Light in the Dark
#4 of Monsters
It's the little things that make us who we are...and can sometimes save us.
Light in the Dark
An intermission involving monsters
Many years ago...
A young mouse girl sniffled in the darkness as she sat on her bed late at night, shaking a toy she held in her hands.
"Work," she muttered before wiping her nose. "Please work."
The doll she owned had a night light installed within it that would give off enough of a glow to illuminate the area around it but it seemed due to age and other factors the toy had simply given up working.
"It's not fair." The girl sobbed and hugged her doll tight as thought doing that alone would chase away the darkness that now surrounded her.
"What isn't fair little one?" A deep voice rumbled quietly, close to her.
The mouse squeaked and jumped in fright at the unexpected intrusion.
"W-wh-who's there?" She whimpered softly trying to sound brave.
"I am a friend." The unknown voice replied. "I heard you crying and was worried something was wrong."
A long silence hung in the air only to be broken by the mouse's sniffles.
"You were worried...for me?"
"I was indeed young lady." The stranger said. "What is your name?"
"K-Kelly sir." The mouse replied wiping the tears from her eyes.
"I am...uhm...Mister Tiger." The man's voice sounded hesitant at first. "Why are you crying Kelly?"
"Is your name REALLY Mister Tiger?" The mouse sounded sceptical as she brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and squinted a little as she tried to see who was talking to her.
"You will have to take my word for it kid." The man replied flatly. "Now do you want my help or not?"
Her heart beat a little quicker at the thought of being left alone in the dark.
"My d-dolly doesn't work any more sir." Kelly squeaked and held up her broken toy not sure if the hidden tiger could see it.
In the darkness the No-one saw the doll the mouse was holding. He could see everything as though it was bright as day. He reached out a paw and placed it on the bed, palm up.
"May I have a look?"
Kelly felt the weight on the offered paw and carefully reached out to touch it. It felt warm and fuzzy and with her courage building, she explored it further before putting the toy on it. Before the man could retract his hand he noticed the mouse had taken hold of one of his fingers in a tight grip. Realising the girl was still scared he flicked up his tail to land on the bed near Kelly who squeaked, released the finger and snared the thick fluffy tail.
"S-sorry Mr Tiger." She apologized and hugged the tail tightly to her.
"It's alright Kelly." The No-one winced slightly not only at the vice-like grip the girl had on his tail but for another reason as well, the main reason he noticed this girl.
While his kind were at home in the dark and were able to see normally, now and then there were those things that stood out even to him. Though the darkness surrounded the two of them, the girl was giving off a soft glow. The glow of innocence.
"Doesn't look good Kelly." The No-one said tapping a large claw against the battery compartment of the doll, but then the feline already knew the toy was too far gone to fix.
"it's okay I guess." The mouse sighed as she settled down on the bed snuggling into the tiger's tail, staring off into the darkness.
"Kelly do you-" The man started to ask only to find the mouse answering before he could finish.
"I don't remember my parents. They told me they had died in an accident." Kelly said quietly. "But they don't know either."
In the dark the No-one had stopped tinkering with the toy and was looking at the girl with some surprise. "I see."
It seemed Kelly knew what he was going to ask.
"She really likes you." The mouse went on.
"Who does?" The No-one asked as he set aside the doll.
"The Angel." Kelly said and in the dark the big red tiger stiffened. "The really nice white one."
The No-one was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure who Kelly was talking about but in his experience encountering an Angel was bad for anyone's health. "Not sure who you are talking about Squeaker, I don't know any angels."
Kelly giggled at the name. "That's because she hasn't told you yet." There was a pause. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that."
It was now apparent to the tiger that this girl had some kind of precognitive ability, almost Oracle like. Given the light he could see within her it was obvious the only person he could talk to about the mouse was the white "angel".
Thrusting his hand into a coat pocket the tiger found himself grasping a stuffed pony plush. Curious he gave it a light squeeze and it lit up in a soft blue glow. "Darkness provides." He half smiled and tossed it onto the bed.
"Here you go Squeaker. Not your doll but good enough I feel."
Kelly's hazel eyes lit up at the sight of the pony and she quickly grabbed it and hugged it tightly.
"Oh she's beautiful." The mouse beamed brightly and watched the freed tail snake off into the darkness. "Thank you Mister Tigah."
"Look after her kiddo." The feline said back to her. "I got to go talk to someone. You be good and try not to be scared of the dark. Okay?"
With the soft illumination Kelly could barely make out the tiger's hulking figure in the dark along with the sudden glint of light against glasses and fangs alike. The girls happiness never diminishing despite what she saw.
"Okay Mister Tigah." She grinned and watched him disappear. "You will never be No-one to me."
Flopping back down on the bed the mouse rolled over and closed her eyes to sleep knowing she would soon see him again.
No-one n Kelly (C) Jaffah, story (C) Jaffah 2016