Brian's eyes opened to a stream of incessant beeping. Steady...piercing... obnoxious. Refreshing, somehow? He squinted as his eyes aches, burned with white brilliance. It came from the square on the wall. He knew there was a concept for that, but what it was escaped him.

He was lying in something soft. Crinkly. Warm. What?

Oh...those things they pulled up onto him.

They?

The people who passed by sometimes to sit with him. Family? They were called family! But where had he heard the word?

"Oh, good," said the dancing wisps of smoke twirling over his feet.

He stared through half-slitted eyes. Smoke didn't talk, right? He thought? He opened his mouth to ask who had spoken, but only a dry croak came out.

"Nope, no can do," the smoke replied. The way tiny lights flitted back and forth inside it as the sound rang out, it had to be the smoke. Slowly, he rolled his head to the side, and it felt like climbing a mountain. He winced and heaved a sigh.

"Window," he murmured. "Bright." Window! Another correct concept! But how? Who had told him what a window was? Why didn't he remember?

"Beautiful, ain't it?" The wisps swept over him and formed the outline of a tiny flying boy over his chest. A...fairy. "Congratulations!"

Brian stared. Congratulations? For what? He couldn't remember...but when he tried to push himself up, he saw his weak, ashen arms rise out from the blanket and flop again. His shoulders ached from the slightest motion.

"You didn't ask for physical ability," the boy said with a wag of his finger.

"Ask...?"

"You've been here since you were a little baby. This is the first time you've been with it enough to talk to me."

Brian coughed faintly and glanced at the stack of machines next to him. Ugh, if the beeping would just stop. He fumbled with the tubes running from his arms.

"I'd suggest not touching those," the fairy chuckled. "But wow, you didn't even remember me. I finally found a dream coherent enough to show up for you."

"Call..."

"Can't. Only you can hear me. But you wanted to wake up with the knowledge of someone your age, so here you are! You'll remember slowly, but the basics should be coming in now."

Wake up? He stared around the stark white room. Wake up...?

"Whoops, almost six. She'll be here soon. Gotta fly! Congrats, you're the oldest guy I've ever granted for!"

He was gone in a soft puff, and Brian stared through the empty air where he once was. Just as he closed his eyes again, rooting through his mind for more words, the door opened.

The nurse dropped her clipboard.