1998

,,Mooom?"

She didn't move.

,,Mom?" she said a but more loudly.

,,What?" she woke and sat up.

,,I'm thirsty."

,,I'll bring you something," she murmured, seemed more dead than alive.

Kate grinned. It worked! Now she could be up.

She just woke from a nightmare and badly needed to be up at least fifteen minutes to push it away. She won't tell her mother about it, though. She'd be frightened and afterall, she could deal with nightmares alone.

After a while, she was back with tea.

The little girl tasted it, then said;

,,It's too hot."

Ten minutes. After a while she came back;

,,It's too cold!"

Another while:

,,It needs more sugar."

Another- now she felt mother is losing her patience.

,,It's too sweet!"

,,DRINK IT THE HELL ALREADY!"

Kate jumped, but drank it, then returned the cup and lied down. Then quietly looked around the room with eyes only.

The nightmare wasn't there.

,,Phew," she sighed.

,,And to think you are going to get up so early tomorrow," she heard a mumble.

I forgot, Kate twitched. I'm going somewhere tomorrow…

…..

,,Well, do you like it here?"

,,Yup, it's okay."

,,I'll come later. Bye!"

,,Bye," Kate kissed her mom's cheek, hardly listening. She looked around the room. It was huge, a kind of room she liked. But not one of the things there appealed to her. All the other three to six year old kids played with everything there was, well except for one box. Old toys were there, mostly it was plushies and dolls covered with dust, because nobody played with them for a long time. She headed right to it, sat down in front of it and examined it. She noticed how they were in chaos.

,,Have you strayed?" she asked a dog plushie, which was sitting among dolls. It was grey with long, black ears – a very common type back then.

,,No," it actually answered. ,,They left me here." It was the same voiceless conversation like she had earlier.

,,Do you want to go to the others? The lower shelf?"

,,Yes, if you'd be so nice."

She reached out and did so.

,,Thanks! I won't forget this. Right?"

Some others agreed to this, also voicelessly.

,,But what in return?" the dog asked.

,,Mhm, I don't know. Keep me entertained for a while? It's quite boring here when I have nobody to play with."

,,Your first day here, kid?"

,,Yes."

,,How about telling you stories?"

,,That would be great!"

She leaned against the shelf and listened.

…..

,,Why don't you play with the other kids?" the teacher asked her once.

,,Why?"

,,Don't you want to?"

,,No."

,,But it's important to play with others, you know?"

,,I don't wanna."

,,But why not?"

,,They are…" She couldn't find a fitting word.

,,As you want…"

But not all the kids were so different (she found the word).

She played with two boys and a girl sometimes. The girl loved to play with and made houses, and kate loved it too, and the two boys played hide-and-seek when they were outside.

But still, she was always most entertained when listening to the ghosts in plushies.

….

One day, they drawed in class- the theme was their family and them.

In front of Kate's picture the teacher smiled at first- but then she stayed surprised when she saw a girl with small light red things beside her shoulders.

,,Who's this?"

,,Me," Kate said almost offended.

,,And what are those?" she pointed out the red things.

,,Wings!" she announced proudly.

,,You gave yourself wings…?"

,,Yes."

,,And why?"

,,I don't know."

,,Alright," the teacher sighed in amusement over the strange kid. ,,but people don't have wings."

,,I know," the child stated absolutely casually, but then quickly turned to the picture and erased them.