Live Well, Laugh Often, and Love Much

by CulinaryChef

A series of Soviet siblings drabbles. Story title is from a Dove chocolate wrapper, and some chapter titles are from a "100 themes" writing prompt that I found. Please enjoy! I hope no one is too out of character. I just have this notion of little Belarus being the cutest, most curious thing ever. Many chapters may focus on her, but as a little sister myself, I may be a bit bias.

4. Dark

Natalia - 5

Ivan - 10

Katsuya - 13

Natalia had to sleep with the door cracked open just the smallest bit. Otherwise, she told her brother and sister, the monsters would get her.

"Sweetie, there's no such thing as monsters," Kat assured her for the millionth time.

"Yes there are!" the five-year-old girl refuted, pounding her little fist on the table resolutely.

The eldest sibling sighed. "Nata, you know monsters aren't real."

"Yes they are. Ivy says so."

Kat turned to their brother, who was grinning sheepishly from across the table. "Ivan..."

"What, sister? They are real," came the 10-year-old's reply. Ivan loved his little sister to bits, but that by no means meant that he couldn't mess with her. If anything, it gave him all the more reason to. "They are real, and if you don't behave yourself like a good little girl, then they'll come out and grab you in their giant claws and hold you tight to make sure you can't escape!"

"Nyet!" Natalia ran into her sister's protective arms.

Kat held her baby sister close. "Hush, Natalia." She then turned to Ivan, reprimanding him in a firm but kind voice. "Ivan, the both of you are getting too old to be acting like this. Please stop encouraging her that monsters exist."

"But big sister, they do." He was about to go on, but one look from Katsuya made him reconsider. "Yes, Katsuya."

The big sister nodded. "Good. Now come, dear. Ivan will help you get ready for bed, and I'll be in to tell you a story right after I finish cleaning the dishes."

Natalia unlatched herself from her sister's comforting embrace and looked from sister to brother to sister again. "But what about the monsters?"

"Nattie," Ivan began as he approached the girls. "You heard what big sister said. Monsters aren't real. And even if they are..." He scooped her up and stood up with her in his arms. "I'll protect you from them."

Natalia blinked her wide blue eyes into her brother's violet ones from a long moment, as if she was silently studying him to make sure he was telling the truth. "Promise?"

A small smile danced onto Ivan's lips. "Promise."

That was good enough for the little girl. "Ok," she conceded, and wrapped her little arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder.

Ivan's smile grew wider as he walked toward her room. One day she would be too big to be carried to bed and too old to be convinced as to the existence of monsters, but he was glad that that day wasn't today.