Children, Hold Your Mistake Up | Griffin's Snowglobe
[Griffin remembers nearly nothing of his childhood home in Billingham. That shouldn’t serve as a surprise, as the O’Conners started moving around when Griffin was five years old. However, he does remember this. Billingham is, by and large, a factory town. They specialize in chemical factories. Griffin and his father happened to catch this scene on their way home from getting groceries. An acrid smell almost emanates from the globe, the thick black smoke surrounded the senses. It’s the furthest back Griffin can remember. To this day, he sometimes what life would have been like if they never left Billingham and he had gone to work in one of those factories. Just be like everyone else.]
[It’s a cloudy, busy day here. Martyr’s Memorial is a popular tourist spot, so this may be a familiar sight for some. It certainly appears to be crowded this day. The people are happy enough, taking pictures and reading the inscription on the memorial itself. A double-decker tourist bus is making its way down the road. It seems like a day like any other, nothing special. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is where it all changes. Griffin’s first Jump takes place on those steps, right in front of that bus.]
[It’s your average American home. The TV places it in the early nineties. The walls are blue. There’s a cozy recliner in the corner. It’s attached to a clean and white kitchen. There are pictures on the wall of a young Griffin with two older people, clearly his parents. In fact, the parents are cuddled on the couch. The man has the remote while the woman has a book in her hands. The title is in French. Siren’s Port has seen this living room before. At least, they have if they were watching TV on one particular night. It’s a decidedly different vibe.]
[It’s the middle of the day, but the thick leaves cover the sky. Sunlight peeks through here and there, but it is still mostly dark. The exception is the clearing, where the small waterfall stands. It's oddly still, with no animals nearby. It serves as a much needed haven. It’s already a stunning scene. It’s made all the more beautiful by the woman. There is an absolutely gorgeous Mexican woman cleaning up in the waterfall. She has long, dark hair, amazing skin, and she is completely naked while she bathes. She's perfect in every way, although this may be his memory tampering with the moment. It's how one in love would see this woman. She’s young, but too old for a fifteen-year-old Griffin. This is a stolen glimpse. It is the only time he had dared peeked while waiting his turn.]