Was it the next day? No, Eric is 5 years old again. Even though he was 5 feet shorter, his parents were just as towering. They're holding Eric by the hand as they walk with him through the park. It was Eric's and his parents' first picnic, and the only one that they ever had.

"Are you hungry yet?" asked his mother, her tone was more soft than usual.

"Yes."

She turns to Eric's father, "Let's find a nice area soon! Your father and I made your favorites too." He looked up at him.. He looked so much more lively before he was drowned by his work.

Not too soon do his parents find a spot near the lake to place their picnic blankets. His mother wasn't lying, she made everything he ever could have wanted: tea eggs, braised pork ribs, watermelon, probiotic milk drinks, and hawthorn flakes. Without a second thought, Eric digs into the feast happily. His mother and father smile at the sight, not daring to take a bite. This time, Eric notices:

"Are you hungry yet?"

"No Eric, seeing you full makes us full. So eat as much as you can." That's right. They had always placed him before themselves. So why did Eric feel so sorrowful? The softer, younger faces of his parents begin to blur. It was difficult to tell whether it was the result of his tears of him waking up from his dream. But that would be answered with a shriek that shocked Eric out of the comfort of his bedsheets.

"Eric! You useless- I knew you would just waste your time rather than do your homework!" Eric didn't have anything to say back. It was too early in the morning.

"What are you even going to do without me? Huh? Just rot like you always do in your room?" Eric could hear a sob, "You'll never become anything special!" The words shook every bit of exhaustion from Eric, replacing it with a fierce resentment. He doesn't say a word though, not yet. Bracing himself for the next verbal barrage, he slowly descends the stairs to eat breakfast, keen to maintain some form of stability amongst the chaos. However, his father sits at the dining table, glaring straight at Eric.

"Nothing special huh... your mother and I should just go send you to the nearest orphanage if you want to be that way." The resentment was growing stronger, it was just one day's worth of homework, and Eric was being threatened and berated for it.