Queen of Science

Finally, Fern gets to come home from the hospital.

Fern wakes up as she is placed in a car seat. Blinking away the sleep in her eyes, Fern takes the opportunity to evaluate her environment. She had previously thought that she went back in time, but she quickly rejected that idea after she looked outside. The environment and architecture are almost the same as the modern environment and architecture in her universe.

It seems that everywhere you look there is some sort of greenery and flora. Arranged flowers and small trees decorate the sides of the road. There is not a patch of unhealthy or pale green grass to be found. Approximately every 15 feet there is a large, tall tree. If she did not know any better, Fern might say that she was in an elf forest.

The buildings are mostly black and white with small pops of color. Wood pieces of various ages are used to add dimension. Large panes of glass often make up an entire wall. The roofs are either flat and perpendicular to the walls, or they are sloping into the walls of the building.

Camilla, who is sitting in the backseat with Fern, points her finger at things outside and tells Fern what they are.

"That's a house"

"Up there is a cloud"

"There's a man with a dog"

Once the car begins slowing down, Camilla points forward and says, "There's home!"

Fern turns her head forward. There is a large white house. The house looks like two wide cubes that are stacked on top of each other. Large sections of the walls are glass; they create an illusion of being both outside and inside at the same time. To the side of the house, there is a stone patio with a wood pergola. The pergola is covered in red flowers and acts as a semi-permeable roof. In front of the house is a beautiful garden. Unsurprisingly, there are many ferns growing in the garden.

Pleasantly surprised by the grandness and beauty of the home, Fern expresses her excitement by smiling and giggling.

Once the car is pulled into the driveway, Camilla picks up Fern and carries her into the house with Miles trailing behind.

"Miles, I'm going to settle onto the couch and feed the baby. Will you start making lunch? I would like some fruit."

"Anything for you, love"

A phone starts ringing as Camilla walks into the living room. Camilla fishes around in her back pocket until she pulls out a flip-phone. In the hospital, people avoided using phones in the presence of little Fern, so this is her first time seeing one. She notes the contrast between the modern architecture and the dated technology.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Oh ~ Roseanne, how are you?"

"Yes, we just got home with the baby. We're about to have lunch. Would you like to come over? I'm sure Miles would be overjoyed to see you."

"Okay, I'll see you soon. Bye, bye"

After hanging up the phone, Camilla walks into the kitchen and tells her husband, "Your mom is coming."

Miles leans over to kiss Fern on the cheek and then looks up at Camilla's face, "Alright, I'll make more food."

"Thanks, babe."

Camilla then returns to the living room and sits down on the couch. She reaches to the end table and grabs a remote. When Camilla presses the power button, the TV makes a crackling sound and buzzes on. Fortunately, there is not an antenna attached to the TV, but it is still relatively small and chunky.

Since her parents seem to be financially well-off, Fern muses that the television is probably considered high-technology.

After 7 minutes of watching the news with her mother, Miles walks into the room with two cups of orange juice and a plate with two sandwiches on it. He sits down next to Camilla and the family waits for Fern's grandmother to arrive as they eat lunch.