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''Papa, " Abigail called for her father and asked for a comforting cuddle.
''What is it, mylimasis?'' Hannibal let her nuzzle into his chest and smiled gently when she whimpered her discomfort at being dragged into the new places she didn't care to be in. ''it's alright. We just have to wait a little bit more. There will be a very nice lady showing you some very nice toys to play with. You love to play, don't you?'' Hannibal reasoned, and to the toddler the deal seemed fair and square.
''Yes, Papa.'' She answered and giggled at the kisses on her cheeks. ''Why do we need to be here?'' she asks, and Hannibal happily distracted her and eased both of their nerves with tales of learning about the stories they often visit at bedtime.
''So you can learn about the world. You love to read and learn, don't you?''
''yes!'' she exclaims
''Yes, my darling. You love the tale of Tristan and Isolde. Here in the Academy, they will teach you how to read more books like these and share your thoughts. Would you like that?'' Abigail nods enthusiastically, and she smiles when Hannibal indulges her in telling a story about a dragon and the girl who was rescued by a knight in shining armour. It was easy to forget why Hannibal had been here when he had a toddler to entertain. Right until an assistant, Hannibal had been corresponding with for the last two months via e-mail, approached the pair.
''Lecter Hannibal and Abigail Lecter?''
''yes, that's us'' Hannibal flashed her with his most charming smile and murmured to Abigail to be on her best behaviour. She settles a couple of seconds later, knowing her appa means real business on his promise to let her play since the lady he talked about arrived.
''Hello, lady,'' she timidly greets, peering up at the stranger. She could feel her papa's chest moving, and her ears were filled with his chuckle. She was a little bit confused about why her greeting was funny. She was only being polite, following her papa's words.
''And hello to you too, Abigail, " the lady greets her and offers her a smile, to which she mirrors it back to her. ''Welcome to our academy. Your Papa has been telling me all about you. Would you like to play with me?''
Abigail cautiosuly nods and look up ath her papa for approval. ''Nu, mīļā. Es tevi pieskatīšu tūlīt aiz muguras. Sekojiet jaukajai dāmai uz rotaļu istabu, labi?''
''labi, tēti.'' She jumped to her feet and took the offered hand from the lady in hers, and she was led to the playroom. Hanniabl followed right behind, making good on his promise and watching how his darling interacts with strangers. She was talkative as soon as the lady kindly mentioned the tales of King Arthur's knights, and she started telling her all about her favourite Galahad.
Hanniabl's heart felt at ease as she was really easy to make her boundaries and was quick to adapt to the new environment once she was released into the room filled with toys that were strategically designed to test her skills in motor and cognitive abilities. She was immediately drawn to puzzles.
As she talked about her favourite book, which she had read on the weekend with her papa at bedtime, she successfully balanced the rows of animals onto the boat-shaped plans that were rocking left and right. It was an impressive thing to witness as she easily led the conversation with the assistant, who tested her ability to multitask, and she got her answers back as cleverly as the questions were aimed at the toddler.
Hannibal was proud, and with confidence, he was sure his amazing daughter would get a place in this prestigious academy. However, the screening process was not only about his daughter, but it also mattered how well he would do the interviews for a parent. The headmaster, Hannibal, had the pleasure of meeting him during one of the grand opera openings, entered the watchroom and gave him a warm welcome.
''How are you, Hannibal? Your little bundle of joy shows remarkable potential for our academy. How is she?''
''I appreciate your honesty, Mrs Komeda. She makes me doubt my parenting skills every day. A remarkable child '' Hannibal practically beams at the light giggle she gives in return. She was one of the few people he often met at the events that support the cultural delights of art and music, and she was famous for dragging her husband everywhere. Of course, Hannibal couldn't say no to her charming words of encouragement and got a chance to introduce her to his toddler, and she offered to give him a spot at the screening process for enrolling her in the Academy.
They chat as they watch Abigail excel in the complicated puzzle she was put to do by the assistant.
''Well, I regret to leave your side, but work calls and this place seems to fall apart if I don't find any new funds any time soon. Good luck today. And if you need anything, I can give you a good recommendation. There are plenty of good options besides us.''
''Thank you, I really cherish this opportunity'' Hanniabl smiles and says his goodbyes. There was a reason Hannibal had been nervous this whole time. He thought homeschooling Abigail would be a good choice, but as the work as a psychiatrist piled up, and his patients needed regular visits, he had to find a reasonbale solution. Enrolling her in the preschool academy. He has an inkling she has a gifted mind as well, but only tests like these will determine if the program is right for her. Until now, he had tried his best to let her explore the world as she wanted, and he was glad he was on the journey with her. She loved everything to do with her der papa, and that gave him an incentive to introduce her to music and books.
With delight, he found her gobbling up every word that was written, as long as it included the tales of fantastic beasts and knights in shining armour, and she loved nature. Of course, Hannibal would be proud of her regardless of what she chooses to study and follow her own path in the future. But he can't shake the darling sight when she immediately darted toward the deer and fed them delicious vegetable treats in the zoo they visited when she was grown enough to walk by herself and go exploring.
His peaceful reminiscence was disturbed by the loud and rushed noises of a toddler and the husky noises of a parent in desperate need to have a second to breathe.
Oh, the joys of parenting, Hannibal chuckled as he himself had been in the same situation numerous times before. And it was all the more endearing to watch the scene unfold like watching his younger self to ease the loud toddler to hush their voice. Of course, the little boy did not listen, and the man was helpless.
He dared to set his eyes on the chaotic pair, and his heart skipped a beat. There was a toddler boy with the most ravenous and wild curls Hannibal had ever seen; his chubby cheeks and striking blue eyes were a marvel to witness. And his father was a carbon copy of his smaller version. The toddler was cutely fighting for his right to wear a space suit while the father, defeatedly, let him be comfortable as is. It was sweet to see such a gentle bond between the two.
''okay, Adam, just like we talked about. There will be plenty of space toys, and you can tell the nice lady all about your favourite plants and the stars, okay?'' Like a switch was turned up, the toddler started rambling about space and how the stars were born in the big, vast universe.
Hannibal smiled to himself, and he could see a little bit of Abigail in that little boy. Kids can be such chatterboxes, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
The little boy was targeting his speech about planets toward the entire room and found Hannibal, who smiled back at the brilliant boy. He was missing a tooth right in the middle, which gave Hannial a good chuckle when the father, already used to the chatty toddler, already had his answers ready to spur the boy further into talking about space. He saw a lovely dynamic between the two, and he blushed when the boy got a tender kiss on his chubby cheek.
Another assistant came in and greeted the rushing pair, little Adam listing fun facts about the planet by now. The young father tries to reel in the child but unsucessfully and let the boy roam free for the remainder of the a short chat. Enough for the spirited boy to wander around to Hannibal and make him a hostage of a lecture on stars and planets.
''Adam! Come here. This nice lady has a nice space puzzle for you to play with. You know we do not bother others. What do you say?'' the father gently scolded, no mean tone or words behind it, only letting the little boy know that he needed to be loose to his parent.
''i am sorry.'' Came a soft exhale and sigh in relief as the father had his spaceman toddler back into his arms and the toddler parroted his apology to the stranger.
''No trouble at all. Always happy to greet new little ones.''
''I am not 'little ones'. I am Adam.'' The toddler glares as if Hannibal burned his mac 'n cheese.
''Terribly sorry, Adam.'' Hannibal chuckles and eases the father into an easy and more relaxed energy around him. He saw the stress on his worried face. ''But I would like to learn more about the stars. Do you have your favourite?'' by a knowing glance from the after, Hannibal knew he had set off another word-for-word documentary narration about the dying stars and his favourite called Nebula.
''Okay, spaceman, how about we give the very nice man a little time of his own? He needs some time to decide which is his favourite star,'' the father eased the boy and tried to convince him to go with the assistant lady. As if another tantrum would be in order, the lady steps in and shows him the planet puzzle, and Adam is immediately taken by the toy.
''There we go.'' The man smiles fondly as he watches his toddler enter the playroom with a toddler girl.
''i guess the adorable girl over there is yours''
''the very one'' Hannibal pufffed up as Abigail greeted the newcomers and let Adam show her his new puzzle.
''how old?''
''She will be 5 years old in a month. And your adorable boy must be around 4.'' Hannibal pursues his medical and child development knowledge in good use and enjoys the wide-eyed look he gets from the handsome father.
''i used to be a doctor. And being a psychiatrist, I had been interested in child development when I had to take care of my own wonder when she came to the world. '' That seemed to calm down the man, and he nodded to his words.
''he just turned 3,5 yeah. Smarter for any first grader. He could tell how many days old he is simply by explaining the dates and the cycle of a year. He is a curious kid .''
''his speech is incredible for such an age, a common sign to be brilliant at whatever they put their minds to.''
''yeah, my spaceman wants to be an astronaut''
''i don't see why not. He's halfway there with the suit'' Hanniabljokes and gets the chuckle of the other father who offers him a kind handshake.
''my name is Will Graham. The spaceman is Adam, as you know''
''pleasure to meet you. Hannibal Lecter. Abigail is my daughter. The fathers now observe the kids to play together, Adam taking in the question in strides and answering them just as brilliantly as Abigail before. Hannibal notices his ways of problem solving, the eye avoidance and the flood of information he can't contain inside him anymore, and it needs to get out.
''When did he show signs of Asperger's?'' Hannibal asks when he sees the boy clearly struggling with accepting how the communication is going between the lady and Abigail, and tries to be careful around it. He often repeated the puzzle over and over again, soothing himself in the familiarity of knowing the puzzle inside out until he found the toy that allowed him to reorganise things his way over and over again. The biggest frustration was when Abugail tried to help and disturbed his process.
Hannibal saw the struggle and a clear tantrum on the way, but just in time, the lady assistant managed to calm the toddlers down.
''right around when I started to introduce him to more of the outside world. I think at age 2 it was clear that he had difficulty and needed alone time more often than the other kids. A few difficult tantrums and routine establishment later, the doctor did some tests, and here he is, my spaceman.'' The father smiled at his little boy so fondly that Hannibal's heart melted at the sight.
''There was no space addiction in the description.'' Will jokes and waves with a space book he brought with him if Adama needed to read about something that comforts him. The book was his secret weapon numerous times before. ''i can't recall the exact number, but there are at least hundreds of stars on the ceiling up in the house, so he could feel like he is in space at night. Satrry sky and all that'' he speaks fondly and smitten over the memory he is recalling.
''a true calling. That's a rare gift in this day and age'' Hannibal agrees and reassures the worried father, who rubbed his eyes and yawned his sleep away. He saw the dark circles under his eyes and Hannibal, what a handful little Adam must be when the difficulties came into play in their routine.
''All the more reason to get him into this fancy place. There is a special program made just for him, and a good friend of mine gave me a recommendation letter to get me into this screening test today.''
''The academy is known for its variety in accommodating brilliant young minds. I hope for the best and the little Adam to find a place for himself in this world''
''let's hope so. I heard only one spot is open for this year, and I need to have a support system that also expands outside of me.'' Will watches foindl yat Abigail, Hannibal's girl who tries to make friends with his shy son. ''at least some friends would do him good.''
Hannibal chuckled and agreed. '' Abigail is known to explore and gets interested in others '' Hannibla winces when Adama clearly doesn't like her invasion, but sees that Abigail manages to avoid being too much for the boy. So she silently sits with him and does a puzzle with wooden animals. The two assistants were able to do their questioning for the time being.
''Well, she seems like a great kid. A bit with a handsy approach, but Adam will quickly figure out how to handle her approaches.''
''he had trouble in the past?''
''back then, yes. Many fights to even get him to cooperate when I visited my father. He is a feisty boy.''
''i do not doubt that. He was adorably scowling at me when I called him wrong''
''Yeah, that's my boy.''Will laughs and waves at his cute boy, who only now notices his father watching him. In his unique fashion, the boy stares for a few seconds, hardly showing any emotions and looking somewhere behind his father. Hannibal found it endearing when Abigail tried to do the same, but couldn't find his focal point and resorted to making faces at Hannibal.
''she has a way to people's hearts'' Will observed and could see the toddlers make great friends.
''that she does. And she readily exhibited extraordinary manipulation skills. Especially when it comes to getting another slice of cake.'' Hannibam mused. ''she always was good at asserting herself in the new place, however, she does need a little bit of a push from time to time. That's why animals help her immensely in her confidence. It is why I decided to have help for a furry friend at home''
''Ooh, what kind?''
''a magnificent Borzoi hound.'' Hannibal said proudly. ''his name is Sitka, and they practically grew up together ever since she reached 2 years of age. ''
''They are gentle beasties.'' Will was enomared by the way Hnnial talked about his daughter playing with a big hound of a dog. He had an inkling the Bprzoi could be just as much of a menace as his Winston.
''you got any dogs? I had read a study where animals are very therapeutic for the children on the spectrum''
" Oh, we got 7 furry mances at home. And 3 newly acquired rescues from the shelter. 5-month-old puppies in fact.''
''A collector then''
''you could say so. I—'' Will was cut off when one of the assistants called for the handsome father with high cheeks.
''Thank you. '' the man thanks the assistant who brought Abigail back to him, who proudly showed her drawing to both of the adults. ''That's wonderful, my darling '' Hannibal praises her like no tomorrow and gets her in his arms. She giggles and flashes her smile to the stranger.
''you look like Adam'' she cheerfully points out and nuzzles into Hanniabl's chest. Will almost wants to snatch her up and take her home with him.
" Well, yes, he is Adam's papa'' Hannibal says in a hushed voice, explaining to his toddler girl who the stranger is. '' Why don't you say hello? This is Will.'' He encourages his lovely daughter to wave toward the pretty man, and she gets a kiss on her head when she softly says hello.
"Heya, munchkin'' Will greeted with a goofy voice, and Hannibal was smitten all over again, this time expertly hiding his blushy cheeks behind his daughter as she giggles at the funny man.
" Unfortunately, we are already late, but looking forward to meeting you two again.'' Hannibal regretfully is reminded when the assistant lady calls for him again and apologetically smiles at Will.
''Good luck, " the father wished them all the best and watched Hannibal with Abigail in his arms, following the lady down the hallway into the office. He wished to see the adorable pair once again.