back in the day (when rap wasn't horrible)

[wisper]

Findlay doesn't often... make house calls, as you might say, but he's had a feeling about a little girl he'd seen the other day that he hasn't been able to shake. He hasn't seen outright abuse, not yet, but there's something sad about the kid and it's been bothering him. He wants to help, even a little, though as he approaches the house, he wonders if this is such a good idea.

He hears shouting.

And around the edge of the house, a small ball of blue light dances by a half-open window.

Comments

[preteamdyson]

Of course she's excited! A little thing like childhood trauma has never gotten her down before! Finn stops, but Kenzi goes straight for her toys! She sets Ziggy the bear down on the bed and brings Finn two of her power rangers and the weird, spiky-haired barbie with marker scribbles on her face and no clothes on and also this shiny rock, ooh, he'd like that a lot! Just gonna bring all this stuff over and hold it up high so he can see it!

"It's not late! It's still so early! No one will know. I'll be quiet, I promise! We can quiet-jump-on-bed and quiet-legos and quiet-colouring! You can even be the red ranger!" Kenzi looks up at him from behind the pile of toys in her arms and frowns. She's trying not to look desperate. She's trying not to look sad! "You just got here. Don't go."

[wisper]

Oh no, what has he done? He should know better than to actually show himself, by now; his aim is to help, but not get attached, and certainly not let them get attached. The poor girl is probably starved for attention. He doesn't want to let her down, but at the same time, it would be cruel to get her hopes up about making a new friend.

Findlay sighs quietly to himself and brushes at the end of his nose. Decision time. "I can't stay long, but how would you like a story, instead? I can read one, if you like." A wisp appears not far from where he's standing, bounces midair.

[preteamdyson]

A STORY?! Oh. My. God. Kenzi's jaw drops, along with all the toys in her hands, and she just stares. This is even more exciting than all the other stuff! And there's another blue little friend, oooooh look at it! She bounces a little more along with the floating, blue wisp before kissing it and running to her book case before Finn changes his mind!

She searches for her most current favourite and bounces over to, and then onto the bed. All set! Book in hand! She holds it towards Finn, raising those little eyebrows expectantly. "This one! This one, please." MANNERS AND EVERYTHING! She must really want him to read 'The monster at the end of this book.'

[wisper]

Perfect, no feelings disasters tonight, and he's pretty pleased with the enthusiasm for reading. Findlay waits for her to pick out a book, stepping further into the room, and when she offers it up, he takes it in hand and looks it over. Ah, this one -- he's seen it in bookstores. It's cute.

"Ahh, good choice." He smiles, nods towards her tiny bed, and the wisp bounces over in that direction. "Why don't you hop into bed, and I'll give this a read."

[preteamdyson]

Kenzi makes a face and gets all under the covers with a pout. She's not sure if this is a trick or not! What if he decides to leave while she's not watching and she's all tucked in and can't chase after him? But he's still there when she looks up again, still holding the book. That's a good sign. She is so freakin ready for this! YEAH STORIES! Yeah!

"Do you know any muppets in real life?"

[wisper]

She'll just have to trust that it's not a trick! Look, though: he's still here, and once she gets all snuggled up, he sits politely at the edge of the bed, one wisp appearing by the book like a reading light. He opens the cover, and the light grows a tiny bit brighter.

"You know, I think I met the one in the trashcan once," he admits, smiling a little. underfae in the garbage, monster in the garbage, same thing. "Comfy?"

[preteamdyson]

That gets a giggle. Garbage monsters! This guy is funny. She likes him.

Kenzi nods at the question, snuggling right into her pillow and already fighting to keep her eyes open. No way is she gonna miss this! No way in heck! But her eyelids are heavy, despite the excitement and hyperactive bouncing of a few moments ago, and she'll probably conk out halfway through the book.

Before he starts, she has one more question! "Are you gonna come back?"

[wisper]

He turns another page, to the actual beginning of the book, and is about to start when she asks. For the thousandth time, tonight, part of him is regretting letting her see him outside of wisp form; no matter what he says, he's going to end up with a sad and possibly disillusioned little girl.

"I don't know for sure," he says at length, looking up from the book. "I travel all over the world, and do you know what?" Findlay pauses for effect. "I'm actually breaking a lot of rules, right now." He glances to the side, then back at Kenzi, and whispers conspiratorially: "You're not supposed to see me."

[preteamdyson]

At least he's being honest. At least he isn't telling her he'll come back when she has a pretty good feeling that he won't.

But her eyes get all wide at the whisper. It's a secret! A really cool secret and he's breaking rules and it makes her feel special. She doesn't get that feeling a lot. So she shifts the tiniest bit closer and decides that it's okay if he doesn't come back, because he showed up in the first place! And he taught her how to let herself out of a scary place. And maybe things will be just a little bit better when he leaves.

"I won't tell. Promise!" She can be sneaky. Very sneaky! The most sneaky. "Okay, okay, read the story! I don't got all day!" And that was the tiniest eyeroll of all time.

[wisper]

Sheesh, what a cute kid, and what a relief. Findlay smiles, and the light from the wisp pulses a little brighter, as if prompting him to get going, itself. So he settles, clears his throat, and starts to read, holding the book open so Kenzi can see the pictures as he goes.

He's a good storyteller, but as he notices Kenzi starting to pass out, he quiets down, tones down the expressiveness and lets her drift off as he nears the end of the story.

[preteamdyson]

She's sleeping soundly before they ever find out who the monster at the end of the book is. Looking at the floaty, little blue guy made her extra sleepy. There's a sound of clattering glass coming from another room, but she doesn't stir. There's even a small smile on her face!

Her bed is a lot more comfortable than the closet floor. Even in her sleep, she's grateful. And she'll be grateful in the morning, too. But by the next evening, she won't be sure if she imagined it all, or it really happened. In a few years, she won't remember it at all. The only thing she will remember... is how to stick pins into a lock and jiggle it around until you hear a click. And if she ever meets another 'alien', she'd definitely want to be friends with it.