"Daaaaaad, can I check the attic for vampires yet?" Dib whined, "I wanna make sure Gaz doesn't join them, cause then I don't stand a chance."

"Not until you're six and a half, son," his father's imperious voice wafted up from the basement. "That's when the parenting books say children become autonomous."

"But I AM six and a half!" Dib called.

"Oh, have fun then!"

Dib rolled his eyes. He'd just turned six last week, but his Dad tended to lose track of his age pretty easily.

Lucky for him.

Dib strapped on his explorer's helmet, complete with battery-powered headlamp, and grabbed his voice recorder. A good investigator took plenty of memos! He darted over to the back of the upstairs hall. He'd prepared for this day early on, having used a rickety stepladder to tie a longer cord to the ring in the ceiling. On his big day, he would be able to pull the cord and bring down the staircase with ease.

Today was the day. He grabbed the cord, yanking hard. The trapdoor popped open, shooting a set of stairs at his head. He yelped, dodging as it slammed into the ground where he'd stood a moment before.

"Membrane log," he whispered into his recorder, "The vampires know I'm here, they've tried to stop me from discovering them. They're killers, I'll stop 'em!" Yanking his helmet firmly down on his head, he grabbed a fistful of garlic out of his pocket, glancing down to make sure the crucifix was hanging safely around his neck, and charged up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs he paused, glancing back. "My holy water!" He'd bothered a local priest until the man had blessed his water bottle just to get him to go away. It was back on his nightstand, by his bed. He hesitated, then faced forward again. "No goin' back now!"

The light from the hallway below him threw the whole room into spooky shadows, shifting and flickering as he moved. Any one of them could be a vampire, lurking, waiting to pounce on him and suck his blood out. He shivered, excited and terrified as he turned, scanning the attic slowly. "Membrane log, I'm in their lair. Any minute now I'll kick 'em out, and then Gaz will stay a scary normal sister, and not a scary undead sister. Maybe she'll—GAH!"

As he turned, he saw an adult-sized figure looming nearby. Fumbling with his helmet, he flicked on the light, thrusting the garlic in front of him. "Back bloodsucker!"

He paused, adrenaline fading. "You're not a vampire." He muttered, disappointed.

The figure that stood there wasn't a creature of darkness at all. It appeared to be a glass statue. It had few defined features, although it definitely stood upright, one couldn't quite call it human in appearance. Something about its face that wasn't quite right, or the way its arms curved like tendrils instead of arms. Even its forward motion, arrested in time, didn't suggest the usual motion of running. The glass was pure and crystalline. As he shone his headlamp through it, the light broke apart, scattering all over the attic in rainbow-colored diamonds.

"Ooooh," he gazed around, awed, forgetting all about his quest for a moment. "Wow, I didn't know we had somethin' like this!"

He pulled a box over, climbing up on it to better inspect the face. He frowned a little. "Wow, you look like you're scared of something. Hey lady," he said, deciding that the long swath of glass hanging off the back of her head counted as long lady hair, "Don't be sad. I bet you're under a curse or something. I don't do magic, just ghosts an' aliens, but I bet I can find something for ya! My Dad's real smart, just wait, I'll be back!"

Dib tore down the stairs, elated, calling, "Dad! Dad!" He tumbled down the basement steps, babbling, "Dad there's a glass lady in the attic, she looks really really sad, I bet she's under some kind of enchantment, Dad I know you don't like that stuff but can you do it just this once please cause I know you're really smart and science is kinda like magic!"

"Don't be ridiculous son," Membrane laughed, "Science is nothing like magic, because science actually exists. Glass lady? I know there was some junk upstairs when we moved here, it must have been the previous owners."

"Daaaaad pleeeeeeease!" Dib begged.

"Now son, you can do what you want with the junk upstairs, but don't expect me to get involved in your fantasies, I have real work to do."

Dib stuck his lip out, climbing back up dejectedly. He should have known better than to ask.

When he reached the attic again, he pulled the trapdoor closed behind him, plunging the attic into total darkness. Pulling off his helmet, he switched on the headlamp and pointed it at the glass lady. He watched the diamonds fly all over the room and find their places, then pulled up his knees and sighed.

"There can't be any vampires here," He muttered, "That would'a scared 'em outta hiding the first time I did that." He stared up at her. "I think you're really a lady," He said firmly. "Dad's smart but he's wrong. It's gotta be really boring up here all alone and frozen, so I'm gonna talk to you, kay? I'll come every day after Skool, an' we can talk about stuff. I know you can't talk, but someday I'll find a way to make you okay, then we can talk all day long."

A crack sounded in the attic, and he jumped, staring all around. After a moment, he settled down, nervous. It was an attic, and attics made creaky sounds in all the movies. He smiled up at the figure. "Maybe then you'll be able to tell me your name too, that'd be cool, but for now I'll just call you Glass Lady. You'll be secret, kay? I mean, Dad knows, but he's gonna forget real fast, like he forgets a lotta things."

Dib's wrist beeped insistently, and he sighed. "I gotta go Glass Lady. It's dinner, and Dad's hoverscreen chases me if I don't go get dinner. I'll talk to you later." He popped the trapdoor open again, climbing down the attic stairs. "Bye!"

"Who you talkin' to?" Gaz glared up at him from her doorway.

"Just me," Dib grinned widely. "Talkin' to myself."

"Weirdo." Gaz turned, heading for the kitchen.

…..

Note: Brain. You just can't wait can you. Promise I will finish Elyon, but this… thing… would not shut up… also if there are mistakes, sorry, I'm sick and really tired right now…