nostalgic melody to his family.
Tom and Maddie had never imagined having a child together, and Sonic never thought he'd belong to a family. But as they sat together on the deck, with the swing rocking slowly to the sound of the guitar, accompanied by the leaves rusting in the evening wind and the distant sound of nature, the three of them couldn't imagine being anywhere else.