Disclaimer: All Grown Up (c) Klasky-Csupo

All Grown Up: Keeping It In

Part1

Dil Pickles was sitting alone in the Java Lava Internet café with his chin in his hand, swirling a straw around a chocolate milkshake that he just didn't feel like drinking. He was aware of eyes on him from time to time, though by this time he didn't care whose eyes they were. Chaz Finster and Betty Deville were both there (hardly surprising as they owned the café), and they were bound to be concerned because they were good friends with Dil's parents. Their sons, Chuckie Finster and Phil Deville, were somewhere around as well. It was Chuckie who eventually came over and sat down opposite Dil, assuming a look of kindly concern behind his thick glasses and stray strands of vivid red hair.

"What's the matter, Dil?" Chuckie asked in distinctly nasal tones. "You've been playing with that milkshake for like a half-hour."

"You wouldn't understand, C," Dil sighed sadly, his eyes downcast and hidden behind the false teeth trailing from his red-and-blue-striped hat.

"Try me," invited Chuckie. "C'mon Dil, you're my best friend's little brother. I'm not just gonna leave you here looking like your dog died."

Dil sighed resignedly and then lifted his head slowly to look at Chuckie. "I've suspected something for a few days now," he confided. "And now the very sight of this milkshake is making me feel sick. You know what I really crave right now?"

"What?" Chuckie asked obligingly.

"A diced banana floating in fresh orange juice with a light seasoning of salt."

Chuckie just looked at him, somewhat taken aback even though he knew that he should be used to this kind of thing from Dil by now.

"Chuckie, don't you see?" Dil asked desperately, spreading his hands in an elaborate gesture. "I think I'm pregnant!"

Chuckie was two years older than Dil, and had known him since the day he was born. He'd heard almost everything from the eccentric young boy, but this was a new one on him. He took a few moments to let the news sink in, and then he decided to try and reassure Dil by pointing out the obvious flaws in his assumption: "Dil, you're a nine-year-old boy. You can't get pregnant. I think Tommy's doing sex ed in school – go home and ask him and I'm sure he'll tell you all about it."

"Chuckie, you're so naïve," Dil smiled slightly, shaking his head in a parent-like manner. "Do they teach you about alien reproduction in sex ed?"

"Oh, aliens," Chuckie nodded, finally understanding. "Well… uh… congratulations, I guess. Who's the father? Izzy?"

"Izzy?" Dil seemed to cheer up at last, laughing freely at the very notion that his imaginary alien friend could be responsible for this. "Chuck, as much as I love Izzy, he is imaginary. He couldn't get me pregnant even he wanted to, which he wouldn't, because I'm like a mother to him. Ah man!" His face suddenly clouded over with concern. "I hope he doesn't get too jealous when the babies arrive."

"Babies?" Chuckie asked tentatively. "As in more than one?"

"I'd say I'm packing about a dozen."

Chuckie blinked. "Oh. Right. So… um… how do you feel?"

"It's hard to say," sighed Dil, dropping his eyes again slightly. "I'm proud that I was chosen, natch. And I already love these little guys – I can feel them growing inside of me! But… how am I gonna tell my parents?"

"Well… I'm sure they'll understand," Chuckie said carefully, the subtext of this advice being that Didi and Stu Pickles wouldn't believe for a moment that their younger son was incubating a dozen alien embryos, but they'd probably humour him like they usually did.

x x x

Dil swallowed his last mouthful of meatloaf and then raised his head to look at his parents, taking a deep breath and regarding each of them in turn. "Mom," he began boldly. "Dad." He then looked at his ten-year-old brother Tommy and added soberly, "T. I have some news. Now I know you'll be shocked at first, but when you've had time to come around to the idea I hope you'll be happy for me."

Stu, Didi and Tommy Pickles all looked expectantly at their young relative, utterly clueless as to what this seemingly important news might be.

"I'm pregnant."

They all just stared at him from a few moments, wondering what to say to this. Finally Tommy gave a response: "Hey, that's great news, D. Congrats, y'know?"

"Who's the father?" Stu asked cautiously.

"I don't think you'd know him," replied Dil. "Dad, don't get mad, but the father isn't really around anymore. He had to go back to his home planet indefinitely on urgent business. But it's ok. If he doesn't come back I'm just gonna have to raise the babies on my own."

"That's… great, honey," Didi smiled weakly, rising to her feet and hurriedly gathering up plates. "Stu, may I have a word with you in the living room?"

Dil watched, perplexed, as his parents hastily retreated into the next room. He then looked at Tommy and asked, "What's their problem, T? Mom and Dad are normally cool about all my alien communications. I hoped they'd be psyched for me."

"Well… this one is a little different, bro," Tommy pointed out.

"Right," Dil nodded, his expression suddenly clearing. "Gotcha."

"Uh… really?"

"Sure. They're just freaked out that they're gonna become grandparents. I mean that's understandable – you and I aren't exactly of an age to be planning families. But once they get used to the idea they'll be as excited as I am!"

"You're excited, huh?" asked Tommy.

"Totally," Dil smiled happily. "And so should you be. You're gonna be an uncle, T."

"To an alien. That'll be weird."

"Aliens. And believe me, you'll love them just as much as if they were human."

"Right." Tommy cut a sideways glance at the living room doorway, from where he could hear his parents' voices hissing furtively at each other. "Um… D… it's swell that you're gonna be a mom and all, but maybe you should tone it down a little around the parents. I mean they're cool with most of your… stuff… but when you start saying you've got baby aliens inside of you…" he tailed off.

"Hey, I had to tell them sometime," shrugged Dil. "It's not exactly the kind of thing you can keep a secret forever, right?"

"Uh… right."

"What do you think they're talking about in there?"

"I don't know," Tommy said darkly, though he thought he could take a pretty good guess. "Maybe I should go find out. But you stay here, ok? They might be… planning your baby shower."

"It doesn't sound like they're planning a baby shower to me," remarked Dil, his brow furrowing with concern. "You don't think they'd try to make me get rid of them, do you?"

"That… um… has to be your decision, Dil."

"You're right, Tommy," Dil nodded solemnly. "That's what I'll tell them."

Tommy smiled weakly at his brother and then followed his parents into the living room. Stu and Didi were still hissing and squeaking at each other, obviously wanting to shout but mindful of being overheard. They stopped abruptly when they saw their older son walking into the room.

"Guys, c'mon," Tommy began reasonably. "It's harmless."

"But he actually believes it, Tommy," Didi said quietly. "UFOs and flashing lights are all very well, but now it's getting out of hand."

"It's not hurting anybody," retorted Tommy. "And it makes him happy. Mom." He looked imploringly at Didi. "Wasn't it only last year you told Vice Principal Pangborn where to go when he wanted Dil to get counselling?"

"Yes honey, but I didn't realise then how bad it was," explained Didi. "You must have noticed that it's getting beyond a few slight eccentricities. One of these days it might stop being harmless. Dil thinks there's something inside him now. What if he decides next that he has to cut himself open?"

"Oh, what if," muttered Tommy, rolling his eyes. "Ok, so what are you gonna do?"

"We're just going to have someone talk to him to start with," Didi explained patronisingly. "We don't know what will happen after that."

"Well whatever it is I know Dil's not gonna like it," retorted Tommy. "I expected more from you." He looked at his father and added, "Both of you."

x x x

With the burden of having to tell his parents no longer on his shoulders, the news of Dil's pregnancy travelled fast. Betty Deville listened from the service counter at the Java Lava on Saturday morning as Dil discussed the news with Phil, Chuckie's stepsister Kimi Finster and their friend Susie Carmichael.

"I'm really happy for you, Dil," smiled Kimi, a pretty and colourfully dressed Japanese girl of eleven years. "So when's it due?"

"There's more than one," Dil told her patiently. "And I don't know. Nobody bothered to tell me how long my gestation period would be."

"Aliens, huh?" remarked Susie, a twelve-year-old black girl with mini-braids tied up in a red bandana. "The least he could have done would be to tell you what to expect."

"So like… where are they coming out of?" asked Phil, really wanting to believe that this was true even though he couldn't quite do it.

"I'm thinking my mouth," Dil replied casually, not noticing the arrival of his parents and brother to the café. "But hey, maybe they'll surprise me."

"So are you experiencing any symptoms yet?" Betty asked loudly, as she carried over a bowl of banana slices floating in fresh orange juice. Didi had always asked her friends to indulge Dil in his little fantasies. "Just you wait for the varicose veins. They're a nightmare, particularly when you're carrying twins."

"Twins?" echoed Dil, sprinkling a small amount of salt over his banana and orange juice. "I'm expecting dectuplets at the very least."

Betty smiled and shook her head fondly as she retrieved three empty sundae glasses and turned to make her way back to the counter. When she got there she was suddenly accosted by Didi, who spread her arms in an elaborate gesture of despair and squeaked frenziedly, "Betty, what are you doing?"

"I'm just humouring the pup, Deed," Betty replied defensively. "Isn't that how you parent?"

"Until recently," Tommy intoned darkly. "What you guys are doing is wrong."

"It's just a consultation, Tommy," Stu said brightly. "It might not even change anything."

"Well, hopefully it'll stop him thinking he's got aliens inside of him," muttered Didi. Then she strode towards the table where the kids were sitting and called, "Dil!"

"Mom. Hey. 'Sup?" Dil smiled pleasantly at her.

"I can't watch this," mumbled Tommy, going over to the counter where Chuckie was wiping down the surface and Betty's daughter Lil was replenishing the ice-cream machine.

"What's going on?" Chuckie asked anxiously, catching sight of Tommy's mutinous expression.

"They're taking Dil to a shrink."

"And that's bad?" asked Lil.

"Hey," Tommy shot at her. "My brother may be a little weird but he's harmless, and I don't see any good reason to try and change him."

"But isn't this pregnancy thing a little… OTT?" Lil asked timidly.

Tommy sighed and said, "Maybe, but I don't remember him ever being this happy."

"Where are you taking me?" Dil asked anxiously, as Didi led him towards the exit and gestured for Stu to follow. "You're not trying to make me get rid of them, are you?"

"Not exactly," Didi replied cautiously. "But we are going to a very special kind of doctor."

"A gynaecologist?" Dil asked hopefully, brightening a little.

"No-o… it's just someone I want you to talk to," said Didi. "See you later, Tommy."

Tommy didn't answer.

x x x

Dr. Cahill was a sober looking man approaching middle-age whose smart suit drastically contrasted Dil's eccentric getup: red sneakers, purple cargo shorts and a green t-shirt and sky-blue sweater under a brown and mustard-yellow woollen vest. Stu thought he detected a slight flicker of doubt… or something… in the doctor's face as Dil approached him.

Backwards.

Which probably didn't help.

"Hey Deed," Stu murmured furtively. "Are you sure this is such a good idea?"

"He's just going to talk to him, Stu," his wife pointed out.

"Right," Stu nodded. "So after they've talked, then what happens?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Dylan Pickles, I presume," Dr. Cahill smiled politely, as Dil drew to a halt beside him.

"Got it in one, doc," Dil smiled languidly.

"So how are you feeling today?"

"Ah well, y'know, the cravings are just insane but I've been watching what I eat and it feels to me like these little guys are getting along just fine down there." He placed a hand protectively over his abdomen. "No morning sickness or dizzy spells yet. That can't be bad, right?"

"Dil," Didi hissed furtively, apparently hoping that her voice would reach her son's ears whilst somehow missing the doctor's. "He is not a gynaecologist!"

"Why… would… you think I was gynaecologist?" Dr. Cahill asked guardedly.

"I'm pregnant," Dil told him happily. "Isn't that why we're here?"

"Well… in a way I suppose it is," Dr. Cahill replied patronisingly, his expression telling the boy's parents that Dil Pickles was more than he had ever expected from this profession. "Perhaps you'd better take a seat and – um – tell me all about it."

x x x

Tommy was lying back on his bed, holding his video camera up in front of his face and staring at the lens.

"Filmmaker's block is such a curse," he sighed despairingly.

"You do seem to get it a lot," Chuckie remarked from his position by the window.

"Is anything interesting going on out there, C?"

"Not really. But it's a nice day. You wanna go skating or cycling or something?"

"Can't," Tommy replied shortly. "I wanna wait for Mom and Dad and Dil. I'm really worried about him. What if the doctor thinks he's crazy or something?"

"Everyone thinks Dil's crazy," Chuckie pointed out. "But that's never bothered any of us before."

"So why now?" wondered Tommy. "Why is my mom suddenly freaking out about it now?"

"Maybe now that he's almost ten she thinks it's not cute anymore," shrugged Chuckie. "Or maybe she really is worried that he's gonna cut holes in himself or whatever it was she said."

"Dil doesn't seem the type to go in for self-harming. He's too happy."

"Well why don't you stop worrying until he comes home, huh?"

As if on cue, they heard the familiar sound of Stu's car engine outside and a moment later the front door clicked open and shut. Tommy sat up abruptly and held his breath, hoping that his brother would come and tell him about the appointment. Sure enough, after a few moments Dil came traipsing into the room wearing a downcast expression and threw himself onto the foot of Tommy's bed, spinning round and falling back so that his head was suspended about an inch above the floor.

"You look worse than when you were worrying about telling your parents you were pregnant," remarked Chuckie.

"Dil, what's wrong?" Tommy asked anxiously.

"That psychiatrist thinks I'm crazy," replied Dil.

"Oh. Well, do you really care what he thinks?" Tommy asked kindly.

"No," shrugged Dil. "But he gave me some pills."

"Pills?" Tommy asked sharply. "What kinda pills?"

"I don't know. He just said they were gonna 'calm me down'. Mom says I have to take them but I'm worried – it says you shouldn't take them when you're pregnant."

Tommy and Chuckie exchanged glances.

"Well… that probably just means Earth pregnancies," Chuckie tried to reassure Dil. "Maybe it's safe for someone who's incubating alien life forms."

"Maybe," shrugged Dil. "Maybe not."

"Don't take 'em," Tommy blurted out.

"What?" Dil raised his head sharply to look at his brother.

"Don't take them," Tommy repeated. "You shouldn't be forced to put anything into your body that you don't want to."

"Huh," muttered Dil. "Tell that to Mom."

"She's not gonna force them down your throat, is she?"

"She just said I have to give them a chance."

"Maybe they won't be so bad," Chuckie intervened. "How about we just go and take a look at these pills?"

"I suppose looking at them can't hurt," reasoned Tommy, dropping his feet to the floor and standing up. "What else did the doctor say, Dil?"

"Not much. I did most of the talking."

"Hence the pills," Chuckie muttered under his breath, as he followed the brothers from the room.

Two minutes later Tommy was standing in the kitchen with both of his parents, Chuckie and Dil and reading from the side of a medium-sized white pill bottle.

"It sounds like these are gonna do Dil more harm than good," he remarked. "There are an awful lot of possible side-effects: dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, shaking… 'Do not operate heavy machinery while on this medication'."

"That's ok, T," Dil sighed resignedly. "I wasn't planning to operate any heavy machinery while I was pregnant anyway."

"Dil, do you really believe that you're pregnant?" Didi asked sharply.

"Totally," replied Dil. "Mom, I am pregnant."

"Right. Well maybe you'd better start on those pills with dinner."

x x x

Dil spent the remainder of the evening in a most uncharacteristic state of docile detachment, which alarmed Tommy so much that he felt compelled to ask after the babies. At this Dil produced a small smile and said quietly, "They're all right."

The next day was Sunday, and Dil's behaviour was much the same as it had been the previous evening: he was quiet and didn't betray any kind of emotion. In the afternoon Stu's older brother Drew called to enquire after his nephew, and Tommy managed to overhear Didi's side of the conversation.

"I really think the pills are working already," she told her brother-in-law happily. "He hasn't mentioned aliens all day."

Though Didi evidently considered this good news, Tommy knew that it wasn't like Dil and he found it somewhat alarming. After a short search he found his brother quietly flipping through a comic book, so Tommy approached Dil and asked cautiously, "Are they still there?"

"What?" Dil asked disinterestedly.

"The aliens," replied Tommy. "Are you still pregnant?" How weird did that sound?

"Of course."

"Oh. Good."

x x x

On Monday morning Tommy was woken by the sound of retching coming from the bathroom. He hurried out onto the landing in time to meet Dil, who was still in his pyjamas and looked sick and pale.

"Is it the pills?" asked Tommy, following his brother into his room.

"I think it must be," croaked Dil, throwing himself onto his bed and grimacing as he held himself around his stomach, obviously still feeling the effects of his trip to the bathroom.

"Too bad, bro," Tommy sympathised. "I really thought you'd lucked out with the side-effects."

"T…" Dil whispered hoarsely, his eyes suddenly brimming with tears. "They're all gone."

"What?" Tommy asked urgently, a stab of panic coursing sharply through his entire body. He didn't doubt that the aliens inhabiting his brother's stomach were imaginary, but to Dil…

"My babies. I just had to flush 'em all down the u-bend."

"Ah Dil…"

"Can you please tell Mom and Dad that I'm sick and I can't go to school today?"

"Of course." Tommy approached Dil, desperately seeking some way to try and comfort him. "Are you gonna be ok?"

"I just want to be left alone."

"Oh. Ok." Tommy backed slowly out of the room, the sight of his brother lying gloomily on his bed with tears in his eyes gradually shrinking, but the image was sure to haunt him all day. "But I'm here if you need me, ok?"

"T, you're going to school," Dil pointed out patiently.

"Well… after school, then. Do you want me to tell Mom and Dad they're… gone?"

"That's ok," Dil smiled weakly. "I'll do it."

x x x

Tommy was accosted by Vice Principal Pangborn by his locker at recess.

"So your brother's sick today, huh?" Pangborn asked sharply.

"Yeah," Tommy replied nervously, instinctively shrinking away from the uncommonly large man.

"So is he sick sick or…" Pangborn glanced furtively to each side and then moved his face uncomfortably close to Tommy's, whispering in conspiratorial tones, "another kind of sick?"

"He threw up this morning," offered Tommy.

"Threw up, did he? Hmph! Look Pickles, you can tell me. I've heard rumour that Dil has been receiving treatment for… psychological reasons."

"What?" exclaimed Tommy. "Who told you that?"

"Don't take that tone with me, Pickles," snapped Pangborn.

"I'm sorry sir, but I didn't realise we were telling people about that yet. I think Dil wants it kept confidential."

"Well I'm not really 'people', Pickles, am I?" bristled Pangborn. "That certificate of early developmental child psychology is still on my wall, you know. If your parents ever decide that they'd like me to try again with him…"

"Thanks," Tommy smiled weakly. "Can I go now?"

"If you must. Hey, Pickles!" barked Pangborn, just when Tommy thought he had escaped. "If you want this kept a secret, you'd better have a word with your cousin."

x x x

"It just slipped out," shrugged Angelica Pickles, deliberately focusing intently on her newly painted nails.

"Are you even sorry?" demanded Tommy, forcibly slamming shut Angelica's locker to remove the distraction of the mirror inside the door.

"Why should I be?" asked Angelica. "It's only Pangborn."

"Oh yeah? Anyone else?"

"Well… I may have mentioned something to Savannah."

"Angelica!" shrieked Tommy, mortified.

"Whoa, hey, don't freak," said Angelica, holding up both hands in a calming gesture. "Ok, I am sorry, but having a cousin who's on brain medication makes me seem more interesting to the A-crowd."

"Is that all you care about?" Tommy asked scathingly. "Dil's your flesh and blood."

Angelica let out a deep sigh of resignation and asked, "So how is he?"

"Not good," Tommy answered gravely. "He thinks he lost the babies."

"What babies?"

"The alien babies."

"Oh," remarked Angelica. "No wonder they medicated him."

"He's really upset," Tommy snapped angrily. "Susie and Kimi are coming to see him after school before Kimi's shift at the Java Lava. Do you wanna come too?"

"I suppose I might as well," shrugged Angelica, not betraying any concern that she may have felt for her young cousin's feelings. "Like you say, he is a relative. I'll take him some flowers and a condolence card."

"You'd better not make a joke of this," warned Tommy.

"Jeez, don't be so uptight. I'll be nice, ok?"

"Just make sure you are."

x x x

"Dil?" Tommy rapped gently on Dil's bedroom door. "Susie and Kimi and Angelica are here to see you. Is it ok if we come in?"

"T," a sad voice came from the other side of the door. "Ladies. If any of you think that you can help to fill the void in my heart, then please come in and try."

"Poor Dil," murmured Kimi, as she followed Tommy into the darkened room.

"Is it ok if we turn on a light?" Tommy ventured timidly.

"Knock yourself out," shrugged Dil.

Tommy flicked the switch on the wall and the room was instantly flooded with light. It was discouraging to see that Dil was still wearing his pyjamas. It was more discouraging still to see a continual jerking movement of his right hand, which he held close to his head as he lay back on the bed, his feet on the pillows.

"Dil, you're shaking," Tommy pointed out. "Is that another side-effect of the pills?"

"Could be," Dil returned expressionlessly. "Or it could be a physical manifestation of the emotional pain caused by miscarriage."

Kimi didn't believe in aliens, but she desperately wanted to cheer Dil up so she asked, "Are you absolutely sure they're all gone?"

Dil suddenly looked thoughtful. "I think so," he replied. "To be honest, when I barfed it was hard to tell what was alien and what was diced carrot, but I just don't feel them inside of me anymore. I can't believe that Mom of all people would do this to me," he sighed. "She knows what it is to nurture a brand new little life inside of you and feel it grow. She never wanted me to have those babies, though. Do you guys suppose she did this on purpose?"

"No!" exclaimed Tommy, knowing perfectly well that his mother wouldn't go to the trouble of concocting an intricate plan to dispose of a dozen-odd aliens that she didn't believe existed. "Dil, how could she have known this would happen? Besides, it was that doctor who prescribed those pills."

"You're right," agreed Dil, his eyes narrowing malevolently. "If he was a doctor at all! Maybe he was an alien from a hostile race sent deliberately to sabotage the birth of my babies. Ah man, I'm so stupid! Why did I tell him everything?"

"Doctors have a way of making you trust them," Susie said gently.

"I thought I could spot an alien a mile off," Dil sighed sadly. "It must have been the pregnancy throwing me off whack."

"Don't you feel any better?" Angelica suddenly asked.

"Not a bit, cuz," replied Dil. "I daresay I'll get over it eventually, but the loss of twelve or so babies is tough to deal."

"I'll bet," muttered Angelica. Then she said more loudly, "I have to go. Feel better twerp, ok?"

"Angelica, wait!" called Susie, following her friend out onto the landing. "Are you just gonna leave him like that?"

"Tommy and Kimi can take care of him," Angelica returned shortly. "I'm not very good at comforting people. What I am good at is giving them a piece of my mind."

"Who?" Susie asked cautiously. "Not Stu and Didi…"

"Stu and Didi deserve everything they get," spat Angelica. "They've never exactly been model parents, have they? Do you remember when we were little and our parents were dumb enough to let them look after us? Those dumb babies used to run amok all over town or the hospital or the ice rink or wherever – and so did we, come to that – and then by some miracle we'd always find our way back and Stu and Didi didn't even realise we'd been gone!"

"Oh yeah, I do remember that," Susie nodded slowly. "The worst one was when they stranded us on that desert island and we wandered into the rainforest. By rights that should have killed us."

"Exactly. So if their son is a little bit crazy they've got nobody but themselves to blame, but now they decide they don't like it so they start pumping him with drugs! That is way cheese!"

"Y'know, Dil was blaming Didi more than Stu," Susie pointed out.

"Stu could have stopped it if he wanted to," retorted Angelica.

"Are you sure you wanna go have it out with them?"

"Absolutely!"

"Ok then," Susie smiled encouragingly. "You go, girlfriend!"

x x x

"Dad wants a progress report," Angelica said coldly to her aunt and uncle. "I'll save you the trouble of calling, shall I?"

"Um… thank you, Angelica," Didi answered warily, recognising the dangerous edge to the aggressive young blonde's voice.

"No problem," Angelica deadpanned. "I'll tell him you forced Dil to take some medication that he believes resulted in the death of his children, and consequently he's been lying in the dark all day."

"He has?" Stu asked anxiously. "All day?"

"Didn't either of you even check on him?" demanded Angelica.

"He… he said he wanted to be left alone," stammered Stu.

"And besides, he didn't lose anything," added Didi. "There were never any aliens."

"Maybe not," snarled Angelica, her voice dangerously low. "But to Dil they were as real as he and Tommy are to you. Imagine how you'd feel if someone took them away from you, Didi. Of course," she added slowly, "if you carry on like this, you might just drive at least one of them away all by yourself."

x x x

Dil felt hollow. The void inside him felt as big and as black as the sky at which he was staring – worse even, for the sky at least had stars. The grass of the back garden was damp on his back and legs, but he didn't feel the cold from it. Behind him the house slept: Stu, Didi, Tommy and the two dogs slumbered peacefully, unaware that Dil was just outside feeling more awake than ever.

"I'm sorry, little alien dudes," he whispered, his eyes filling with tears. "They're dead and it's all my fault. I shouldn't have taken those pills – I never even wanted to! I know this doesn't make what I did any better, but I miss them like crazy. I don't even know if you can hear me, but if you can, please won't you give me just one more chance? I won't blow it this time, I promise!"

The night remained dark and silent. Dil let out a deep sigh and lifted his arms to rest his head on his hands, gazing up at the stars and wondering if he would ever get close to them again.

To be continued…