Leni was lying on her bed tossing Bun-Bun up and down like a ball. The sunset permeated an orange tint into the mostly empty room, which she appreciated. As she rhythmically played catch, her mind was swirling with thoughts about her future brother.

"I don't know, Bun-Bun. When brother comes, what if he feels sad and that no one wants to be around him?" she spoke, "I can...be there for him. I want my brother to be one that knows that he has me always...but I don't know."

After throwing the stuffed bunny up once more, she allowed it to land on her chest. She flinched a little at the impact, but it didn't hurt. She lied there; her eyes first went to the wall, then the ceiling, and then out the window. Thankfully, the sun wasn't in direct alignment with her line of vision. She took a deep breath.

"I hope Lori sees how much you mean to me, brother. When you come, Mommy and Daddy will be really happy...and I will be happy too. The world is a big, cute place with a lot of good stuff. You will like it a lot."

She stroked Bun-Bun like she had Blacky every day in Mrs. Egan's class—a careful, unusually precise hand brushing the fur. After doing this for a minute, Leni turned on her side and started snuggling with the stuffed animal. It was one of her prized possessions, one of the few things that never failed to make her outwardly express her happiness—up there with her little sisters, soft things, cartoons, and ice cream. Her parents had given it to her as a baby present shortly after she was born and she cuddled with it almost every night since.

As she laid there, she imagined what her brother might look like. The best she could come up with was practically a clone of herself. "Leni's Brother" had blonde hair, liked everything she liked, and did everything with her. He would be her special boy. She closed her eyes, unfazed by the light that remained in the sky. She laid there for what felt like an eternity. Had it been just an hour or two later in the day, she would have fallen asleep.

Thankfully, Lori opened the door, holding a black VHS tape, and saw her sister lying down. At this point, such behavior didn't surprise her.

"Hey Leni," she said, standing in the doorway, "do you want to come downstairs and watch a movie? I think you'll like this one."

"What-What is it?"

"It's called The Land Before Time. It's a cartoon, you'll like it!"

Leni's eyes shot open. She lifted her head and stared at here sister. Lori knew she would fall for the bait. Leni got up from her bed, carrying Bun-Bun, and joined her older sister. The two of them went downstairs to the living room. The three youngest sisters were already sitting on the couch, waiting for the movie to start. Leni saw a nice spot for herself next to Luna.

"Hi Leni," Luna said, excited to see one of her big sisters.

"Hi Luna," she replied, now sporting a massive grin. She squeezed Bun-Bun, excited for what was to come.

Lori turned on the TV and nudged the tape into the VHS player. She then rushed to turn out the lights before taking the last seat next to Leni. As the opening credits rolled, she took a quick glance to the girl next to her, whose eyes were glued to the screen. The plan worked.

Leni smiled at the different dinosaurs and prehistoric animals came to life, providing visuals for the baritone narrator. By the time Littlefoot hatched from his egg, any lingering thoughts of going upstairs had vanished. He was cute, which was all that mattered to her. Compared to his mother—a giant "longneck"—he was tiny enough to snuggle in her arms. She even went as far as to imagine Bun-Bun as that young cuddly dinosaur and hugged it tighter.

Despite what she had told Leni, Lori had never seen The Land Before Time. She urged Rita to take her to the video rental store, claiming that she wanted to pick out a movie for "all my sisters". She was telling the truth, but she had Leni on her mind as she walked up and down the aisles. Lori didn't like how her sister spent most of her time alone in their room; she wanted to find something that would get her to spend time with everyone, even if it was only for an hour or two. And just by looking at the cover, she assumed that the colorful cartoon dinosaurs would win her over.

About ten minutes into the film, Lori was surprised by the vicious "sharptooth"—a nasty T-Rex—rampaging through the scene, trying to devour the young Littlefoot and Cera—an orange "threehorn". Her heart and mind raced, demanding to know where this monster came from. Seeing the case on the floor, Lori snatched it and scanned the cover. She mentally slapped herself as she noticed the "sharptooth" lurking in the background.

"How did I not see that at the store?!"

She turned left and right. Luna, Luan, and Lynn were just as terrified as she was, but Leni was practically a stone. Lori was baffled. She wanted to believe that she just wasn't paying attention, but her eyes were clearly directed at the "sharptooth".

After several tense minutes, the T-Rex appeared to be defeated. Lori took several deep breaths, hopeful that the "real movie" would start. But then it started raining on the prehistoric Earth and the clouds darkened to resemble night. A large brontosaurus had collapsed on a ridge and the young Littlefoot approached her. It was her mom, seriously wounded from the attacks. Littlefoot was distraught and urged her mother to get up.

"Why is this so sad?"

Suddenly, Lori felt light-headed. She felt uncomfortable being on the couch, forced to watch not only the movies but also her little sisters' confused, heartbroken reactions. She started regretting her decision to pick this movie.

Leni was sniffling erratically, barely able to keep herself together. Tears were trickling from her eyes like streams in the forest. Although the other sisters showed distress at what was transpiring, Leni was trembling. It felt like more was being released than melancholy; it was as if her fear from the "sharptooth" scene was being dispersed too.

Lori slid her arm onto Leni's shoulder. Noticing this, Leni clung to her sister, crying into her shirt. As Lori rubbed her back, she felt like she was dreaming. It was surreal for her to watch Leni cry. She only remembered it happening once before. It was about two years ago, when they were watching a concert on TV with their parents. At one point, there was a middle-aged woman that sang a slow, gripping solo with an orchestra providing instrumentation. She didn't remember the details, but she saw how the woman's voice and the orchestra's majestic chords penetrated Leni's heart in a way that was an enigma to her.

"M-make her come back, Lori!" she wailed, gripping her sister's shirt,"Make his mommy come back!"

"I can't do that..." was all she could say, fighting back a dizzying headache.

This made Leni cry even more, causing her to squeeze Lori. By then, the other little sisters had started sobbing as well. Some of the overlapping sounds were blubbering, other were pleas for the mother to live, and some more were worried about Leni. Lori herself didn't cry at the scene, but she was uneasy towards the animosity.

Sure enough, the mother had died. And in the minutes afterward, Littlefoot sauntered around the barren, jagged terrain. Leni wasn't paying attention, though. She was still hugging Lori, struggling to breathe without whimpering. The eldest sister soothed her while still watching the movie, hoping that things get resolved.

Eventually, Littlefoot encountered a new character. She was a tiny green dinosaur with cheery blue eyes and a innocent voice.

"Leni, look!" Lori said, nudging her sister's shoulder. After several seconds of urging, she reluctantly turned her head to the screen. She had stopped crying, but her breaths were shaky. As this new character spoke, Leni found herself lightly chuckling at her voice.

"S-she's...cute..." she said, leaning against Lori.

"Yeah! She's great!" Luna said, trying whatever she can to make her big sister feel better.

"Yeah..."

The five continued to watch the movie. That dinosaur even got a cute little name—Ducky. Every so often, Lori looked down at her sister. Although she never got back up on her own, Leni started smiling throughout the rest of the film. It was clear she liked all the other characters that got introduced, but her facial muscles jittered every time Ducky came on to do or say something. Ducky carried the magnetism that Lori was looking for.

Although there were several dramatic scenes that wiped that smile away, nothing was able to drag Leni down to that low she felt when the mother died. Lori and the others just watched with their eyes peeled and faces tense.

As the credits began, a female voice started singing. Lori was instantly reminded of the concert from two years. She gently got up, making sure not to disturb Leni, before racing to the VHS player and turning it off. The TV screen went to the normal blue. Lori cautiously ejected the tape and turned off the TV.

"So everyone...what did you think?" she asked.

"I liked it..." Leni replied in a deadpan tone.

"I loved it!" Luna said more enthusiastically.

"I. Like," Luan babbled.

Lynn wasn't old enough to talk, but she was smiling. And with that, Lori exhaled in relief.

Not long after that, the parents entered and brought them all up to bed. Lori pampered herself with pride, knowing that she fulfilled her mission. Rita took the two oldest sisters to their room and tucked them in.

"Did you two like the movie?" their mother asked, standing between the two beds.

"Yes, Mom," Lori answered, carrying a sly smile.

"You should have seen it Mommy!" Leni said, unusually excited, "There was this one girl named Ducky and she was so cute! I wish she were here so that I could hug her and play with her!"

Rita chuckled.

"You know, I was in middle school when Land Before Time came out," she said, "and everyone I knew saw it at the movies. And for weeks after that, dinosaurs were all anyone could talk about," she then sported a reverent smile, "I'm glad that you two liked this movie as much as I did when I first saw it."

She then went over to Lori and gave her a kiss.

"Good night, honey. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom."

Rita then went over to Leni and gave her a kiss.

"Good night Leni," she said warmly.

"Good night Mommy," she said, unusually excited, "Maybe when Ducky comes, she'll get to play with you too!"

Rita smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm.

"I'm so proud of you for spending time with your sisters tonight. It's feels really good knowing that you enjoyed the movie."

"I love Ducky!"

Rita gave her one more kiss before getting up and closing the door. Needless to say, sleep came easily for both girls that night.