Chapter Four: The Next Day

私の小さい馬：大きな鉱石の物語

MY LITTLE PONY: LEGEND OF THE GREAT CRYSTALS

Daishishou: Yokujitsu

だいししょう：よくじつ

第四章：翌日

Chapter Four: The Next Day

It was about 2:30 in the afternoon, and Gash had just woken up from a good nights’, and mornings’, sleep. He was still slightly groggy, but he got out of his bed anyway. He went into the bathroom and washed his face and hands. He noticed that all of the scratches on his body had completely disappeared, leaving only the gash on his forehead, which hadn’t healed even a sliver. He could hear the clinking of metal inside his room, so he dried himself quickly, assuming it was a food cart. He went back into the room. When he saw the cart, his mouth started to water.

All sorts of different foods were loaded onto the multi-story cart. On the bottom rack were all sorts of fruits and vegetables-apples, oranges, peaches, pears, lettuce, celery, carrots, asparagus, and much more-and on the middle rack were various breads and grains, including rice, wheat, barley, and many others. What really caught his attention was on the top rack-fish. Trout, bass, yellowtail; so much tasty food! He saw the fish and his eyes widened, the drool from his mouth dripping down from his chin and onto his towel. The stallion gave him a plate.

“Go on. Fill the plate up with whatever you want,” he told. Gash gladly accepted as he loaded his plate with fish, fish, and more fish.

“Whoa, there. You might want to get some fruits, vegetables and grains to balance out that meal,” he said, but Gash had already started devouring the mound of fish on his plate.

“Yah,” he started, his mouth completely full, small bits of yellowtail and bass flying in multiple directions, ”I’ll git some in a minute. Jusht let me enjoy dis fish firsht, 'kay?” he said, obliterating multiple pounds of fish with his teeth. After thirty seconds of constant nomming on the fish, his plate was left with nothing but bones. The doctor just sat there, his jaw almost literally touching the ground. He used a hoof to lift his jaw back to its’ normal position.

“Wow. Nice appetite. Gonna top that off with some fruit?”

“Ooh yeah,” he said, taking three large slices of wheat bread off the cart. He loaded on slices of various fruit and vegetables on the bottom slice, covered it, and then topped it off with even more fish. It was a huge sandwich-nearly half the size of his head.

“That’s only a little gross,” he sarcastically remarked.

“It’s getting all of the major food groups in one meal. It’s easy, quick, and filling!” he shot back, stuffing his face with food once again.

“You’re gonna make yourself sick, eating that much food.”

“You know what? Screw the rules. I have fish. Lots of fish. Delicious fish!” he chanted, pausing for a moment before devouring the rest of the monolith.

“I think you’re liking that fish too much. Maybe you should lay off for a bit,” he suggested, but was answered with fish being slapped on his face. He grinned at this.

“Fine. Don’t come crying to me when you’re throwing up for hours on end,” he sighed, rolling his eyes, walking towards the door.

“Wait!”

“What is it?”

“Can I get a glass of milk to wash this down?”

“Pfft. Sure,” he agreed, walking out. A minute later, he walked in with a pitcher of milk and a glass, even served on a silver platter.

“I said a glass of milk.”

“You seem to enjoy eating lots of food, so why wouldn’t you enjoy drink a lot as well?”

“Because getting drunk isn’t my priority.”

“I see what you did there. Ha. Ha. Ha. Anyway, drink up,” he demanded. Gash filled his glass up to the brim and drank it quickly, placing the glass back on the platter, looking back at the doctor.

“Is that it?”

“Is it what?”

“Is that all you’re going to drink?”

“I thought that was obvious.”

“Well, I thought you were just being funny with the drunk joke.”

“Well, it looks like my attempt at humor has failed. But seriously, that’s all I’m going to drink. You can take it away now.”

“Very well,” the doctor said, taking the milk away.

“Well, now that’s over with. I wonder what I could do no-“ he started, but suddenly had a terrible feeling in his stomach. “I should’ve listened,” he said, covering his mouth, rushing to the bathroom. He lifted the seat up and began to throw up.

“Damn everything once more…” he miserably stated, continuing to throw up.

“Twilight! Princess Celestia sent a message for you!” Spike shouted.

“Okay, okay. Give me a minute, okay?”

“Alright,” the young dragon complied, as Twilight rose from her chair, ending her reading. She walked into the bathroom. She did her bathroom duties and washed her hooves before reentering the main library room. Spike was sitting on a couch near the stairs, clutching the book and scroll. Twilight levitated the scroll over to herself and opened it, reading the contents.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I have thoroughly examined the content of your report, and a few things are rather shocking to me.

Firstly, it surprises me to learn that a human has stepped foot, or in this case, fallen into this world. These creatures haven’t walked this planet in more than a thousand years, and I and Princess Luna have not had pleasant experiences with these creatures. With your description of his attitude, it spells to me that he could have a rather explosive temper, so I would be careful around him, as to not make him angry.

Secondly, I have do not believe I have ever seen a book like this. However, the characters on the cover look slightly familiar to me, but I cannot recall where I have seen them before. What I can say is that they are foreign characters, and appear to have magical power, based off your description of how the book reacts to the boy, Gash’s, temperament. I will search for a script with characters of this language, but I cannot say that I will find any.

Thirdly, I suggest keeping Gash and Princess Luna from meeting. Ever since she arrived back to Canterlot, she’s been ranting and raving about the ‘atrocities’ and ‘dishonor’ that he has caused upon her. Based off of their first encounter, I believe it could easily turn into a fight with spilled blood, with his apparently rotten attitude, and nopony wants that. She clearly has an intense grudge against him.

Finally, I would like to meet this child soon, to receive proper judgment of his character and abilities. It does not have to be immediate, but I would request you and the other Elements of Harmony to join us, as a safeguard for Gash and Luna.

Yours, Princess Celestia”

“I guess that means we’re going to Canterlot in a few days?” Spike asked.

“Most likely. It seems that the princess knows quite a bit about Gash’s species. Maybe she’ll teach us a few things about hi-“ she started, but was interrupted by a knock at her door. She opened it and saw the other Mane Six members standing at the door.

“Good afternoon, girls. I suppose we’re going to the hospital now?” she asked, earning nods from the five. She levitated Spike, who was still holding the scroll and book, onto her back and walked out of the door. The group began to trot towards the hospital.

“I received a letter from Princess Celestia, and I would like to read the contents to you all,” she stated.

The group quieted down and allowed her to reread the scroll’s contents. The contents of the scroll shocked them, as they didn’t expect the princess to know anything about Gash’s species, or the characters in his book. It saddened them to think that Gash could be so hot-headed and violent, but they kept walking along. Within five minutes, the group had arrived at the hospital and walked up to the front desk. The receptionist recognized them from yesterday and immediately led them back to the room. Gash was lying in his bed, reading a book he found in the drawer in the table next to his bed.

“Gash, we’re back!” Twilight announced from outside the room, receiving not even a slight response from the boy. They walked in and all eyes widened.

“Oh, it’s you guys again,” he sighed, placing a flower on the page as a bookmark. He closed the book and set it back in the drawer.

“Whoa…” the group collectively gasped, noticing the boy’s healed body.

“Yeah, I know. My body’s already healed. Don’t ask how or why, because I don’t know,” he said.

“That’s amazing!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Absolutely incredible!” Rarity called out. The others were still in shock.

“H-how…wha?” Rainbow Dash stuttered. “It takes me weeks to heal a broken wing, and your entire body is healed in a day!’

“I already told you, I don’t know how.”

“It’s still astounding that you were able to heal that fast.”

“I guess. I don’t see the big deal. If vasoconstriction can occur fast enough for the platelets to immediately start binding the skin back together, then it’s just going to make it heal faster. It’s simple science.”

“I didn’t understand a single word of that sentence,” Rainbow Dash stupidly stated. She braced herself, as she saw that look in Gash’s eyes as he stared at her.

“You’re pretty dumb, aren’t you?”

“How did I know that was coming?”

“You probably noticed a pattern of some sort. Now, let the smarter people talk,” he insulted. Rainbow glared at him, but let it slide.

“Um…I guess that means we can bring you out of the hospital?” Fluttershy asked.

“We’d have to talk to the receptionist,” Twilight informed.

“Well, since he’s completely healed, and he’s proven that he can walk with little difficulty, and because he doesn’t appear to have any major internal injuries, yes, he may leave.”

“Yes! Finally! I can get out of this boring hellhole!” Gash shouted. The group looked at him with shocked eyes and hung jaws. He noticed the faces of the group and tilted his head. He found this behavior quite annoying, and it happened quite often.

“What is it? You seem to like having a face that just says ‘What the hell?’ Are you really surprised that easily?”

“You aren’t supposed to use that word! It’s forbidden language!” Twilight remarked.

“’Forbidden language?’ Are you kidding me?”

“No! You are never supposed to use that word!”

“How about ‘Damn?’”

“That’s even worse!”

“’Crap?’”

“Okay, that’s not as bad, but you still shouldn’t say it.”

“’Shit?’”

“Where have you learned such fowl language?”

“It’s part of my vocabulary.”

“Well, I would refrain from using it in public. That kind of language would get you smacked here.”

“Pfft. If someone tries to smack me, I’ll break their leg,” he said. The Mane Six looked at each other, as if to say to each other “Is this child serious!?” After a moment, Fluttershy changed the subject.

“So, how about we get you out of here? I’m sure it’s very boring and bland here,” Fluttershy suggested.

“Let’s go out in the hall to discuss this,” Twilight suggested. The group agreed and followed her into the tunnel, closing the door behind them.

“Is this kid for reals?” Rainbow Dash asked, loudly. The others shooshed her.

“What horrible language and threats! Are you sure that he should be released, Fluttershy? He’s going to explode in somepony’s face, and it’s going to give all the more reason for the princesses to put him down!” Rarity asked.

“I’m sure that he just needs a little more time to adjust. I’m sure the premise that he’s in an unfamiliar world with none of his memories is still bothering him. He just needs a few days to get comfortable with his surroundings, and he’ll be fine!” she insisted.

“I’m just worried that he’s going to say or do the wrong thing to the wrong pony. The last thing we want is a fight!”

“Don’t worry, Twilight! He will change! He will end out good!”

“We’ll take your word for it, Fluttershy. We just want you to be careful.”

“I will, I promise.”

“Good. So now for the next question: Where is he going to go? We have six options here.”

“Him living with me is out of the question. With my house being hundreds of feet above the ground and made out of clouds, he’s going to die if he tries.” Rainbow Dash stated. The group nodded.

“He seems to have a humongous appetite, so living with me and the Cakes at Sugarcube Corner is probably a no-no. I mean, look at the plate on the table next to him! It’s a pile of bones and crumbs!”

“Speaking of which,” the doctor from before started, catching the attention of the Mane Six, “he really enjoys fish. He downed at least thirty pounds of it earlier. I’d suggest trying to get him to eat smaller portions.”

“So, yes. Living at Sugarcube Corner is a bad idea.”

“I refuse to allow him to live at the boutique. There are simply too many delicate, expensive fabrics and cloths there for me to risk the chance of him burning it with his little electricity beams,” Rarity said. “I would think this goes with Applejack and Twilight as well. He could burn down Sweet Apple Acres and the Golden Oaks Library, which is something we don’t want.”

“Do ya really think he’d do such a thing?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t think it’s a risk that we should take.”

“Ya make a good point, Rarity. That leaves it up to Fluttershah,” she said, looking to Fluttershy. “It’s your call.” Fluttershy took a moment to think, and quickly came with her decision.

“Yes. I will allow him to stay with me. Even if the princesses think he has a violent temper, I want to prove them wrong! He has the power to be good inside of him, and all he needs is a little bit of compassion towards him to bring it out.”

“Is that your final answer?” Twilight asked.

“Yes.”

“Very well. He will live with you for as long as he needs to.”

“Wonderful,” Fluttershy said. The group walked back into the room.

“Alright, Gash. We have come to a decision that you can come out of the hospital, and that you will live with Fluttershy until you don’t need to anymore. What do you say?” Twilight proposed.

“Sure. Anything to get me out of this hel-boring building.”

“Wonderful! Let’s go then,” Twilight exclaimed, walking over to him. She pulled the sheets off of him, and noticed that all he was wearing a towel. She tried to pull it off, but Gash held it down.

“Hey! Whaddya think you’re doing!?”

“Taking this towel. It’s hospital property.”

“Well, I’m not going out into public with no clothes! Even I have standards!”

“You’re making it a big deal.”

“It is! I don’t want anyone to be able to see my…well, my you know what.”

“Hmm…That may be a problem. Rarity?”

“Yes, darling?”

“Do you think you could make him an outfit to wear? Something basic, perhaps?”

“Hmm…Probably. I’d need his measurements. Do you have a measure?”

“I’m sure that we have one in storage,” the doctor informed. “Let me go check,” he said, walking down the hallway, into the corridor. Rarity followed him.

“It will be a challenge to make the clothes to his size, but I’m sure that I will be able to do it with time.”

“So, Gash, is there anything else you can tell us about yourself? Like age, hobbies, etc.?” Twilight inquired, attempting to make conversation.

“Well, by the way my body looks, I estimate that I am somewhere around thirteen to fourteen years old. The only thing I can tell you about hobbies is that I love to eat fish. But I don’t think it counts.”

“I wouldn’t count that. Can you remember anything about what you like?” she asked, receiving another stare from Gash. “Don’t say it. Don’t say it!”

“That was probably the single dumbest question I’ve ever been asked. I thought that it has been made clear that I have amnesia, and cannot recall anything from my past. Yet, here you are, asking me a question-about my past. Do you have any brain cells?”

“I already stated that it was a stupid question, but you still insulted me anyway! Do you have any dignity!?”

“My dignity lies at a clearly higher level of intelligence than you are capable of!”

“You think that you have a higher level of intelligence than I do? You have no idea about anything in this world! You know some higher level vocabulary, but you know nothing about how this world works, the history, the physics, anything!” she argued, and the aura from the previous night appeared around Gash, and the book had begun to shimmer once again.

“You say that because you lack the basic cognitive ability to understand that the only place I’ve been in this entire world is this one room, the hallways of this hospital, and a bathing room! Your argument is invalid, you brainless bitch!” he shouted, leaving Twilight completely silent as tears began to form in her eyes. He was taking very deep breaths to calm himself. The other ponies in the room were completely stunned, as if time had stopped all together.

“W-Well, I’ve misjudged you. I-I thought that you h-had good in you, but I was completely wrong. Princess Luna was right. You are nothing more than a monster! You are the worst creature that could’ve ever landed here! You are nothing more than a smutty. Little. Bastard!” she shouted, crying. She levitated the book out of Spike’s claws and slammed it on Gash’s face. She ran out of the room, and out of the hospital.

“Twilight, wait!” Rainbow Dash tried, but was too late. She glared daggers and knives at the child, who fell back into the bed.

“If I would just leave my damned mouth shut…” he trailed, closing and putting his hands on top of the book, which had stopped glowing, and sighed. Fluttershy didn’t know what to say or do, so she just looked away.

“Well, it certainly seems like he has a knack for making mares run off in tears,” the doctor said, Rarity also entering the room with the measuring tape.

“What happened!?” she asked.

“Twilight and Gash had a bit of a…disagreement, and it got really heated, and unfortunately ended in horrible insults,” Fluttershy tried to explain.

“Are you kidding!? He called her a bi-“ Rainbow Dash angrily started, rising slightly off the ground.

“Okay, you can stop there! I don’t need to hear the details. Let’s just calm down now,” she insisted. Rainbow Dash dropped back to floor, taking deep breaths.

“Alright. Are we all calm now?” she asked after about fifteen seconds.

“Yes.”

“Excellent. Anyway, let’s get your measurements now, darling,” she said, as Gash set the book aside and jumped off the bed. He took a few steps and looked towards her. She levitated the measuring tape around his waist, arms and legs, and measured the length of his arms, legs and feet, writing down the measurements for each on a scrap piece of paper.

“Wonderful! I shall go to the boutique and get started right away! I’ll be back soon!” she called out, walking out.

“Alright, so that’s taken care of. What next?” Gash asked.

“Oh, yes! Yesterday, all of us, as in myself, Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Applejack, gathered at the library to talk, and while we were talking, your book suddenly started to glow. Do you know what happened?” Fluttershy asked.

“Well, I did get pretty angry last night at a nurse…Maybe it had something to do with it? I don’t know.”

“One page in particular was glowing, and certain characters on the page were glowing.”

“Hmm…Let’s see…” he said, flipping through pages of the book. “Was the page near the front or the back?”

“The very front.”

“Okay…” he continued, flipping back. He flipped over the page with the characters, but quickly flipped back.

“Yes, those characters!”

“I can read the red characters, but not these blue ones,” he started. “Strange. On the left page, it says “The First Spell. Za-ke-ru. Zakeru. On the right page, it says “The Second Spell. Ra-shi-ru-do. Rashirudo.”

“Spells? Like magic?”

“I’d assume so.”

“I wonder what they do?” Fluttershy questioned.

“Not a single clue.”

“Hmm…I guess we’ll just have to wait and figure it out later,” he said, yawning.

“Are you going to sleep?”

“Nah. I’ll just read that book I was reading earlier until she gets back. Speaking of which, how long will it take her to make the clothes?” he asked, pulling the book out from the drawer, opening to the page he was at before.

“Maybe half an hour.”

“’Kay,” he replied, beginning to read.

By the time Rarity got back, almost an hour and a half had passed. Gash had finished reading the book and had fallen asleep by then.

“I’m back! Sorry it took so long. I was having trouble finding extra fabric to make these with. Gash?” she asked, but he was asleep.

“Gash, wake up. Rarity’s back,” Fluttershy informed, nudging him. He opened his eyes and yawned.

“Wow, it’s about time. Let’s see what you’ve got for me,” he said, sitting up.

“Alright. Here it is!” she said, pulling it out of her saddlebag.

It was a single blue piece, with three holes, one on top for the head, and two on the side for the arms, along with small sleeves, about four inches long each. Attached to the top of the fabric was a white ribbon, with a small, yellow pendant in the center. There was one big hole on the bottom for the legs, almost like a dress. There was a small white shirt that went with it, which was sleeveless. There was also a small, grey pair of shorts to be worn under the mantle. The shoes were completely blue on the outside, and completely white on the inside, and seemed to have socks attached directly onto them.

“Hm. Let me try them on,” he said, holding out his arms. Rarity levitated the group of clothes over to Gash, who walked into the bathroom. Several moments later, he came out, wearing all of them.

“You made me a dress?” he asked, holding the bottom up.

“Don’t be silly, darling. It’s a mantle! Small differences in the two, but I don’t want to bore you with the details,” she said, giggling a bit.

“Okay. I like this. It’s really soft and comfortable. What’s it made out of?”

“I’m not quite sure what it’s made out of. I just found that fabric hung in a closet and decided to use it. And the brooch was there, too, so I decided to pin that on.”

“Alright. So I guess that means that we can finally leave?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I believe so. Are you ready, Gash?” Fluttershy asked.

“Indeed.”

“Alright. Let’s get out of here!” Rainbow Dash enthusiastically yelled, flying out of the room. The others followed.

“Are you checking out now?” the receptionist asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay. I’m going to need you to sign this sheet,” she said, pulling out a sheet of paper. “Sign here, here, and here,” she instructed, handing the paper and a quill to Gash. He wrote his name on the sheet in completely foreign characters to the receptionist.

“I can’t read that,” she informed. Fluttershy looked at the strange characters. They looked like scribbles and smiley faces.

“ガッシュ,” they looked like.

“I’m sorry. Let me write his name,” Fluttershy apologized, writing his name in Equestrian characters on all three lines.

“And while you’re at it, write your name here,” she instructed, pointing to a line. She did so.

“And you are good! Have a nice day!” the receptionist told, the group walking out of the hospital.

“Ah!” Gash said, shielding his eyes.

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m wonderful. I’ve only been temporarily blinded.”

“Okay, no offense, but you can cut the sarcasm. It’s really starting to annoy us,” Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“Hey, I’ll talk how I like to talk, ‘kay? ‘Kay,” he shot back. His eyes got adjusted to the light fairly quickly, and he took his hands off of his eyes. When he looked around, he was met with stares. He tiredly looked around.

“Yay. More stares. From everyone. Perfect,” he sarcastically remarked, slumping slightly. He stood straight again and cleared his throat.

“Uh…Hi?” he loudly spoke. The silence was agonizing for him. They were still staring at him. He looked back.

The ponies got closer.

“What are you?” one pony asked.

“Where do you come from?” another asked.

“I don’t kno-“ he tried to say, but was cut off.

“Are you a threat?”

“Why do you stand on two legs?”

“I don’t-“ he tried again, but was once again cut off.

“Should we fear you?”

“Can we trust y-“

“I said that I don’t know!” he yelled, causing all of the ponies to backpedal. He said. “C’mon. Let’s go,” he told, as Fluttershy stepped up.

“I’m sorry, everypony, but we’re very busy right now. I’m sure that all of your questions will be answered in due time,” she said, leading Gash down to one end of the street. The other four followed. He turned around.

“I think we’re good. You can go off now,” he said.

“We’re just followin’ yah tah make sure that yah get home safely,” Applejack informed.

“Suit yourself,” he said. Fluttershy lead him to a large red building with a tall, red flagpole and a red flag. It was all red.

“What is this place?”

“This is the Ponyville School. I thought it would be a good idea to enroll you!” Fluttershy told.

“Seriously?”

“Yes. It’s a good way for you to learn more about the history of Equestria, as well as other skills.”

“Whatever,” he said, as Fluttershy brought him in. School had been out for almost an hour, so it wasn’t interrupting a class.

“Good morning, Fluttershy. What brings you here today?” a light-purple pony with a pink mane and tail asked. She had green irises and three yellow smiley faces on her flank.

“I’m here to enroll a student.”

“Wonderful! Let me get you the papers,” she said, opening a drawer on her desk. She pulled out a paper. “Alright. Read this and sign it, please, handing the paper and a quill over to Fluttershy. “Where is this little one?” she asked. Gash walked up to her.

“Why, hello there! I’m Ms. Cheerilee, and I’ll be your teacher. What’s your name?”

“I’m known as ‘Gash.’”

“Well, Gash, I’m sure you’ll like the classes. Everypony here is nice, and the lessons are interesting.”

“Wonderful,” he apathetically said.

“Um, Cheerilee?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes?”

“I’m done.”

“Wonderful. Gash, could you sign this as well?”

“Uh…that’s a bit of a problem. I don’t know how to write your language.”

“No? That’s not a problem. This chart,” she said, pointing to a poster on the wall, “is the Equestrian alphabet. Your name is Gash, so your name would be spelled ‘g,’ ‘a,’ ‘s,’ ‘h,’” she said, pointing to the corresponding letters. He wrote the characters down on the sheet. He handed it back to Cheerilee.

“Wonderful! You can start tomorrow. You’ll need quills and inkpots to write with, and paper to write on.”

“Duly noted.”

“Wonderful. Is there anything else you need, Fluttershy?”

“Um…Do you have a chart of the alphabet that I can borrow?”

“Yes,” she said, pulling out a mini-sheet of paper. “Here you go. It has all of the letters, as well as the sounds that each of them make and combinations.”

“Great. Also, what time does school start?”

“9:00 A.M.”

“Okay. Thank you!” she said, waving to Cheerilee, walking out the door with Gash.

‘Yay. I get to deal with annoying children now, and I have to wake up really early. Everything I’ve always wanted.’

“Now, let’s go home,” Fluttershy stated. Gash nodded and the group walked again. On the way there, they passed by the library. Twilight saw Gash through a window, and he noticed her. He gave her a somewhat sinister grin, and she scowled back, shutting the blinds. They stopped at a quill store. Fluttershy quickly went in and bought some quills, inkwells, and paper. The group immediately began walking again once she exited.

By the time the group arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage, it was past sunset.

“Gash, why don’t you head inside and get comfortable, and I’ll come inside in a minute?”

“Alright,” he complied, opening the door. He entered and shut the door.

“Alrahght. Ah’ just want yah tah be careful with what yah say around him, Fluttershah. There’s something more to this chahld than we can see from first glances, and Ah don’t think it’d be smart tah learn what it is,” Applejack warned.

“I understand that you’re all worried about me, but don’t. I’ve got this all under control.”

“Alrahght. Stay safe, now,” the group said, as they headed to their homes for the night. Fluttershy walked in, and the clock read ‘7:49.’ She didn’t find Gash downstairs, so she looked upstairs and saw him laying in her bed, asleep. She smiled and walked over to him, kissing him on the forehead, pulling the blanket over him and tucking.

“Good night,” she whispered into his ear. He smiled slightly, and she walked back downstairs. She saw her animals staring up at her, some making their noises to her, as if to ask ‘What was that?’

“Everyone, that was Gash. He’s going to be staying with us for a while, alright?” she asked. The animals nodded, although there was a very distrustful, white rabbit looking unimpressed. “You all look hungry. Let me get you some food,” she said, pouring all sorts of nuts and fruits and vegetables into bowls, laying them along the floor. When they were all done, she collected all of the bowls and washed them in the kitchen sink, setting them on a rack to dry.

It was 9:13 by the time she was finished, so she decided that it was a good time to go to bed. She went into a small closet, pulling out a pillow and blanket, and laid down on the couch. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, awaiting the beginning of a new day.