Eight Years Old
He blinked.
Her grin widened.
He blinked again.
"You ate... All of it?"
She nodded happily, rubbing her tummy for emphasis. "Yup! It was good, but hot!" She stuck her tongue out, still smiling happily. "It burnth my tongueth, but ith was goodth!"
"Ponyo," He half groaned, half laughed. "That was for dinner! Dads coming home, and it's New Years, and--" When her eyes suddenly widened and filled, he hastily cut himself off. "Wh--whats wrong?!"
"Ponyo did bad?" She whispered, drooping suddenly as if a huge weight was placed on her thin shoulders.
"Wh-what?! No! It's just, now we'll have to go get another ham--"
"Ham? More ham?" Ponyo brightened immediately. "Yay! More ham! I'm going to go tell Lisa!"
Sosuke's head was already cradled in his hands by the time she had got up and ran off, the platter they had originally kept the dinner-ham on balanced on her head.
