A Bad Dream

"Ashe? Ashe sweetheart open your eyes!"

Without hesitation Ashe opened her eyes, and was greeted to see that she was in her family living room. She was sitting at one end of a vast oak table, with a large majestic ice cream cake sat before her. A lit wax candle shaped like a "9" sat at the very top of the cake.

Ashe felt her mouth water. She loved ice cream cake! She always, always loved it! She was about to reach for a fork and pierce off a huge chunk of cake until she felt a firm hand on her arm. Looking up, she saw her mother looking down at her with her beautiful, blue eyes.

"Uh-uh," her mother sang and wagged a finger at her, "first you have to unwrap your present dear."

"But I want some cake now." Ashe complained.

"Not after you open this present your mother and I got for you," Her father walked in and dropped a neatly wrapped gift in front of the cake, "happy ninth birthday, love."

"Oooh new present!" Ashe said happily as she pulled the red bow from the present and slowly started unwrapping. If there was anything in the world that she loved most, it was the gifts which her mother and father gave her every time they came back from their business trips.

"Your mother and I thought very hard what to get for you the next time we arrived back home," her father said, "but we're sure that this present will be something special that will be with you always. Like a friend whom you can always turn to whenever you feel alone at home, love."

As Ashe was peeling the shiny wrapping paper away from her mysterious gift, a million thoughts were racing in her mind. What could her parents have bought her this time? Could it have been a bicycle? Stupid, her dad said it's a gift that will always be with her, so it might be like a doll right? But even though she's nine years old, Ashe thinks she's too old to be playing with dolls. She'd rather be outside aiming at targets with her brand new bow and arrow which her parents bought her last month. Plus she's used to being alone at home while her parents were away, but lately she's been having a lot of bad dreams, so maybe having a companion might not be a bad idea after all…

The last of the gift wrapping fell down which finally revealed the gift hidden behind it. At first, Ashe thought her parents gave her a giant snowball, but looking closely it wasn't a snowball, but rather indeed a doll! Its white fur had black marble eyes and brown curved horns were atop of its head. Its hooves were hardly noticeable, but what was truly conspicuous was its tongue. The doll had a large, pink tongue sticking out of its mouth as though ready to lick Ashe in a friendly way.

"Well sweetheart? What do you think?" her mother said.

"It's...it's…" Ashe extended her hands to the doll and hugged it to her chest. She was surprised how big it was! It was probably like half of her height. The doll's tongue licked its tongue against her face, and Ashe smiled. One thing was certain: this new doll will definitely be her new friend.

"She likes it!" her mother exclaimed happily.

"Of course she does." Her father put an arm around her spouse, "that doll is a resemblance of a real animal called a Poro. They're very friendly creatures. Shy, but very loving once they know you. Very sensitive creatures, so make sure you don't criticize them for the mistakes they've done. They prefer the cold weather due to their warm bodies, that's why all of them live in Freljord."

"I love it!" Ashe said happily as she squeezed the Poro to herself, "I will call you Bob, okay Bob?"

"Incredible," her mother whispered as she stared at Ashe playing with the Poro, "if only it was that easy for her to interact with the other children."

"It is a very difficult matter," her father admittingly said while also staring at Ashe playing with her new birthday gift, "but she isn't like the other children. I have a strong hunch that she will grow up to be a very special person. Let time run its course."

"Yes, yes of course," her mother clapped her hands together, "Ashe sweetie it's time to have some delicious birthday cake-"

Ring ring ring.

"Hang on a sec." her father pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. The screen blinking white from an incoming phone call.

"I thought you turned that off," her mother replied, her smile vanishing while a hint of anger surged from her voice.

"I know dear, but business matters always occur." Her father replied in an almost nervous response as he flipped open his phone and walked out of the kitchen.

"It's our daughter's birthday," her mother replied, the hint of anger was now growing, "can't they see that-"

"Mom it's okay," Ashe tugged her mother's long skirt, alarmed that her parents would start fighting "Bob can take dad's spot and we can have cake together. Right Bob?" Ashe shook the Poro's big head up and down like as though agreeing with her.

Her mother's looked down at Ashe and her anger quickly disappeared. Disappointment still evicted from her unhappy expression as she brushed her hands together.

"Yes of course sweetie," her mother replied mustering a weak smile, "let me bring the plates from the kitchen that way we may have some delicious cake together as a family." Before she left, she kneeled behind Ashe's chair and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Ashe, I know your father and I hardly spend time with you because of work, but we want you to know that no matter where we are, no matter how far we may be, and no matter how much time has passed, we always love you. You will always be in our hearts and in our minds, and we'll try spending time with you whenever we have the spare time." She kissed Ashe by the cheek, and patted her head gently as she stood up and walked to the kitchen, thus leaving Ashe alone in the living room.

"Mr. Bob would you like some ice cream cake with me too?" Ashe smiled as she waddled the large Poro on the table, "'Why yes Lady Ashe, ice cream cake is my favorite too!'"

A low rumbling sound emitted outside, but quickly grew louder and louder, shaking the table and swinging the chandelier above Ashe. Soon it became so loud that Ashe had to cover her ears in order to avoid some of the screeching. Ashe was familiar with that sound. She heard that sound hundreds of times before when at the airport to watch her parents leave. It was the sound of their private jet taking off to their business destination.

"Mom? Dad?" Ashe yelled frantically, pressing her hands against her ears in order to muzzle the noise. She leaped up from her seat and started running to the kitchen until a fiery blast knocked her off her feet. Last thing she saw before she passed out was the nose of a fiery airplane piercing through her living room wall, destroying everything in its premise, with her parents wailing for her help inside the burning jet.