Rubbing his forehead, the great mage rose wearily to his feet. I have not yet begun to fight, he told himself firmly. He would get to the bottom of this.
Numair walked over and leaned against a bookcase, watching the floor at all times for any sign of evil child life. Slinking slyly through the workroom, no one was to be found. It was silent. Too silent.
"Cowzabunga!" shrieked a high-pitched voice, making Numair turn around, startled. The little girl who was Daine, or Dainey, leaped off the top of a bookshelf onto his back.
"Aaaaagggghhhhh!" Numair screamed, falling to the floor face-first. Slowly opening his eyes, he could feel her weight on his back.
"Horsy!" she demanded.
"What?" he asked, bewildered. Trying to get up, he was stopped by an angry kick in his ribs. He fell back to the floor with a groan.
"Me wanna play horsy! You horsy. Giddeup!" Bouncing up and down on his back, Dainey stamped her feet impatiently. "Now!"
Numair gritted his teeth. Be very firm, he told himself. "No! I don't want to play horsy. Get off now!"
Dainey immediately burst into tears. "You....don't....like....meee!" she wailed, pounding her little fists on his back.
"Ow! Ow, stop!" Numair pleaded. Little as her fists were, they really hurt!
"Umph!" cried Dainey, standing up, jumping on his back, then running off.
Numair lie on the floor for a long time. Slowly, a plan formed in his mind. He grinned.
Yet again pulling himself up from the floor, Numair snuck around the bookcase, this time watching both up and down. Swinging around a corner, he found himself face to face (several feet higher than, actually) with the scary children.
"Pway," commanded the little Alanna with a slight lisp and a pouty lip.
"Hold on," ordered Numair. "I want to know what happened to all of you."
"Nutin!" shouted the little redheaded Cleon. "Now pway! Pway!"
"Pway! Pway!" the kids commanded, circling Numair. Strangely, the little Neal attached himself to Numair's leg.
"I can't play with you now, I need to finish working. I just need to know what happened....is there another mage here? Big, like me?"
The little Kel came forward and held up her arms, indicating that she wanted to be held. Tears formed in her small, dreamy eyes. "I wanna go home to Mommy!" she wailed.
Quick as a bonfire spreading through a dry forest, the others picked up Kel's crying. "Want Mommy!" screeched Alanna loudly.
"How about if I, ahm, read you all a story?" Numair quickly suggested. Neal released him. This quickly cheered them up, so Numair picked up Kel and sat her in his lap on the floor. The children, except for Daine, all huddled around him. Little Dainey was doing her best to sulk and ignore the rest of them.
"Let's see....once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who-"
"I wanna be the princess!" shrieked Neal excitedly.
"No, me!" cried Alanna. "I'm more pretty-fuller than you are!"
"Are not!"
"Am too!"
"Are not!"
"Am too!"
"Enough!" bellowed Numair. "It's time for a new story. Okay...there once were three little pigs who-"
"You're a pig!" shouted Cleon to Neal.
"No, I'm the princess!"
"No, I am!"
"Me!"
"Me!"
Numair sighed and rolled his eyes. And he had actually wanted to have children?
"All right," he began, but was silenced as he felt a strange, warm wetness flowing onto his pants....
With a cry, Numair through off Kel, who had evidently lost control of her bladder. "Ew! Yuck! Great, now I have to go wash this off," he moaned. Kel giggled and whispered something to Alanna, who in turn whispered it to Neal.
"What are you talking about?" Numair asked suspiciously. They all turned to him with innocent eyes.
"We's got a new idea!" announced Kel. Numair groaned.
"No, I have an idea. I'm going to put on clean pants, clean you up, and turn you all back into sensible adults!"
The children exchanged glances, then turned to him with an evil look in their eyes.
"Lie down," commanded the little Daine.
Numair backed away. "Oh, no. You are not going to try to play horsy again! I'm just going to go get some new pants and-"
While backing up, the ever-graceless mage tripped over a string that had been put there for that purpose. The kids ran over and sat on him, laughing in a care-free manner. Numair struggled, but he was no match for all of them.
"Just sit here and we'll take care of you," promised Alanna evilly. I'm not sure that I want to be 'take care of ' by you, thought Numair. Lying on his back, he looked up to see Alanna holding a heavy book above his head.
"Someone up there just really doesn't like me," he moaned before Alanna dropped the book and he went out cold. The other children quickly ran off to find the supplies they needed.
They needed to hurry to complete their project before he woke up. Daine and Cleon soon returned with pink paint, which was perfect. "All right! Let's paint the princess's dress before she wakes up!" cried Alanna. Her little minions laughed and got to work, changing Numair's black robe to a pink one.
"Pink is much prettier than black," commented Kel, and Alanna quickly agreed.
Numair walked over and leaned against a bookcase, watching the floor at all times for any sign of evil child life. Slinking slyly through the workroom, no one was to be found. It was silent. Too silent.
"Cowzabunga!" shrieked a high-pitched voice, making Numair turn around, startled. The little girl who was Daine, or Dainey, leaped off the top of a bookshelf onto his back.
"Aaaaagggghhhhh!" Numair screamed, falling to the floor face-first. Slowly opening his eyes, he could feel her weight on his back.
"Horsy!" she demanded.
"What?" he asked, bewildered. Trying to get up, he was stopped by an angry kick in his ribs. He fell back to the floor with a groan.
"Me wanna play horsy! You horsy. Giddeup!" Bouncing up and down on his back, Dainey stamped her feet impatiently. "Now!"
Numair gritted his teeth. Be very firm, he told himself. "No! I don't want to play horsy. Get off now!"
Dainey immediately burst into tears. "You....don't....like....meee!" she wailed, pounding her little fists on his back.
"Ow! Ow, stop!" Numair pleaded. Little as her fists were, they really hurt!
"Umph!" cried Dainey, standing up, jumping on his back, then running off.
Numair lie on the floor for a long time. Slowly, a plan formed in his mind. He grinned.
Yet again pulling himself up from the floor, Numair snuck around the bookcase, this time watching both up and down. Swinging around a corner, he found himself face to face (several feet higher than, actually) with the scary children.
"Pway," commanded the little Alanna with a slight lisp and a pouty lip.
"Hold on," ordered Numair. "I want to know what happened to all of you."
"Nutin!" shouted the little redheaded Cleon. "Now pway! Pway!"
"Pway! Pway!" the kids commanded, circling Numair. Strangely, the little Neal attached himself to Numair's leg.
"I can't play with you now, I need to finish working. I just need to know what happened....is there another mage here? Big, like me?"
The little Kel came forward and held up her arms, indicating that she wanted to be held. Tears formed in her small, dreamy eyes. "I wanna go home to Mommy!" she wailed.
Quick as a bonfire spreading through a dry forest, the others picked up Kel's crying. "Want Mommy!" screeched Alanna loudly.
"How about if I, ahm, read you all a story?" Numair quickly suggested. Neal released him. This quickly cheered them up, so Numair picked up Kel and sat her in his lap on the floor. The children, except for Daine, all huddled around him. Little Dainey was doing her best to sulk and ignore the rest of them.
"Let's see....once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who-"
"I wanna be the princess!" shrieked Neal excitedly.
"No, me!" cried Alanna. "I'm more pretty-fuller than you are!"
"Are not!"
"Am too!"
"Are not!"
"Am too!"
"Enough!" bellowed Numair. "It's time for a new story. Okay...there once were three little pigs who-"
"You're a pig!" shouted Cleon to Neal.
"No, I'm the princess!"
"No, I am!"
"Me!"
"Me!"
Numair sighed and rolled his eyes. And he had actually wanted to have children?
"All right," he began, but was silenced as he felt a strange, warm wetness flowing onto his pants....
With a cry, Numair through off Kel, who had evidently lost control of her bladder. "Ew! Yuck! Great, now I have to go wash this off," he moaned. Kel giggled and whispered something to Alanna, who in turn whispered it to Neal.
"What are you talking about?" Numair asked suspiciously. They all turned to him with innocent eyes.
"We's got a new idea!" announced Kel. Numair groaned.
"No, I have an idea. I'm going to put on clean pants, clean you up, and turn you all back into sensible adults!"
The children exchanged glances, then turned to him with an evil look in their eyes.
"Lie down," commanded the little Daine.
Numair backed away. "Oh, no. You are not going to try to play horsy again! I'm just going to go get some new pants and-"
While backing up, the ever-graceless mage tripped over a string that had been put there for that purpose. The kids ran over and sat on him, laughing in a care-free manner. Numair struggled, but he was no match for all of them.
"Just sit here and we'll take care of you," promised Alanna evilly. I'm not sure that I want to be 'take care of ' by you, thought Numair. Lying on his back, he looked up to see Alanna holding a heavy book above his head.
"Someone up there just really doesn't like me," he moaned before Alanna dropped the book and he went out cold. The other children quickly ran off to find the supplies they needed.
They needed to hurry to complete their project before he woke up. Daine and Cleon soon returned with pink paint, which was perfect. "All right! Let's paint the princess's dress before she wakes up!" cried Alanna. Her little minions laughed and got to work, changing Numair's black robe to a pink one.
"Pink is much prettier than black," commented Kel, and Alanna quickly agreed.