Piece of Cake
"Angelica, sweetie, what's the matter?" Charlotte, after seeing Angelica freak out over the offer of some cake, followed her daughter into the living room where she was curled up on the couch, hugging her Cynthia Doll very close.
In a panicked voice Angelica told her about everything. Eating the cake. Winning the talent show. Getting the bakery and then a factory that made Angelica toys and how she had drowned in the stuff the factory made…
"Oh sweetie," Charlotte said, gathering her up. "None of that happened. It was just a nightmare."
"But… it felt so real."
"I'm sure it did," Charlotte said. "But if you think about it… isn't there a lot of things that don't make sense? Like… you ate the cake and then suddenly were at the talent show."
"…yeah," Angelica said slowly. "We didn't even ride in the car or nothing."
"And the factory had your cousin and his friends working there… do you really think TOMMY could work in a factory."
Angelica shook her head. "He'd have to take so many breaks to get his diaper changed."
"Exactly. Dreams and nightmares…" Charlotte considered her words carefully. "They are like a picture book that has had all the pages ripped out. Your brain tries to put it back together but gets it all mixed up. You were thinking about the cake and the talent show and remember how we were doing your Christmas list?" Angelica nodded; they had been doing that earlier. "It took all that and when you took your nap it all got mixed up." She hugged her close. "There's nothing to be scared of though. Just take a few breaths and think about it and you'll realize everything is okay."
Angelica did just that and after a few moments calmed down. "Thanks mommy."
"Any time. Now… let's get some cake." She lifted Angelica up and carried her towards the kitchen.
"Mommy… does that mean that the nightscares about Mr. Chaos aren't real."
"No," her mother said softly, glancing up. "Those are very real and we should be very respectful."
~MC~MC~MC~
"You're damn right," The creator muttered.