CyanFi

“I was struggling with falling asleep myself.” The atmosphere surrounding felt surreal in the moment.

“Aww, you poor thing! I can help you. This isn’t my first time dealing with a restless little spirit!”

Her voice seemed to become clearer and less stressed.

“How often have you been up like this?”

A soft chuckle comes from her mouth. She takes a few steps to the side.

“Oh, I remember all those restless nights.”

“Candy was an eager one who longed for a new face of company. Apparently none of the friends were cutting it anymore.”

“It’d take hours for Candy to stop with the tantrums and go back to bed!”

“Oh…”

“That was a bit ago though. Now that you’re here, Candy has gotten much better! I’m also happy that you’re here with us!” She said while waving her hands in the air.

It pained you to watch her be like this. She was always so quick to stifle any of her problems when you were around. Perhaps in fear of scaring you away.

Things don’t have to stay the same forever.

You moved a bit closer to Lily.

Things can change, and sometimes a good change will come.

You opened your arms and wrapped them around Lily, catching her off guard.

“Woah…!”

Believe me when I say this…

“I’m here for you Lily.”

There’s meaning to be found in these small moments.

“Y-you…” she hesitates.

“You’re no longer alone.”

Even when it all feels like the days blur together.

She hugs you back.

Having someone who cares for you can help a lot.

“…Thank you for being here for me.”

The two of you stayed in a hug. In the stillness of the dollhouse, there had always been that itching feeling in the back of your mind. Tonight though, it stopped for the first time in a while. Lily had always made sure to be by your side and help you. She always tried to make sure you seized the day to its fullest. In a place like this, you were glad to have someone looking out for you like that.

Make sure to love and appreciate the ever fleeting moments they spend in your life.

You entered the hallway, it was still extremely dark and you could only faintly see a light near the end of the hall. You snuck down the corridor, closer to the light. Each step was an echo into the quiet abyss. Your memory serves you well so as to not bump into anything on the way. Reaching the end of the hall, you were about to enter the main open room of the dollhouse when you heard something.

There were faint footsteps that you could make out in the opening. You could also hear…crying?

You crouched down and peaked your head out to see Lily sitting on the balcony railing swinging her feet. One of the dim hall lights illuminated her figure that showed she had Candy with her. Guess you weren’t the only one struggling to sleep, huh?

You could hear words leave her mouth in a shaky manner.

“It’s okay Candy, it was nothing more than a bad memory. A nightmare.”

“You go through this every time, b-but I’ll always be there to comfort you!”

Her voice breaks as a sob escapes her.

“We’ve grown past that era! No more wandering around at night.”

“No late night tea parties, binge watching tv, or listening to music till our ears bleed!”

Her lively braids droop down and become stagnant. The motion in her body stops as she looks at the ground beneath her.

“Reading the same books over and over and over again. Braiding and restying my hair again and again and again until I finally rip out the strands.”

A broken giggle goes through. Perhaps you should say something?

“Going around in circles for hours…”

You slowly start moving to where Lily was.

“Talking to the walls and hoping for a response.”

A bit closer.

“Waiting for DAYS and no one…not him…or ANYONE comes!”

Her breathing grew unsteady as her hands grasped at her head. It was now or never.

“The screams. Crying. No responses. Calling into the hell that is thi-”

“Lily?”

You saw a slight jerk in her body as she turned her head to face you. There were tears streaming down her face.

He turned his body towards the door. Never would he subject himself to a session of that torture ever again. It was a fate worse than death that not even he could stand.

Lily is a lot of things, but a good poet will never be one of them.

Lily gave him a confused gaze. What was the sudden shift in his demeanor? What was even more shocking was the rapid pace he broke into while heading for the door.

“Oh, I’ll see you later then!”

No you will not.

…

And like that, he was gone. A rather interesting turn of events, but she wasn’t complaining considering what she almost lost.

You could hear her footsteps coming back towards you. She opened the door and gave you a big hug. You were honestly scared of what could have happened to her, but things seemed to play out okay. You and her walked back to the table but she just looked at the seats with a somber gaze. She had reclaimed Candy in her braid.

“I-I’m sorry…I didn’t expect him to come by so early…”

She dropped to the ground and put her knees to her chest. You sat down beside her.

“I’m not sure what he would have done if he found you. I don’t want to lose you…”

I don’t want to be alone…

But is this the life you want?

You placed your hand on Lily’s shoulder, she slightly shifted her gaze toward you.

“Well…I’m glad that we’re both safe. I’m not sure what I would do without you…

I always enjoy having tea parties with you.”

“…thank you…”

You and Lily stayed on the ground for a few more minutes in silence. A silence that told it was just the two of you.

After a bit, Lily spoke up.

“How about we call it a day for now? We can do some drawing before bedtime.”

You nodded in excitement to that.

“I could even read you some of my poems that I’ve been working on!”

“Heavens, please no.”

Lily looked at the Candy cat head in mild shock. Was there something she was missing about her poetry skills?

Lily helped you up with her hand. She gave a soft smile. The two of you then went upstairs for a fun drawing session.

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