::Midnight Surprise::
Ellone awoke in the darkness of midnight, hearing a soft scritching in the wall behind her bed. Freezing in place, the little girl listened as it stopped abruptly. Was that a monster? Was it in the wall? Was it trying to get out to eat her? Her heart raced as she lay in the little room that she had to herself.
It was too quiet now. But this might be her only chance. Bolting out of bed, she raced out of her room, little bare feet pattering against the wood floor. Pausing at the door to the room that Raine now shared with Laguna, she could hear their voices from the other side. They were still awake!
Throwing open the door, she darted inside the dark room. The moonlight from the window guided her to the bed. "Uncle Laguna! There's a monster in the wall!!"
Laguna and Raine froze and turned their heads to look at Ellone with wide eyes. They were under the blankets of the bed that they shared. But Laguna didn't look like he had sleep in mind as he was hovering over Raine, even though it was past bedtime.
"Uhhhh..." was all that Laguna managed to utter.
Raine managed to be a little articulate. "Ellone! What are you doing up?!"
"There's a monster in the wall! Uncle Laguna has to go get it!" she repeated.
Laguna groaned and collapsed on top of Raine. The petite woman pushed on the form of her husband. "Laguna! Get off!"
"I got a cramp in my leg," he whimpered without moving.
"Yes, I can tell." Raine looked to Ellone again. "Elle, why don't you wait outside the door for him to get up, okay?"
Ellone looked back to the door, then to her adopted parents. "Can I sleep with you?"
Laguna started to laugh and Raine batted his head, "Laguna! Stop that! Get off! I can't breathe! No, Elle, you can't sleep with us."
Waving his hand at the little girl in a shooing gesture, Laguna spoke in the darkness. "Wait for me, okay? No monsters are gonna get you, 'cause I'll be out of here so fast that I'll get them first!"
"Okay!" The little girl ran out the door and waited right next to it.
Just as promised, Laguna emerged in a bathrobe with machine gun in hand. "Alright. Let's go take care of that monster."
Stepping into the little girl's room, he flipped on the light and searched around for the monster. Under the bed, in the closet, behind the dresser... No monster. Suddenly, the soft scritching in the wall returned. Ellone shrieked, "There it is! There it is!"
Laguna quieted the girl with a gesture to hush as he listened to the wall. Rubbing the back of his neck, he shrugged. "It's just a mouse in the wall, Elle. No monster."
"A mouse?" She looked to the wall. A mouse was better than a monster, right?
"Yeah, this is kinda an old house," Laguna replied as he picked her up and put her in bed. "And old houses tend to have mice in them. You know what we should do, Elle?"
Ellone looked up as she snuggled into bed. "What?"
Tucking her into bed, Laguna replied, "We should get a kitty. Kitties are supposed to get mice."
"Could the kitty sleep with me?"
Smiling, he nodded. "Yeah, the kitty could sleep with you." He tousled the girl's short brown hair, "G'night, Elle."
Picking up his machine gun and turning off the light, Laguna returned to his own room. Setting the weapon in its customary place by the nightstand, he shed the robe and slipped back into bed. "It was just a mouse in the wall," he reported to his wife. There was no response except soft breathing. Propping himself up on one elbow, he grinned, "So, where were we? ... Raine?"
Her eyes were closed and her breath was soft and slow. She was asleep. Laguna flopped onto his back. "Aw, man..."
Ellone awoke in the darkness of midnight, hearing a soft scritching in the wall behind her bed. Freezing in place, the little girl listened as it stopped abruptly. Was that a monster? Was it in the wall? Was it trying to get out to eat her? Her heart raced as she lay in the little room that she had to herself.
It was too quiet now. But this might be her only chance. Bolting out of bed, she raced out of her room, little bare feet pattering against the wood floor. Pausing at the door to the room that Raine now shared with Laguna, she could hear their voices from the other side. They were still awake!
Throwing open the door, she darted inside the dark room. The moonlight from the window guided her to the bed. "Uncle Laguna! There's a monster in the wall!!"
Laguna and Raine froze and turned their heads to look at Ellone with wide eyes. They were under the blankets of the bed that they shared. But Laguna didn't look like he had sleep in mind as he was hovering over Raine, even though it was past bedtime.
"Uhhhh..." was all that Laguna managed to utter.
Raine managed to be a little articulate. "Ellone! What are you doing up?!"
"There's a monster in the wall! Uncle Laguna has to go get it!" she repeated.
Laguna groaned and collapsed on top of Raine. The petite woman pushed on the form of her husband. "Laguna! Get off!"
"I got a cramp in my leg," he whimpered without moving.
"Yes, I can tell." Raine looked to Ellone again. "Elle, why don't you wait outside the door for him to get up, okay?"
Ellone looked back to the door, then to her adopted parents. "Can I sleep with you?"
Laguna started to laugh and Raine batted his head, "Laguna! Stop that! Get off! I can't breathe! No, Elle, you can't sleep with us."
Waving his hand at the little girl in a shooing gesture, Laguna spoke in the darkness. "Wait for me, okay? No monsters are gonna get you, 'cause I'll be out of here so fast that I'll get them first!"
"Okay!" The little girl ran out the door and waited right next to it.
Just as promised, Laguna emerged in a bathrobe with machine gun in hand. "Alright. Let's go take care of that monster."
Stepping into the little girl's room, he flipped on the light and searched around for the monster. Under the bed, in the closet, behind the dresser... No monster. Suddenly, the soft scritching in the wall returned. Ellone shrieked, "There it is! There it is!"
Laguna quieted the girl with a gesture to hush as he listened to the wall. Rubbing the back of his neck, he shrugged. "It's just a mouse in the wall, Elle. No monster."
"A mouse?" She looked to the wall. A mouse was better than a monster, right?
"Yeah, this is kinda an old house," Laguna replied as he picked her up and put her in bed. "And old houses tend to have mice in them. You know what we should do, Elle?"
Ellone looked up as she snuggled into bed. "What?"
Tucking her into bed, Laguna replied, "We should get a kitty. Kitties are supposed to get mice."
"Could the kitty sleep with me?"
Smiling, he nodded. "Yeah, the kitty could sleep with you." He tousled the girl's short brown hair, "G'night, Elle."
Picking up his machine gun and turning off the light, Laguna returned to his own room. Setting the weapon in its customary place by the nightstand, he shed the robe and slipped back into bed. "It was just a mouse in the wall," he reported to his wife. There was no response except soft breathing. Propping himself up on one elbow, he grinned, "So, where were we? ... Raine?"
Her eyes were closed and her breath was soft and slow. She was asleep. Laguna flopped onto his back. "Aw, man..."