MARY, MOTHER OF BOB

Liz Milne

Mary went into Bob’s room cautiously. There are certain disillusionments suffered by the mothers of teens, and Mary was no exception. She sniffed gingerly, ready to pinch her nostrils shut.
        So far so good.
        She stopped in the middle of the room, stared around her, hands on hips.
        Clothes strewn all over the floor, plates and bowls messily stacked on the minuscule nightstand, books on the floor near the mostly empty bookcase.
        Mary thought about gathering up the crumpled clothes to clear the floor a bit, then bit her lip. If she started tidying for him, he would expect it all the time. She turned to leave and saw the thing on his desk.
        She drew closer, frowning in puzzlement. It was an orb, a sphere of some kind. She lifted it carefully, wondering, turning it over and over.
        ‘Oh, Mum, don’t!’ Bob's voice sounded behind her and she jumped, nearly dropping the thing.
        Bob came over and took it from her, carefully replacing it on the stand he had crafted for it.
        ‘What is that thing?’
        ‘It’s my experiment,’ Bob replied, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. ‘I’m doing it for the science fair and it’s coming along nicely.’
        ‘What is it, though?’
        ‘It’s a microcosm. A little world.’
        ‘You made it?!’
        ‘Yeah.’ Bob seemed mildly pleased with himself. ‘It’s even getting little lifeforms now. They’re a bit blobby, and you can only see them with a microscope, but I hope they’ll get bigger soon. Maybe big fierce lizard things, that would be cool, haha!’
        ‘Haha,’ Mary responded dutifully, fighting to not show the … fear? Yes, it was fear – that had sprung into her chest.
        ‘Tidy this mess.’ She indicated the strewn floor. ‘Before bedtime, please.’
        ‘Aw, Mu-um, do I have to?’
        ‘If you can make a world of living creatures,’ Mary said severely, ‘you should have no problem doing a bit of cleaning.’
        Mary went out, closing the door firmly behind her.