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Sedate (Part 1)

'Erwin, ' said a voice, very far away 'Levi?

'Erwin. ' No, this voice went further back, years back '

Papa?

'

Wake up, daydreamer. '

His eyes opened.

His father sat at the head of the dinner table, a kind smile on his face as he carved the roast.

'Papa? ' Erwin asked, aware that seeing his father was a special occasion, but unable to remember why.

Is this real?

He looked down and ran his fingers across the familiar red-and-white checked pattern of the tablecloth, feeling the ridges where the colours met. Helena sat across from him, no more than four or five years old, and Mama sat at the end of the table. His mother 's cheeks were rosy, a smile on her face; she looked out of place. When he thought of Mama, he thought of frown lines, thin wrists.

'The door, Erwin, ' Papa said. 'Could you please answer it? '

'Oh! Sorry. ' He swung his legs over the side of the chair and hopped down.