Hello! I’m Your Local Dairy Wizard

Come back like this? No... What if she finds out? Smells the fresh scent of iron? Gets scared?

The disgusting screech of a rusty pipe echoed down the hallway, following the echo of my footsteps. The sounds distracted me from the painful memories of what I'd just done, but they weren't enough. The blood had already dried. On my face. On my hands. I felt every drop, not just on my skin, but in my chest as well. I still couldn't believe what had happened.

I stopped, leaning against the wall. I wasn't tired. I just needed to rethink my choice. Was there any point? I'd already firmly decided to stay. If she gets scared – so be it. After all, I'm just a guardian. Not the most normal one, perhaps. A proper guardian would’ve already calmly taken the lift and left. I'm going back for her. This is definitely wrong. I know she'll be fine, I'm sure of it. But I promised. That's why I'm coming back... right?

I straightened up and walked on. The door I needed should be around the next corner. Maybe she'd already woken up and left? Didn’t wait. Got lost.

The door was slightly ajar – just as I'd left it. The light bulb was still flickering faintly. I quietly entered. She was still asleep. In an awkward position, wrapped in that dirty piece of fabric that was supposed to be a blanket.

I sat down next to her, careful not to make noise. My breath was heavy, hard to steady, but I managed. I didn't want to wake her.

I don't know how much time has passed. An hour? Maybe ten minutes? I sank into myself. Her breathing, softer than dripping water, suddenly broke with a faint whimper. Laa-Laa slowly began to wake up. Her bloodied bandages turned towards me at some point. And once again I caught myself thinking, with quiet relief, that I’d hidden these "scars" from that night I'd accidentally missed. Seeing the dark hollows of her eye sockets each time I looked at her face would’ve been unbearable.

– White...?

– I'm here.

As if I'd been waiting for this call. She reached out with her small hand, searching. Found mine. Held on, visibly relaxing. And I froze. Held my breath. The semblance of a blanket slid silently onto her knees.

– Laa-Laa had bad dream. White gone. Laa-Laa alone... – she squeezed a little tighter – But White here. – A soft smile.

– How can I leave you? – I answered gently, bitterly recalling my earlier thoughts.

She really did feel it. Or was it a coincidence? In moments like these, I began to believe more and more that the real monster wasn’t Tinky – who killed friends against his will – but me. My own thoughts scared me often, but I was still able to make the right choice.

Laa-Laa kept squeezing and unclenching my forearm, as if there was something interesting there. And when I turned my attention to it, I realized – it was covered in blood. Instinctively, I tensed my arm but then stopped.

– Sticky... White hurt?

I stayed silent for a long time, trying to find a harmless, comforting answer, but all I could manage was a dull “No.”

Even though most of her face was hidden under the bandage, I clearly knew what look must’ve been behind it. She didn't like it.

– What happened?

Again, the room fell into silence. I wanted so badly to return to my shelter, where thick walls hid all the secrets. I didn't want to lie again.

– I found someone... – I paused – They were in terrible pain. They asked for help... I helped...

My trembling voice betrayed my anxiety. I'm sure she sensed it. I didn't know what would happen next, but I told the truth. And it was my small victory.

Laa-Laa began to stroke my poor arm, as if trying to calm me.

– It's okay, – the only echo in the room.

That's all. No judgment. No fear. Nothing I was worried about. Did she really understand?

While pondering what to say, I remembered what mattered most:

– I... I found a way out. An old elevator. Manual kind. You know... big box... er... goes up. Doesn't matter, we have to go – and remembering the unyielding mechanism, I awkwardly added – Together.