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(Toto) "Oh, daddy? Oh, daddy? Where are you going?" Marx paused at the door at the sound of his daughter's voice, and the familiar tug on his shirt. He smiled and turned around, and ruffled his daughter's messy brown hair. "Pilika, sweetie, what are you doing up this late? You're supposed to be in bed." Pilika giggled slightly, before tracing a circle on the floorboards with her foot. "Pilika couldn't sleep, Daddy. Pilika heard you get up and.... went to see where you were going." Her father's smile spread, and he knelt down to give his six year old daughter a hug. "Oh, honey, you're such a night owl. Just like your mother. Don't worry, Daddy's just going down to the shop to see if Mommy's done buying things." The little girl's eyes lit up instantaneously and she clapped her hands together in delight. "Oh, oh! Can I go with you, please please? Pilika loves the shop." She grinned at him imploringly. "Ohh pleaaaase, Daddy? I won't be a bother, and I'll go to sleep right away when we come back!" Marx glanced uncertainly at the clock on the wall. It was late, and if he took her now he could probably expect her to be snoring by noon tomorrow. He held up his hands. "I don't know, hon. You should get your rest.." "But but but but!" exclaimed his daughter in protest. "If Pilika go to shop, she'll buy something for daddy?" Marx sighed, and gazed down at his daughter's eyes as his will caved in again. Why was it he couldn't say no to her? "Okay, okay. But you don't have to buy anything for me, sweetheart. And we won't stay long. Is that a deal?" He wasn't disappointed with her reaction. She squealed in agreement and took her father's hand. "Yes yes yes! Pilika and Daddy go now. But, oh, Pilika needs to get her coat first." He watched her as she turned and ran off to get the beautiful fur coat that he and his wife and given her for her sixth birthday. Standing up, he glanced over his shoulder to see a beautiful night sky common in Toto Village-- stars everywhere, alightning the pure black, just a bit. And a full moon hanging over everything, as if watching and waiting. He turned around to watch the moon. He squinted slightly, before closing his eyes and opening them again. Strange... the moon seemed to have a faint tint of red to it today, like blood. He tried to shrug off the cold, unexplainable fear that began to crawl up within him, just as Pilika emerged from her room. The shop was a pretty simple place; almost everything was made entirely out of wood. Pilika wasn't really sure why she loved the old building so much, but then she never really thought about it. She directed herself toward her favorite place of all-- the jewelry section, oblivious to anything but the sparkling diamonds and rubies. Her daddy followed her after looking around in the shop for a bit, and he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Pilika, do you see your mother anywhere?" She looked to the left, then to the right, and shook her head. "No, Daddy." Daddy didn't say anything for a minute, before telling Pilika to wait there while he looked for Joanna. Pilika shrugged and continued staring at the jewelry. A voice rang out, familiar. "Marx! And Pilika too? Kind of late to be in here, isn't it?" She forgot the jewelry and dashed toward the voice the minute she heard it. "Mister Kethran, Mister Kethran!!" Mister Kethran was the owner of the shop, and he was a good friend of Daddy's, too. Sometimes he gave Pilika a piece of candy when she came in, and didn't even make her pay for it. She waved excitedly from behind the counter. "Hello! Hello!" The shopowner winked at her, and turned his attention to Pilika's father. "Marx, you looking for anything?" "Yeah," Daddy answered. "Joanna. She said she'd be here, have you seen her anywhere?" Mister Kethran frowned a minute, then he nodded. "Yeah, she's toward the back. Talking to a friend of hers, I think." "Thanks. I appreciate it, Kales." Pilika followed her Daddy toward the back of the shop, where she saw her Mommy listening to a woman she didn't know talking about something that didn't sound good. Daddy paused for a minute when they saw them, to listen. "But I'm telling you, Joanna, it's horrible. Highland certainly didn't take its time to break the peace treaty, eh." The strange woman groaned slightly and drank from a cup that looked to be tea. "I know they're Highlanders, but I can't help but feel bad for those poor boys." "I know..." Joanna was replying, softly. "But I guess there's nothing we can do but fight.." "I hate war." The strange woman shot a harsh glare at her. "I don't care what the cause is anymore. I'm sick of it." "We all are," Joanna agreed. "Daddy, what are they talking about?" Pilika whispered to her Daddy, feeling like a spy. "Highland did something very very bad," answered Daddy, "We want to stop fighting but Highland doesn't. So they did something awful to keep the fighting going on." "Oh. Pilika see." Actually, she didn't see, but she didn't want to bother Daddy too much, either. Instead she watched as her father called for her mother. Mommy recognized him and apologized to the other lady, saying she had to go. They walked out of the shop together, Pilika chewing happily on her free piece of candy. "I'm sorry, Marx. Lilian just wouldn't stop talking about how horrible Highland is..." "It's alright," Daddy said. "Let's just go home. Pilika must be tired." Thunder and lightning were crashing everywhere on the ground. It was so scary. And Pilika was all alone, in the middle of nowhere, with strange, warm, red sticky stuff covered on her. "Mommy! Daddy!!" she shrieked, over and over, but neither Mommy or Daddy came to her rescue. She was so scared, she couldn't even run. Or move. Or do anything but cry and scream. "Mommy, mommy! Daddy! Where are you! Pilika's scared..." Nobody came to save her. She sniffled and felt tears run down her face, and looked around her. Black wood and burnt trees were everywhere, and she saw fire. Scary fire, that wanted to eat her up. She was about to call for her Mommy and Daddy again when a monster covered in white appeared. He, or it-- Pilika wasn't sure-- was laughing, but not in a good way. He was laughing the same way the mean people laughed when they picked on her, but this was much worse. The white monster stared in her direction, and she heard herself whimpering in terror. He began to rush at her, still laughing, until--- --Pilika awoke. Her face was covered in tears, and she was shivering. It was strange, because she was very warm. She looked everywhere to make sure the white monster wasn't hiding in her room, until she was at least a little satisfied he wasn't anywhere near. But still, she made herself stay awake all night, so the white monster wouldn't get her in her dreams.
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