Single Minded Playfulness

By CalexTheNeko

Jacob groaned as he lifted up a cardboard box that must have weighed at least two tons. At least he would claim it was. In truth it was full of stuffed animals, coloring books, old comics and plastic toys. It was a stark contrast to the greasy haired eighteen year old in a black shirt and ripped jeans carrying it.

“Come on hurry it up!" Jacob shouted back over his shoulder. “Don't make me carry all of this stuff by myself. I want to get this done before school today!"

“I'm coming I'm coming…" Gary muttered as he followed Jacob out of the room with another box. He was the same age, though slightly shorter with sandy brown hair and dressed more simply in a t-shirt and shorts. “How the heck did I get stuck helping you clean up this mess?"

“Because you'll do anything for slice of pizza and a two liter." Jacob stuck his tongue out as he worked his way down the second floor hallway of his parents' house. The hallway ended at a dead end with a pull down staircase in the ceiling. Jacob carefully set his box on the floor before pulling down the staircase and then dragging his box into the attic.

“Sad but true." Gary muttered. He waited patiently for Jacob to completely make it up the small staircase before heading up into the attic with him. “Still this is a lot of stuff. You told me that you just needed help carrying a few childhood toys up."

“And that's the truth!"Jacob responded as he set his box down in a corner of the attic. “My parents told me I had to clean my room up or I was grounded for the weekend. I simply chose to leave out the part that I hadn't cleaned it roughly six years." He slowly stepped away from the box. It was completely overflowing and any slight movement might cause it to spill.

“You're going to owe me two pizzas." Gary rolled his eyes as he sat his box down next to Jacob's. “At least that was the last of it. Can go back downstairs and get some food now." Gary took one step away from the boxes. The second he did the overflowing box Jacob had been carrying tilted over and spilled its contents across the floor.

“You just had to say something." Jacob growled and bent down to pick the stuff up. A good chunk of the stuff in the box had been covered in some kind of strange powder. As he dug through the pile he found a source. It was a sack of 'magic dust.' It was supposed to give you magic powers for 6 hours. He had seen it advertised in the back of a comic book right next to x-ray glasses and hover boards. He remembered the disappointment his six year old self felt when it turned out just to be a bag of glitter. Now it was a giant mess. Nothing got glitter out! And it was everywhere. Nothing got rid of glitter once it was spilled! Thankfully, it was somewhat isolated. While it had gotten everywhere most of it was concentrated on an old stuffed animal of a cat.

“What's that?" Gary asked noticing the stuffed cat as Jacob lifted it up.

“Oh this?" Jacob replied as he blushed slightly. “It was an old toy I was given when I was just a baby. I… Um… Was really attached to it growing up. I used to think he was my best friend." Jacob decided not to mention the fact that it had taken him until middle school to finally get rid of it. Some things were better left unsaid. “I um… used to call him…" His voice dropped to a whisper as he said its name. “Mr. Pawpaw."

“What was that?" Gary asked.

“Oh it was…"

“HI!" A high pitched squeaky voice suddenly spoke up. “I'm Mr. Pawpaw!" The shouting voice was coming directly from the glitter covered toy.

“GAH!?" Jacob dropped the stuffed animal to the ground as soon as he heard the voice shout.

“Whoa…" Gary stared at the doll as it landed on the floor. “It's one of those talking dolls. I didn't even see a pull string though. Guess it's one you have to squeeze to make it talk?"

“Nah!" Mr. Pawpaw slowly stood up on his hind legs. “I can talk anytime I want! But if it helps you feel safe and sound I don't mind if you squeeze me and hold me tight!"

“It… It talked." Jacob was staring wide eyed at the cat. His eyes looked ready to bulge out of his head.

“That's a really nifty toy." Gary peered down at apparently thinking everything was normal. “I think my mom had something like that. It was a dog that would walk forward, bark, then do a back flip."

“But it's not supposed to talk…"  Jacob was having trouble processing the entire thing.

“Well of course I can talk!" Mr. Pawpaw responded. “After all I'm your best friend! You promised we'd play together forever!"

“You know I'm sure that was charming when you were a kid…" Gary mused. He still hadn't caught on that anything was wrong. “But being older, quotes like that sound kind of creepy. I guess it's like nursery rhymes. You don't realize how messed up they sound when you're younger."

“But… That's not… It doesn't…" Jacob was shaking. He knew the toy couldn't talk or move. He was extremely confused as to what was going on. Part of him suspected he might have hit his head coming into the attic and this was all a hallucination.

“Oh I know some nursery rhymes!" Mr. Pawpaw gave a shout. “I love to sing! Do you have a favorite you'd like to sing with me?"

“No thanks!" Gary laughed. “We're both a little too old for kid stuff like that!"

“Talking kitty…" Jacob was still freaking out. “Talking… Moving but… Mr. Pawpaw…"

“Huh…" Mr. Pawpaw took no notice of Jacob's discomfort. He did however look up at Jacob and Gary noticing how much larger they were than him. “Come to think of it… Jacob is a lot bigger than last time I saw him. But that's okay. If that's the only problem I can easily fix it!"

“Wait what does that mean?" Gary asked.

“Just leave everything to me!" Mr. Pawpaw responded. He held up his forepaw which was now shaped more like a hand. Then he snapped his fingers.

Snap!

After a loud audible snap Jacob and Gary most experienced a sudden sensation of vertigo. Everything in the room suddenly seemed to get much larger. Mr. Pawpaw who was barely up to their knees now stood as tall as their thighs. Even their clothing had gotten bigger! Jacob's jeans and Gary's shorts had fallen to the ground around their ankles. Each of them was now left dressed in only an oversized t-shirt that clung loosely to their shoulders. They were each about twelve years old, the same age that Jacob had stopped playing with the doll.

“Um Jacob…" Gary was now finally starting to realize something was wrong. “I think your doll might be possessed by the devil."

“What? Just… Where!?" Jacob spun around looking around. The sudden shrinking in age was enough to stir him from his previous stupor. “What did you do to us!?"

“You said you were too old!" Mr. Pawpaw said. “So I decided to help! One snap of my fingers and that problem went away! I'd do anything I could to help you! Now we can play together!"

“But!" Jacob grabbed the stuffed kitty by the chest and lifted him up. “Change me back now!"

“I can't do that!" Mr. Pawpaw protested. “We haven't had a chance to play yet! That's why you need me right?"

“But…" Jacob had a number of reasons to be upset right now. The problem is they were all rational and understandable reasons and he was in an irrational situation. Combine that with his brain suddenly being younger and he was having a hard time explaining his feelings.

“We're supposed to be older though!" Gary tried to interrupt. “And… We've got school later today! Also Jacob owes me pizza!"

“I see." Mr. Pawpaw nodded. “Well there will be plenty of time for growing up later! Right now though it's time to play! But that pizza does sound like a real problem."

“A pizza and a two liter!" Gary insisted.

“Is that really what you're focusing on right now?" Jacob demanded.

“If you promised that to him it should be your first priority!" Mr. Pawpaw said. “After all! We must always uphold our promises! Just this once I'll cover for you." He held up his hand again.

Snap!

Suddenly, Jacob's mother appeared coming up the attic stares.

“There you two boys are! What are you playing up here? Well come on down! I decided that you could have pizza and soda for breakfast and it just got delivered!" She then paused as she stared at the two kids. “What are you two wearing? Who's shirts are those… And where are your pants?"

“Oops!" Mr. Pawpaw spoke up. “That's no good. You two running around like that are probably going to get into trouble. Probably better make sure no one notices."

Snap!

“What was I talking about again?" Jacob's mother looked thoughtful for a moment. “Oh I'm sure it was nothing. Anyway, you two should come down and get your pizza." She had completely forgotten about getting onto them for being naked except for their t-shirts.

“But mom!" Jacob objected. “I'm not a little kid! You should remember that right!? I mean look at my shirt!"

“Of course, you're a big boy now. Your shirt is fine." Jacob's mother smiled knowingly. “But you still gotta do what your mother says! So go wash up for breakfast!"

“But but-“ Jacob tried to object as his mother headed back down the stairs. “Why didn't she react to us being kids!?"

“Well obviously cause you're kids!" Mr. Pawpaw explained. “I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for being the wrong age… So everyone will treat you like normal kids."

“But we're not!" Jacob explained.

“Awww come on relax Jacob." Gary smiled. “It won't be that bad! He said we could grow up later right? So why not play along and just enjoy the benefits for now. Besides… Pizza for breakfast!" It was clear where Gary's priorities lied.

“But I just…" Jacob paused then seized on some other idea. “Wait… Ok so she thinks we're kids! But why didn't she freak out about you?"

“Me?" Mr. Pawpaw seemed surprised. “Why would she freak out about me? I've been your best friend for as long as anyone can remember!"

“What!?" Gary seemed insulted at that. “What about me!?"

“Don't worry Gary!" Mr. Pawpaw walked up and patted the child on the back. “You're his best human friend! But you see… The bond between a child and his favorite stuffed animal is unbreakable. You'll understand."

“Oh I get it." Gary nodded.

“STOP ENCOURAGING HIM!" Jacob shouted. “And even still! She should know something was up! I mean! Cats don't talk or walk around on their hind legs!"

“They don't?" Mr. Pawpaw was genuinely shocked at that. “That doesn't seem very fair! Well, when life's not fair… Fix it!"

Snap!

“What did you just do!?" Jacob asked.

“I fixed it!" Mr. Pawpaw responded.

“What does that even mean?" Jacob asked.

“Look Jacob…" Gary pleaded. “Let's just go enjoy our pizza and figure this out later."

“FINE!" Jacob growled as all three headed down from the attic and to the kitchen.

They entered the kitchen to find a rather odd scene. Jacob's mom was placing a box of pizza onto the table for breakfast, as well as filling cups with soda. His father was in the other room watching the morning news… Then the family cat was sitting in a chair with his legs crossed reading the paper.

“What?" Jacob asked flatly as he saw this. “Why is Mittens at the table?"

“Oh you know he loves to read the funnies in the morning." Jacob's mom replied as if that explained everything. “If you want the paper when he's done I'm sure he'll share."

“I suppose if I must." The family cat known as Mittens replied. He rolled up the newspaper and set it on the table. “Usually I identify with that good ol' Garfield chap. But I find today's issue was rather lacking in original comedy. Well, anyway I must me off. I have a rousing game of cribbage to attend to today. It's domestics versus ferals." With that the cat stood up on his hind legs, put on a bowler hat and walked out the backdoor.

“WHAT THE HELL!?" Jacob shouted as he gestured at the family cat that had just walked out the door.

“Jacob language!" His mother chided as she cut him a slice of pizza and put it in front of him.

“Indeed Jacob!" Gary teased. “Such a young child shouldn't use such foul words." Jacob stuck his tongue out at Gary at this before greedily devouring his pizza.

“Now then I hope you two are ready for school!" Jacob's mom spoke up. “Though honey, I don't think you should be taking Mr. Pawpaw to school with you. Don't want the other kids to make fun of you."

“That's really the last of my concerns right now." Jacob replied dryly.

“School huh?" Mr. Pawpaw looked thoughtful at that. “That sure is annoying. We can't have playtime if you're at school. Don't worry. I can fix that."

Snap!

Jacob's mother blinked then looked at the kids. “Oh that's right. I forgot. There's no school today… Or ever again for you two. Because they said you two are too smart for school! How could I forget that?"

“But-“ Jacob objected.

“Now now Jacob!" Gary spoke up. “If she says no school! Then no school!" He was starting to really enjoy the situation. “So we might as well go out and play."

“You're going along with this way too easily." Jacob growled. “This is kind of a big deal."

“It is a big deal!" Mr. Pawpaw replied. “We have to decide what game we're going to play!"

“Well we don't really have enough people to play a sports game… All our friends would still be high school aged…" Gary mused.

“I can fix that." Mr. Pawpaw chattered happily as he started to raise his paw.

“No no!" Jacob panicked. “That won't be necessary! How about… We just go outside and… We can play tag! At the local park!"

“That sounds fun!" Mr. Pawpaw replied. “Let's head there immediately!"

Snap!

“Who what!?" Jacob suddenly felt himself fall to the ground as the chair he had been sitting in vanished. As he stood up he felt the kitchen tile had been replaced by grass beneath his bare feet. He paused and looked around. It wasn't that the kitchen had been changed… It was that he had moved! He, Gary and Mr. Pawpaw were now in the middle of the local park.

“You can teleport us!?" Gary asked amazed.

“Well only so many hours in the day!" Mr. Pawpaw responded. “It would be a shame to use them up walking here! Now then about that game of tag... Who should be it?"

“You!" Jacob suddenly got an idea. It's um… Humans vs kitties! So you gotta tag us both to win! But you have to give us a ten second head start!"

“Ah come on that seems unfair…" Gary replied.

“Not unfair at all!" Jacob insisted. “It's just how the game is played.

“Seems reasonable to me!" Mr. Pawpaw smiled. “But I'm starting the countdown now! One… Two… Three…"

“Let's go time to run!" Jacob grabbed onto Gary's arm and pulled him along. “Come on!"

“But… Jacob…" Gary objected, but he came as he was dragged. The two boys burst into a sprint as the kitty continued to count.

“Four… Five… Six…"

“Jacob I don't think this game is very fair." Gary whined as he followed behind Jacob. “I mean… Look at the little kitty! He has such short stubby legs."

“That's the idea!" Jacob insisted.

“Seven… Eight… Nine…"

“But why?" Gary asked.

“Look you may think he's harmless! But he keeps messing with things!" Jacob explained. “Who knows what he'll mess up next!? But I figure… In a game of tag we can easily outrun him and get away!"

“I think you worry too much but if you insist…" Gary shook his head.

“TEN!" Mr. Pawpaw shouted. “I'm coming for ya!" The kitty doll dropped onto all fours and took off running. He was fast. Much faster than the boys. As Jacob looked over his shoulder he saw that he was gaining.

“How is he so fast!?" Jacob shouted.

“Cause he's a cat?" Gary suggested. “Those are usually pretty fast."

“But he's just a doll!" Jacob protested.

“Maybe but-“ Gary started to respond but didn't get a chance. Suddenly, the small cat doll collided with his back and knocked him to the ground.

“Got one!" Mr. Pawpaw spoke happily as he paused after pouncing Gary. He then looked to Jacob and smiled.

“Oh no. Oh no no no no no!" Jacob tried to run as fast as he could. It was no use. Mr. Pawpaw was much faster… And a moment later too Jacob was knocked over as the small doll pounced him.

“I win!" Mr. Pawpaw sounded absolutely pleased with himself. “That means I get to pick the next activity!"

“Is that what we were doing?" Jacob groaned as he sat up.

“Well… There's plenty of stuff on the playground!" Mr. Pawpaw explained. “So how about we go on the swings! Or maybe down the slide!"

“Sorry…" Gary laughed. “But that stuff is for really little kids. We're a bit too big to."

“Gary no!" Jacob tried to interrupt.

“I can help!" Mr. Pawpaw shouted.

Snap!

Again reality felt distorted as everything seemed to grow bigger around the two boys. The shirts they had been wearing now covered them like tents. The two kids had been cut down to half their age, now only six years old each. Mr. Pawpaw was now as tall as their chest in comparison.

“Thanks a lot Gary." Jacob growled. He tried to move around in his shirt but just stumbled out of it winding up completely naked.

“How was I supposed to expect this?" Gary whined. Now being this small even he was getting uncomfortable. As he tried to walk forward he encountered a similar problem and was like Jacob left in only his birthday suit.

“Ugh we can't run around naked in public…" Jacob whined. “We'll get in big trouble and it's weird!" He tried to cover himself with his hands.

“Okay I'll fix that!" Mr. Pawpaw replied.

“Well at least you're good for something." Jacob sighed. He didn't like the cat working his magic but it was better than the alternative right now.

Snap!

Jacob paused and looked down at himself. He was still naked.

“What the heck!?" Jacob shouted. He wanted to shout another word… But he knew he'd get in trouble if he did. “We're still nakie!" He wasn't sure why he chose that word. It for some reason felt more natural.

“Of course you are!" Mr. Pawpaw responded. “I just made sure it wouldn't matter!" As Mr. Pawpaw spoke a jogger who happened to be in the park ran by. He didn't even pause or react as he noticed the two naked kids and the cat. “No one will think it's odd now."

“If you have all that magic… Why couldn't you just make us some clothes?" Jacob asked. He was blushing hard at being naked in public.

“Now that would be silly!" Mr. Pawpaw smiled. “I can't just make things out of nothing! That would break the conservation of mass!"

“The what now?" Gary asked. The term sounded familiar but he didn't remember what it meant anymore.

“Don't worry about it!" Mr. Pawpaw responded. “Now you two are small enough to use the playground!"

“But that's not!" Jacob's shoulders sagged in defeat. He didn't even know how to respond anymore. All logic failed in the face of this kitty. He couldn't muster up the strength to even object anymore.

“Now then shall we try the swings first?" Mr. Pawpaw asked as he ran off in the directions of the swings.

“Fine whatever…" Jacob muttered as he and Gary followed.

“Um Jacob…" Gary shivered slightly. He was still getting used to being this young again. “Okay maybe you were right… But… what do we do now?"

“We gotta get rid of him before he does something else." Jacob whispered.

“What are you two talking about?" Mr. Pawpaw asked as they reached the swings.

“Nothing nothing!" Jacob muttered. “Just… Coming up with a game!"

“I love games!" Mr. Pawpaw shouted. “What kind of game are you coming up with!?"

“Um well uh…" Jacob paused as he tried to think. His eyes slowly drifted towards the swing set. He noticed it was nearby a fence that marked the edge of the playground. There was no way to see over it. Suddenly he got an idea. “To see who can jump the furthest!"

“What kind of game is that?" Gary asked.

“Just play along." Jacob elbowed Gary in the side. “We'll take turns pushing each other on the swings! And then… We each try to jump as far as possible from the swing set! Whoever jumps the farthest wins!"

“What's that going to…" Gary started to ask.

“We'll use the fence as a marker!" Jacob said. “And jump towards the fence from the swings! If you manage to get over the fence… That's a homerun! Like in baseball! So you automatically win!"

“Ohhhh." Realization dawned on Gary.

“That sounds fun!" Mr. Pawpaw smiled. “I'll let you two go first!"

“Wonderful! Just go ahead and push us then we'll jump! And then you'll go!" Jacob quickly sat down in the swing. Mr. Pawpaw then stood behind him. The kitty pressed his soft paws against Jacob's back and begin to push. Jacob was surprised at how much force the little kitty could put into the pushes. The little doll was far more stout than he had any right to be. Soon Jacob was going higher on the swing than he was comfortable with! He knew it wasn't that high… But he was so small it was hard to judge distance. He found he wasn't able to jump from the swing.

“Come on jump!" Mr. Pawpaw shouted. “This is as high as I can get you!"

“I can't!" Jacob shouted back. “It's…" He didn't want to say it… And yet he couldn't stop himself. “It's too scary!"

“Come on you can do it!" Mr. Pawpaw responded. “I believe in you!"

“But but!" Jacob closed his eyes. He tried not to think about the distance as he leaped from the swing set. He opened his eyes a few moments later as he went flying across the field and managed to just barely land on his feet. He had gone two feet. A WHOLE TWO FEET! “THAT WAS AMAZING!" Jacob gave a shout forgetting his plan for a moment.

“Me next! Me next!" Gary jumped into the swing as Jacob moved out of the way. Gary showed no fear in jumping… But he only got about a foot in a half. Jacob smiled smugly since he was still in the lead.

“Let me show you boys how to jump like a kitty!" Mr. Pawpaw went next. He swung back and forth on his own… Before leaping out of the swing… And going right over the fence. “HOME RUN!" He gave a shout.

“This is our chance!" Jacob suddenly remembered his plan. “Come on!" He grabbed Gary by the arm and led him away. They had to get away before the cat found a way back over the fence.

“So what do we play next?" Mr. Pawpaw had wasted no time at all. He jumped the fence in a single bound landing directly before the boys again. “I know I won again… But it seems unfair for me to pick all the time! Gary, you haven't chosen yet."

“Uhhhh…" Gary stared in awe. He was confused by the fact the cat had even made the jump. After a few moments he tried. “Hide and seek?"

“Okay!" Mr. Pawpaw said. “Humans vs kitties again? Shall I count to ten?"

“You have to count to a thousand!" Gary said.

“Gosh that's a lot…" Mr. Pawpaw responded.

“It's cause you're so much better at these games than us!" Jacob suggested to support the ploy. “So… You know! You gotta give us an advantage! It's not fun if you win too easily!"

“I guess you're right…" Mr. Pawpaw responded before covering his eyes. “Well I'm starting. One… Two… Three…"

“Let's go! Go!" Gary shouted as both he and Jacob took off running. Once they were out of earshot they began to talk again.

“We gotta hide somewhere he'll never find us!" Jacob said. “We should go back to my house!"

“That's the first place he'll look!" Gary insisted. “Let's go to my place instead! We can hide in the basement! It's spooky and dark down there! He'd never go there!"

“I don't like spooky and dark…" Jacob whined in a childish voice.

“We just gotta stay there until the end of time and he stops looking for us!" Gary said. “No whining!" With that the two took off heading for Gary's home.

“Hi boys!" Gary's mom greeted them as they came in the backdoor.

“Hi mom no time to talk gotta hide in the basement!" Gary responded as him and Jacob ran past the kitchen and into the basement.

“Okay do you want to me to bring down juice and cookies?" His mom asked.

“Mom we're dealing with a situation right now!" Gary poked his head around the corner of the basement door as she said that. “But that would be amazing yes." With that Gary and Jacob headed down into the basement. It was dark… It was cold and it was silent.

After several minutes Jacob broke the silence.

“Think he's finally gone?" Suddenly the basement door opened.

“GAAAAH!" Jacob and Gary shouted together and clung to each other. There standing at the door was… Gary's mom!

“I brought you juice and cookies!" She smiled happily before setting them on a table. “Hope you two are having fun!" With that she disappeared back up the stairs.

“I… I wasn't scared…" Jacob said as Gary's mom vanished. “I only screamed because you did."

“I only screamed because you did!" Gary insisted. Both of them nodded agreeing they were big boys and not afraid of the basement.

“Well I didn't scream because I was too busy enjoying the cookies."

The two kids turned around. There munching on one of the cookies was Mr. Pawpaw.

“Oh by the way I win." Mr. Pawpaw smiled. The two boys fell over. “But it's getting late! So we should stick to a simple game! So!"

Snap!

Suddenly several small building blocks appeared. They were the kind you gave to toddlers with letters on them.

“I thought we could try building something!" Mr. Pawpaw said.

“Wait you can make building blocks but not clothes?" Jacob asked. “What happened to you can't make something from nothing? Why am I still naked!?"

“These aren't made from nothing!" Mr. Pawpaw insisted. “They're made from imagination!"

Jacob slapped his forehead. “You know… You'd have to be a really little kid for that kind of explanation to-“ He stopped as he realized what he was saying. “Wait don't!"

“I can help!"

Snap!

Again the two boys shrunk in size. The change was less dramatic this time. There were no clothes left to get tangled in… And they weren't very big to begin with. Each of them was now three years old though… And were both slightly shorter than Mr. Pawpaw.

“That didn't help at all…" Jacob whined.

“Everything is so big…" Gary muttered. Now even he was starting to get scared of the basement. It was so big and dark.

“It's okay!" We can face anything as long as we're together!" Mr. Pawpaw said. “You'll see it's not that scary! But… I think…" He gave a big yawn. “That playtime may be just about over for me."

“What does that mean?" Jacob asked. He suddenly felt worried. Why was he worried about Mr. Pawpaw? He had spent the entire day trying to get rid of him.

“Time is just about up." Mr. Pawpaw smiled. He then waked forward and pulled both of the kids into a big hug with him. “But don't worry. Even if I can't talk or do magic. I'll always be your best friend. And I'll always be here to play with you." With that Mr. Pawpaw went limp. He fell over to the side no longer moving.

Six hours had passed. The magic powder that brought him to life had worn off. The two toddlers stared at the kitty doll silently. They weren't sure how to feel right now. They had spent the entire day trying to get away from him… And yet… It was like losing a friend. They then both looked around… Nothing had changed back. They were still toddlers. The blocks were still there in the basement. It looked like everything Mr. Pawpaw had done had stuck around.

They weren't sure of what to do for a few moments.

“Maybe… We should just play with the blocks… And not worry about it…" Gary tried. His voice was hesitant though. He was nervous.

“D-down here in the creepy basement?" Jacob asked.

“It's… It's not that creepy." Gary tried to insist. He had a terrible poker face. It was clear he was scared of being down here too.

“But…" Jacob paused. He walked over to Mr. Pawpaw and picked the doll up. He gripped it tightly to his chest. It was a big doll, bigger than him. Despite what had just transpired… He couldn't help but feel safer when hanging onto the doll. Some old instincts never died… Especially when you found yourself at the age those instincts first developed. “Mr. Pawpaw will protect us." He said this with absolute conviction it was true. “No monsters can sneak up on us in the dark under his watchful eye."

“R-right!" Gary nodded. “Because… Mr. Pawpaw is tougher than any monsters in the dark! There's nothing to worry about!"

With that… The two calmed down. Beneath the watchful eyes of Mr. Pawpaw they began to play with a sense of absolute serenity. They stayed down there for the entire evening. Neither one came up until Gary's mom fetched them for bed.

The End