I looked up at him and smiled. "OK! We'll be friends!" I said in a happy tone as I hugged him. His hair and feathers were soft and he smelt like candy. He soon hugged me back as he replied "Good girl." Then there was a knock on my door. "Emily." I heard as I went wide eyed. "Mommy's coming." I whispered as I quickly grabbed his hand and put him in the closet. "Wait here. Mommy hates clowns. She'll make you go away." I whispered to him as I quickly closed the closet door. Once I did that I sat down and said "Yes mommy?" No sooner did I say that mommy and daddy came in. "Here." Mom said as she put oatmeal on my mini tea party table. "Oatmeal?" I asked. "Yes. It's good for you." She said a bit harshly. "Ok." I mumbled as I went to it. "Can I go outside today? Daddy said I could." I asked. "No." she quickly said before daddy looked at her. "Sarah." He said before she looked at him. "Arnold! She's not well enough to go outside." She said as they soon began whispering to each other. I felt bad. For some reason I always made them argue. "It's ok mommy. I'll stay inside like a good girl." I told her as they both looked at me. I began eating the mushy oatmeal to make her happy. I wasn't sure if it worked or not. "Are you sure kiddo?" Daddy asked while mommy glared at him. I nodded. "I'm sure. Can I watch a movie though?" I asked sweetly. Daddy answered before mommy could "Of course kiddo. I'll bring in the battery powered TV and some of your movies. You can watch as many as you want." He said as he drug mommy outside my room. I could barely hear her bickering before daddy quickly came back with the TV and a bunch of my favorite movies. "Let me know if you need anything else ok kiddo." He said as I nodded. "ARNOLD!" we heard mommy yell. He sighed and patted the top of my head before walking out of the room.
Once I knew he wouldn't come back I ran to my closet. "Ok Jack. There gone." I said but when I opened it he wasn't there? "Jack?" I questioned as I poked my head inside "Jack?" I questioned again as I walked inside and looked for him. "Laughing Jack?" I called again as I walked backwards out of my closet and closed it. I sighed in disappointment before I turned around. When I turned around I saw him sitting at my tiny table looking at my oatmeal. "Yuck. That doesn't look good." He said as he looked at me and laughed. I smiled a bright smile and went up to him and hugged him. "I thought you left me." I told him. "Naw tootsie. I just didn't want them to open the closet and find me." He said as I let go of him and then tilted my head ready to question him. Almost as if he knew he answered my unasked question. "I can teleport from one area to another." he said as I stared in awe. "You can do that? Does it tickle? Is it fun?" I asked as I tried to contain the excitement. Laughing Jack started laughing and answered my questions. "Yes I can. It does a little. And yes! A lot of fun! Wanna try?" He asked and extended his clawed hand to me. I nodded and grabbed his hand as he pulled me close and we teleported from one side of my room to the other. At first we were covered with a black mist, and it felt like bubbles were popping on me, and then when it all faded we were next to my bed. I smiled and giggled as I looked at him. "That was fun." I told him as we soon started laughing.
"Do you wanna play a few games or watch a movie?" I asked him once I stopped laughing. "Whatever you want to do cupcake. Whatever you like I like." He said as I looked at him funny. "Really?" I asked. "Yes. Thats what I'm here for. Very special children find my box and decide whether to let me out or not and the ones who do I become their friend and do whatever they like until they are not around anymore." He told me as I understood the 'not around anymore' part. "Do you feel sad when they die and you don't have anyone to play with anymore? Aren't you sad when your left alone until another child comes around?" I asked as I grew sad from that. He looked at me and got lost in thought. "I never thought about that. I suppose it does get lonely. But I have you gumdrop. So I'm not sad or alone now and neither are you now are you?" He asked me as I shook away the sadness and smiled at him. "Not anymore." I replied. 'At least until I tell you.' I thought as I then looked at my oatmeal. "I hate oatmeal. Mommy says I need to eat it but it's always mushy and yucky." I said with a sigh as I went to my bowl to eat it. "Let me finish this first and then we can watch my favorite movie." I told him as I tried to eat it but he stopped me by taking the bowl and spoon away and disappeared. When he reappeared not even a minute later it was empty. "You don't need that awful stuff. Have these instead." He said as he filled it with hard candy and lollipops. "For me?" I asked him. "Of course gummy bear. Sweets for the sweet." He said as he made a large lollipop appear and started eating it. I smiled and grabbed a blue lollipop. "I love blue lollipops!" I told him as he put a few more blue ones in there. "There you go Lollipop." He said as I smiled. "Time for a movie then?" I asked as he nodded. "Your going to love this one then." I said as I put in the movie and we began watching 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' together. "I've never seen this one." He said as we were watching it. "It reminds me or you in a way. It looks dark and creepy like you do but there are good monsters with kind hearts like I know you do. The main character is named jack, like you, and wears black and white like you as well." I told him as it started. "The main character's name is Jack?" He asked as he started laughing. "Yes it is." I said laughing with him. We watched the movie and ate candy together as I curled up closer to him.
"I liked that one." Jack said as he looked at me and I smiled at him. "Told you. Tim Burton movies are dark and creepy but I like them a lot." I told him as I started to get up. "How bout a game?" I asked as he stood up and looked around. "Wanna play hide and seek?" He asked. "I don't think we can Jack. I'm suppose to stay in my room for the day and my room is small to play in." I told him as he smiled. "Well then how about we play a board game?" He asked as I brought him to my closet and pulled out a lot of games. "I picked the movie so its only fair to let you pick the game." I told him as I pushed a bunch of games over to him. He saw candy-land and pulled it out. "I haven't seen this one in years." he said as I giggled and helped him set it up. We played a few rounds and every time he'd get stuck in the licorice or had to go backwards he'd say something like 'oh snickers' or ' fudge bars' and I'd laugh at how at how funny and cute it was. When we stopped playing we had a tea party and he even let me invite Dream Weaver. "Thats a weird name for a bear. Why not Teddy?" He asked. "To many bears named Ted or Teddy and he didn't look like a Teddy to me." I told him. "It's very unique." He told me as I giggled and smiled. I hadn't felt this happy in years. We finished the candy off already and just as we finished the tea party there was a knock on my door. "Hold on." I said as Jack quickly teleported away and I opened the door and saw mommy there. "What are you doing?" She asked in a harsh tone. "Finishing a tea party." I told her as she pushed me inside and placed more oatmeal in front of me. "Dinner." She said as she took the empty bowl and left. I looked at the oatmeal and yucked. Jack suddenly appeared and looked at it. "Again?" He asked in disgust. "Mommy always feeds me this. I'm not sure why though." I told him as he got rid of it and gave me some gummy bears and gummy worms instead. We played for a bit more before I was it was 7pm. "I have to go to sleep Jack. Daddy will be inside soon to read me a story." I told him all sad. "Want to go to a carnival tonight? I can see you in your dreams and take you there." He told me as I smiled brightly. "Oh yes please. I've only been to one carnival before and I'd like to go to another." I told him as he laughed. "Sure thing gumdrop. It'll be fun. I promise." He said as we hugged and then he left. I got my pajamas on and as I crawled into bed daddy came in and read me a story as I soon drifted off to sleep.
