DSCWin, thanks for the help
THE LION AND THE LITTLE GIRL (Set around 'The Lion In Our family)
It was late in the night when Elizabeth Walton let out a quiet sigh. The young eight year old girl was struggling to sleep as she tried to get comfortable inside her bed. It wasn't the storm that raged outside that kept the young girl up, it was something else. Something that made the young girl nervous. She quietly slid out from her bed and tiptoed to her window. As a flash of lightning temporarily lit the area around her family's home her eyes moved to the barn. "Poor Teddy." She whispered before looking at her sisters. As she looked back at the barn, when another flash came, an idea entered her mind. "I'll stay with Teddy." She mumbled softly as she tiptoed out of her bedroom. She had hoped that she would be able to find the lantern, that would make her quick trip to the barn easier, under one of her sister's bed. But when she came up short, she headed towards her brother's room to quietly searched there. But she had no luck. In a last effort to find a way to get to the barn she quietly snuck into her older brother's room as quietly as she could.
"Who's there?" John Boy asked hearing his door squeaking beside his bed. Even though his eyes didn't work they scanned the area instinctively.
"It's Elizabeth, John Boy." Elizabeth said softly. "Sorry if I woke you up."
"Is everything alright there, honey?" he asked worried for his baby sister as he blindly searched for her to hold her thinking she might have had a bad dream.
"I'm alright." She replied seeing the object of her desire on her brother's desk.
"Then you should be in bed." John Boy said gently rubbing her back and laying back down. "Goodnight, honey." He said as Elizabeth quietly snagged the walking stick from the desk.
"Goodnight, John Boy." Elizabeth said as she closed her brother's door and then quietly headed down the stairs to head outside. She wrapped herself in her coat and rain boots before walking. As she walked she thought back to Teddy, the small cuddly lion she and her family had found only a short while ago. She smacked the walking stick a couple of times against the barn's door before she quietly pulled it open and moved inside. She saw movement near some hay and knew it was Teddy by the soft growls he made whenever one of the family would come and visit him.
"Hi Teddy." Elizabeth said as she carefully sat down next to Teddy while grabbing a small blanket from the hook. "Can't sleep because of the storm?" She asked giggling as Teddy nuzzled her face before licking her cheek. "Don't worry I'm here to keep you company tonight. I had a feeling you were scared because of the storm outside." Teddy tilted his head to one side but curled up next to Elizabeth who gently covered her and him with a blanket. "Goodnight Teddy." She said wrapping her arms around him after she had placed John Boy's walking stick up against the wall beside her. She fell asleep quickly with Teddy's purring and warmth as he slept next to her, warm in the small blanket.
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The next morning saw that the storm had past coating the ground in thick mud and clean grass. Mary Ellen and Erin quickly changed into her clothes as they always did and laughed and talked when they decided to braid each of their hair. They didn't think anything of Elizabeth's empty bed as they thought she would be downstairs already and left their room only to stop at their older brother's room as they could hear him muttering dark words through his door.
"What's the matter John Boy?" Mary Ellen asked confused when she seen that John Boy's door was open and he was rubbing his hands on the floor, careful as to not get any splinters in his hands. "Loose your glasses?"
"No, Mary Ellen." John Boy said snapped "I just don't know where the Hell I've put my cane. I swear I put it on my desk before I went to bed last night." He snapped not seeing the exchange of looks his two sisters were giving each other.
"I don't know why you're having a bad fit over it." Erin said replying to the way he snapped at Mary Ellen. "You don't even use it when you're in the house."
John Boy stopped and glared in the direction of his sisters. "Erin, if you or Mary Ellen don't want to help then get away from my room." He snapped back going back to searching.
"Don't need to talk to your sisters like that, son." John Walton said appearing behind his daughters. "John Boy, I asked you to go milk the cow today. Why haven't you gone out yet?"
"Sorry Daddy." John Boy said even though he was eighteen he felt like a child without his walking stick. "I was on my way to milk the cow but I can't find my walking stick. I know it was raining last night and I don't feel quite secure to walk without it."
John took in a breath as he didn't want to make John Boy trip and fall outside. "You three come downstairs for breakfast. I'll go milk the cow afterwards while you three search for John Boy's cane." He said serious. The three nodded understanding their father.
"You can hold my arm John Boy." Mary Ellen said holding her arm out like a perch for her older brother to take it and the four walked down the stairs.
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John didn't talk much while he ate his breakfast or even as he grabbed a bucket before heading to the barn. His mind played worries of John Boy not knowing where his walking cane was when he stopped when he felt something furry rub against his leg. He blinked back some surprise when he saw that it was Teddy out of the barn and slowly stalking a mouse that had found it's way out in the open. He knew that if they were wanting to keep the lion, it was better if none of the family encouraged him to hunt.
"Hold on there, champ." John smiled as before he picked up the animal and carried him to the barn stopping the lion cub to catching the small mouse. "How did you get out?" He asked making the lion cub start to lick the older man's face not understanding what was being said to him. John chuckled as he held Teddy in his arm and held the bucket in his other hand. "Come on. Let's get you back inside and I'll give you some milk." As he walked to the barn he found that the door was partly open and was confused as to how it had been opened. He slowly pushed open the doors and smiled once inside. Laying in the hay, wrapped in a blanket, John Walton found his youngest fast asleep. He smiled as he gently set the lion cub down on the ground, making sure it would scamper back outside, and gently caressed his daughter's face. "Wake up, sleepyhead." He said watching as she slowly woke up.
"Morning, Daddy." Elizabeth yawned and smiled up at her father.
"What are you doing here?" John asked trying hard not to laugh at the sight of hay still stuck in her hair.
"Oh...erm..." Elizabeth rubbed her eyes before looking straight at her father. "It was raining last night, and I thought Teddy needed the company. He seemed to be scared so I stayed with him." She lowered her face as she looked up at her father. "Are you angry with me?" She asked.
"No." John said giving her a small reassuring smile. "I'm more surprised more then anything. Just make sure you don't walk out in the middle of the night like that again." He said softly.
"I won't. Sorry Daddy." Elizabeth said giving her father a hug.
"You're forgiven, sweetie." He looked around and spotted John Boy's walking cane beside her. "You do however need to apologize to your brother for taking his walking cane."
"I will Daddy." Elizabeth said softly.
"You know John Boy needs that in order to get around without getting hurt right?" He asked and saw his daughter nod her head.
"I was going to use a lantern but I grabbed this instead. It doesn't work well for me." She added making John give a small chuckle. "Will he be mad at me?"
"He might." John said remembering how John Boy acted back in the house. "But if you apologize and maybe ask for permission if you need it again, I'm sure he could forgive you too."
"I will, Daddy." Elizabeth said and both of them could hear a soft gurgling sound coming from Elizabeth's stomach.
"Come on. Let's get you something to eat. I'll milk the cow in a minute." He said picking up his daughter, who held onto John Boy's walking stick as John carried her across the mud and to the house.
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Breakfast was in full swing as everyone gathered around the table. Mary Ellen and Erin looked worried when they didn't see Elizabeth downstairs and was about to tell their mother when John opened the front door and gently pushed Elizabeth inside. Olivia looked worried at first but then it was anger when she saw large bits of hay in her youngest's hair.
"Elizabeth Walton, where have you been?" She asked her voice trying to be soft but it came out as harsh.
"She was keeping Teddy company, Livy." John said with a soft gaze. "She's alright and I've already talked to her."
"Elizabeth that's not safe. That lion could have attacked you."
"It's okay Livy. That lion cub knew she had good intentions." John said before looking over at his oldest son who sat still staring blankly at the table. "John Boy, your sister has something for you." He said before he left the house to milk the cow.
Elizabeth cleared her throat as she gripped the walking cane tightly in her hand. "Sorry, John Boy." She said setting the walking can next to her brother. "I borrowed your walking cane so I could get to the barn safely." She was scared for a minute before John Boy smiled and carefully hugged his sister.
"It's okay, Honey." He said hugging her a little tighter. "You are forgiven. Just...don't do that again alright?" He asked and he felt his sister nod before she hopped over to her chair and sat down.
That night, it started to rain again but Elizabeth didn't go back out to the barn. She and Jim Bob had both made sure Teddy would sleep safe and soundly in his bed while they played outside. She only stayed up long enough to smile before she fell asleep, dreaming about her pet lion and the hopes that he would stay with them forever on Walton's Mountain.
End