4. Dark
She was four, and he had just turned five. He was old enough to count his age on one hand, "Look unc, five! That's way past cool!" And from the moment he turned five, he was determined to share that knowledge with every being in the city. He was a big boy now, and everyone had to know it! And as was routine, he made sure they all knew what it meant to be a big boy. He was old enough to go to kindergarten, old enough to buy his own chili dogs, and old enough to sleep without a night-light!
But she was still four, and still afraid of the dark.
It wouldn't have really matter much if she had spent every night alone in her room, but the fact of the matter was that she hadn't. During Sir. Charles and her father's late night chats, she had spent many nights with her best friend next to her, snoring and sleeping like it was nobody's business. And since he was a "big boy," that meant that the room was pitch black every night.
Usually, though, it didn't bother her too much. Most nights, the young princess was too exhausted to pay any attention to the darkness. Being so young, her primary goal in life was to wear herself out, eat when necessary, then crash for the night and do it all over again the next day. It was a simple routine, and it made sleeping a breeze. When fatigue took her by the hand and led her to slumber, she knew that it had been a good day.
However, there were days when the two had been forced to "behave" and be on their best behavior. It was boring to say the least, and unfortunately, it left the two with too much energy to deal with successfully at bedtime. He dealt with it a little easier than she did (since he was especially talented at falling asleep whenever he felt like it), but she… had issues with it, to put it simply.
It was on that first night without exhaustion that her fear began to pry on her nerves. Everywhere she turned she could see them dancing in the shadows. Monsters, beasts, evil creatures; they were all waiting for the opportune moment to strike. They waited for the moment to devour her alive, to destroy her, rip her apart, take her by the throat and choke the life out of her—such images only made her horror that much stronger.
When were they going to get her? When were they going to end her misery? She was scared! She just wanted it to end! Sally let out a quiet wordless breath—a sob, a whimper—as tears began to overflow her eyes. It was terrible… it was horrible and terrible, and just plain mean! Why did—
"Thally?" The girl's heart paused at the sound of her friend's voice, "Are you okay?"
Ever so quietly, the young girl turned on her side and faced her friend. His emerald eyes were fixated on her and filled with worry while his mouth hung open in a wordless gap. He was missing his two front teeth thanks to a mishap with an untied shoelace and a tree, but other than that, he looked the same as ever.
"Thal?" His lisped version of her nickname made her blink back into reality after a few moments of staring, leaving her to quickly shake her head. She was most definitely not okay. Heck, she was ready to start bawling like a baby.
The blue boy was silent for a moment as he stared at his friend. Then he took in a deep breath and pulled his hand out from under the covers, placing it on top of her red hair. He stroked it several times before speaking, "You're okay Thally. I'm a big boy. Do you know what that meanth?" She shook her head. "No one ith gonna meth with ya ath long ath I'm here. Okay?"
The little girl stared up at him for what felt like forever. Then quietly, she nodded and swallowed. He smiled at her again, and though he didn't know it, it meant the world to her.
This one was especially fun to write. :) I enjoyed this one. ^^
Thanks to Spectacular Spider-Man for the fave, the alert from Edwiddlem. And thanks to all the reviews too! :D They mean a lot! XD
