Tales of Hunter, Polly, and Others

The Bongo

It was midnight. The sun was fast asleep and didn't want to wake up. The Raposa Village was dark and silent. It almost had an eerie atmosphere to it.

Polly was still awake. She was very tired, but she HAD to finish her friend. She had no choice. 'Ah.. Rapo... I forgot the stuffing.' She looked at what she made so far. 'I can't just wait until tomorrow.... I need this NOW.' She looked around to see if she can find anything to use. 'Aha!' She found a few stuffed animals that haven't been in use. 'That'll work!' She got up from her bed and picked up one of the animals. She then picked up all of her materials and placed them on the kitchen table. Polly picked up a pair of scissors and sliced the animal open. She reached inside and pulled out all of the stuffing. "Sorry Mr. Bear..." Polly inserted the stuffing into her new friend, and continued to stitch him together.

The house was starting to get a little lighter. It wasn't quite daytime, but the sun was almost ready to wake up. Bob opened his eyes and stretched. He looked at his wife, who was still fast asleep. 'She's not up yet? She's usually up before I am. ...She had a rough day Bob. Let her sleep.' He got out of bed and went to the kitchen. He unknowingly walked past Polly sitting at the kitchen table, and made himself a cup of coffee. He turned around and took a sip when he finally noticed Polly sitting at the table. "Pfft!" He choked on his coffee. "P...Polly! Wha? What are ya doin up dis early?!"
Polly was holding her newly finished friend. "Couldn't sleep." She yawned. 'I just couldn't sleep until he was finished...'
Bob nodded. "Yeah... I couldn't sleep either." He set his coffee down on the table and sat down. He then saw the rabbit doll in Polly's arms. "...Where'd ya get dat?"
Polly looked down at the doll she made and smiled.
"Made him."
"Ya made dat? Pretty nice."
She nodded. "I made him last night."
"Last... night? Aw.... no... Don't tell me ya stayed up for THIS."
Polly slowly nodded. "...I couldn't do anything but think about it."
"Polly..." 'That sounds like somethin I would do.... I don't want her to be like me...' He sighed. "I get it. Ya wanted to get it done. Just please don't do dat again. It's bad for ya."
Polly's eyes were tired. She did not want this to happen again. She nodded. "Okay dad. I understand."

Nixie got finally up from her bed and walked to the kitchen. "Hi Bobby..." She kissed him on the lips. "..." ...It was a very... very long kiss. Polly pointed at her mouth and gagged in disgust. Nixie heard her and quickly stopped to turn around. Her cheeks were a little pink. "Uh..... Polly! How... How long were you..?"
Bob interrupted. "The whole time."
"Bobby! Why didn't you tell me!?"
Bob blushed. "Haha....Your lips wouldn't let me..."
"...Oh."
Polly looked at her new friend. "Do you believe this?" She paused and looked at her parents. "Even Bongo doesn't believe this."
Nixie raised an eyebrow. "...Bongo?"
"Oh!" Polly placed the doll on the table and made it face Nixie. "This is my friend. Bongo!"
Nixie looked at her husband. "Did she.... stay awake all night to make that?"
Bob whispered back to her. "Nix... look at her. She's tired. She's not gonna do dat again."
Nixie sighed and looked at the doll on the table. '...Wait a minute. Where did she get the materials for this?' "Polly. How on earth did you make this?"
Polly paused for a moment. "...I found some spare materials."
"But where did you get the materials for this?"
"I uh..."
Nixie glared at Polly. "I know you didn't use 'spare materials'. What did you use?"
Polly was getting nervous. "Uhh..." She glanced at dresser she raided. 'Don't look... Don't look!'
Nixie saw Polly look at the dresser and marched towards it.
Polly, knowing that she was about to get in trouble, squeezed Bongo in her arms. 'Oh no...'
Nixie opened one of the drawers and saw some cut and torn pieces of clothing. Most of them belonged to Nixie and Polly. "Polly!!! Why would you do this!? You know how much these cost!"
"...I couldn't wait."
Nixie was getting irritated. "Of course you could have!! Those clothes were very nice too...."
"I had to use the best stuff for Bongo. That's what he wanted."
"Well turn him down next time!"
"I did! He wanted me to use your white dress, but I told him you'd be mad. Besides, it was too lacy anyway."
Nixie's eyes grew wide. "My..... WHITE dress?" 'Don't tell me she touched my wedding dress...'
"Don't worry, I didn't touch it!"
Nixie let out a small sigh of relief. "Polly, you should have waited."
"...I know."
Nixie folded the ruined cloths and put them on the table. 'Maybe I can use them for something?' She let out a sigh of frustration.
Bob put his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay Nix. Just let it go."
Nixie wanted to punish Polly, but was too tired. She smiled and pat Bongo on the head. "...Is that one of my bracelets?"
"Oh... Yeah. I thought it looked nice. ...You're not mad?"
Nixie shook her head. "I think it looks lovely." The three Raposa smiled and laughed with each other.

The sun was finally up in the sky. The morning light filled the room. Bob and Nixie were just getting started on breakfast. Everyone in the house was awake. Well, almost everyone. Polly looked at Hunter, who was still fast asleep. "Of course he's the last one to wake up." She looked at Bongo. "Do think we should wake him up?" She made Bongo nod. "That's what I thought!" She got up from her chair and walked up to him.

Hunter tossed and turned in his bed. He was having trouble getting a good rest. His thoughts swirled around inside of him and turned into bad nightmares.

Hunter was in his home with his family. There strangely wasn't any furniture in the house. Hunter was standing in a corner, while everyone else stood in the center of the room. They seemed to be happy and looked like they were having fun. Hunter, not wanting to miss out, walked closer to them. Despite not being that far away, it took forever to get to them. Hunter's heart pounded. With every step he took, his family got less and less happy. They eventually started to argue and yell at each other. Hunter wanted to turn around and make them happy again, but he couldn't control his legs. He kept moving forward. The yelling grew louder and louder. Hunter couldn't tell what they were saying, but felt like it had to do with him somehow. The yelling turned into screaming. Hunter's ears hurt. The screams made his ears ring. As Hunter was getting close, it looked like things were about to get violent. His parents were at each other's throats, and Polly was in the middle of it. Hunter couldn't bear to see what would happen, so he squeezed his eyes shut. After a long series of screams and shouts, everything stopped. The yelling stopped, the ringing stopped, even Hunter stopped. The air was a little chilly. The wooden flooring was gone. Instead, Hunter felt the feeling of soft grass brush against his legs. Hunter reluctantly opened his eyes. He wasn't home anymore. He was in an open field of knee high purple grass. The sky was a snowy off white. Hunter didn't see a single rapo in front of him. He sighed. He turned around in an attempt to go home, when he saw Polly. She stared at Hunter with a blank expression on her face. Hunter approached her. "Polly! What are you doing here!? You have to go home! This isn't safe!" Polly looked a little annoyed. Hunter got closer. "Look, I'm sorry. But you can't be here! It's too dangerous!" Hunter tried to put his hand on her shoulder and guide her home, but Polly smacked his arm away. The sky was starting to grow dark. "Polly, listen to me!! I'm not trying to be a jerk." Hunter was tearing up "I just don't want you to die!!" Tears poured down Hunter's face. "I'm sorry Polly... I didn't mean to hurt you... I really didn't... I... I should've helped you. I... I shouldn't have let you here... I could've told them.... but I didn't. ...I shouldn't have been so selfish. .......I'm ......I'm sorry." Polly looked angry. Her arms were crossed. "Don't be such a crybaby." Hunter choked a little on his tears. "I'm.... I'm not a baby.... I don't mean to cry...." "You're such a wuss." Hunter was getting a little mad. "You don't get it. You don't get ANYTHING! I... I'm trying to HELP you! Why won't you let me help you!?!" Polly turned away from Hunter. "Polly..." Polly began to walk away. "Polly, I'm sorry!! I'll always be here for you! Always!!!" Polly kept walking. "Polly, please don't leave me here! Polly!" Polly turned around. Her eyes were a burning red. "Don't even try. Stupid Baki." She turned back around and walked away. Hunter stood in shock for a second. It felt like he had been stabbed straight through the chest. He tried to run after her, but he couldn't catch up. "Polly!!! Come back! Don't leave me...! Please!!!!!" Hunter's legs grew weak and tired. He fell to the ground. "Polly!!!" Hunter got up from the ground. The sky was dark, and Polly was but a dot in the distance. The grass was no longer purple. It was instead a light shade of grey. The wind was a sharp blade that pierced through Hunter's entire body. Hunter tried to run after Polly, but his legs were stiff. He couldn't move. "Polly!" Just then, a wall of darkness surrounded Hunter. The wall kept closing in on him. Eventually, black was all Hunter could see. "No... No. No! Let me go!! Please!!! Just let me go home!!!! PLEASE!!" Hunter began to cry. "No.... No... No..."Just then, Hunter heard Polly's voice. "Hun... Hunter... wak.... I want you to.... someone. Wake up!"

Hunter opened his eyes to see the biggest smile he had ever seen. "AAAH!" Hunter fell out of his bed. "Ow...."
Polly laughed. "Are you okay?"
Hunter got up from the floor. "Ugh... I think I broke my face...."
"I hope not! I want you to see someone!"
Hunter rubbed his eyes. 'Oh no... Who is it?'
Polly held up Bongo to Hunter's eye level. "This is Bongo!"
"Uh... Hi." 'She made that already? I thought I would've had more time...'
Polly smiled. "Aww... I think he likes you!"
"Wait, really?" '...I dunno if I like IT though.'
Polly nodded. "Yup!" She tossed Bongo in the air and caught him. "Come on! Let's go eat!" She ran to the table.
Hunter's stomach grumbled. He didn't eat much the day before, and the thought of eggs and toast made him drool. "Polly wait up!" He caught up with her and sat down.
Polly impatiently tapped her fingers on the table. "Uggh... Come oooon already! I'm starving!"
Nixie turned around. "It will be ready in just a minute. You can wait that long."
"Uuuuugh. This is ridiculous!" She turned to face Bongo, who was sitting on the table. "Don't you think this is crazy?"
"..."
"Thank you!! Someone gets it!"
Hunter stared at the table. 'Hey... I get it... I'm hungry too y'know.'
Nixie finally placed the food on the table and sat down. "There you are."
Hunter and Polly grinned at the food in front of them. "Thank you!"
Hunter slid the egg onto his toast, folded it into a sandwich, and took a big bite. He spoke with his mouth full. "Mmm... This so good."
Nixie smiled. "Glad to hear! ...And please eat slowly! It's much better for you."
Polly smirked. "Yeah! Besides, you look stupid when you do that." Hunter glared at her. "What? It's true! It's disturbing! I know Bongo was disturbed! Weren't you Bongo?"
"..."
"See? It's weird! ...Don't worry Bongo, I was disturbed too."
Hunter looked at his mom in hopes that she'd yell at her. 'Mom! She's being mean to me! Do something!'
Nixie saw Hunter, and thought to herself. 'She is being a little tough... But tough can be good... After all, she is telling the truth. It WAS unsightly... Oh well... Besides, it's Bobby's turn anyway.' She nudged her husband in the shoulder.
Bob looked up from his plate. "What? Uh um..." '...What just happened?' He looked at Nixie for some sort of hint, and she just motioned toward the kids. 'Oh... That... That doesn't help much.' He looked at Hunter and Polly. "Uh... Hunter, don't be mean to your sister."
Hunter nodded. "Okay dad."
"And Polly, don't... uh... take candy from strangers?" Nixie shook her head and sighed. "What? What'd I do?"
Polly looked at Bongo. "That was... embarrassing to watch..."
Hunter quietly finished his breakfast. '...I didn't mean to cause that... Oops.'

Polly soon finished her breakfast as well. "You know Bongo, you're pretty cool. ...Do you wanna hang out?"
"..."
"Awesome! ...Mom! Dad! I'm going outside with Bongo for a while!"
Bob nodded. "M'kay. Sounds good." Polly got out of her seat and rushed to the door with Bongo in her arms.
Nixie however, was not okay with it. 'All that darkness... How it keeps closing in on us... What did we do to deserve this? ...What did I do to have to fear the outdoors? I shouldn't worry for them.... Yet I do. I really do... Something bad is bound to happen... I can't let them out of my sight...' She was about to call Polly back, but she already left the house. She glared at Bob for letting Polly get away.
Bobbery sunk in his chair. 'Why she lookin at me like this? What'd I do?' It took a while for him to realise why his wife was giving him the evil eye. "Oops... Uh..." He looked at Hunter. "Hunter, can ya go check on your sis?"
"Yeah dad." 'I HAVE to make sure she's okay... That thing creeps me out... I dunno what it's doing to her... But I can't let it happen.' Hunter got up from his chair and went out the door to find Polly.
Nixie's jaw dropped. 'Did he... Did he just allow BOTH of them to disappear!?' She hit Bob in the side. Hard.
"Ow! What was dat for!?"
Nixie was getting a headache. "...They got away."
"Wha?"
"YOU JUST LET BOTH OF OUR CHILDREN GET AWAY FROM US! NOW THEY'RE BOTH IN THAT TERRIBLE WORLD ALL BY THEMSELVES DOING WHO KNOWS WHAT! BOBBERY!! DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!?"
"Nix... I'm sorry..."
"SORRY DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING! THANKS TO YOUR IDIOTIC ACTIONS, THEY MIGHT..." She buried her face in her hands and began to cry. "They... they could REALLY hurt themselves."
Bob put his hand on her shoulder. "Nixie... I'm really sorry. Really am."
"I... I know. I'm sorry too. I just... I couldn't control myself... You deserve better than this. ...You deserve better than me."
"Don't say dat Nix... You're way too good for me and ya know dat." He kissed her on the cheek.
Nixie sighed. "They worry me so much Bobby. That darkness looming around us... it cannot lead to any good. Nothing that man did was good."
"I know... Come here." He wrapped his arms around her. He was trying to comfort her as well as himself. "It's okay. ...It's gonna be okay."
Hunter, who heard the yelling from outside, peeked his head through the window. "Uh... Hey! Sorry if this is a bad time..."
Bob and Nixie noticed Hunter's voice and looked towards him. Bob shook his head. "Nah... You're good."
Nixie jumped up from her chair. "What happened? What's wrong?"
Hunter was startled by his mom's worry. "What? Nothing's wrong. I saw Polly. She's pretty close by."
Nixie let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank The Creator..."
"I just wanted to let you know I'll stay close."
"Thank you..." Hunter looked at Polly in the distance. He didn't get to talk to her yet, and he really needed to. "See ya." Hunter walked away from the window, leaving his parents at home. Nixie watched Hunter approach Polly in the distance. She sighed.
Bob got up and stood next to her. "Ya ok?"
"...I'm not sure. I just feel so... so..."
"Scared?" Nixie nodded. Bob laughed. "Me too."
"Bobby..." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you so much."
"I love ya too Nix."

Hunter took a deep breath and headed towards his sister. Polly was spinning around, holding Bongo by his ears. She seemed to be very happy. And a bit distracted. It wasn't long until Polly spun into Hunter. "Oof!" Polly looked up and finally noticed Hunter. "Hunter!"
Hunter brushed himself off. "Hey! ...Whatcha doing?"
"Nothing much! Just hanging with my best bud!"
Hunter's heart sunk a little. 'BEST bud?' "That's cool. ...Mind if I join you?"
"Of course not! How about you Bongo? Do you mind at all? ...Uh huh? Uh huh?"
Hunter was getting a little nervous. 'What if it hates me? What am I gonna do then? I'll never see Polly again! ...Hunter, calm down. It's just a doll. It doesn't think anything.'
"..."
"Bongo says you're good!"
Hunter let out a sigh of relief. "...So now what do we do?"
Polly thought for a moment. "Hmm... I think I'm in the mood for a picnic!"
"A picnic?"
"Yeah! Either that or a tea party. What do you think?"
"Well, I..."
Polly interrupted. "I was talking to Bongo."
"...Oh."
"...A tea party picnic? Why didn't I think of that?"
Hunter sighed. 'But you DID think of that...' "Sounds cool!" '..I dunno if I wanna be alone with this thing... I mean Polly's here too but.... Something is off. And I dunno what it is.' "...But it'd be kinda odd with just the two of us.."
"You mean three!" Polly held up Bongo as a reminder of his existence.
Hunter looked away. "Oh. Right. ...You sure you want me to join in?"
Polly nodded. "Of course! You're awesome to be around! ...Besides, Bongo needs to get to know you better!"
Hunter nervously smiled. 'I'd rather not...' "Cool. ...I'm gonna go get everything." Hunter walked back home.
Polly followed. "I'm coming with you! You only pick the stuff YOU like!"
Hunter chuckled to himself. 'Well, she isn't wrong...'

The two siblings walked into the house and were greeted by their parents.
Nixie smiled. "Oh, back so soon?"
Hunter nodded. "Yeah. But.."
Polly interrupted. "We're going to have a tea party picnic!"
Bob smirked. "Well dat sounds pretty fun!"
Polly grinned. "Yeah! It's going to be really fun!"
Hunter suddenly had an idea. "Hey! You guys should join us! It'll be like a party!" 'And I won't be alone with that thing! ...Besides, it's been a while since I've seen everyone together...'
Polly was jumping up and down. "Good idea! It'll be so much fun!"
Nixie however, wasn't as excited. "I don't know... It might be dangerous."
Polly's eyes widened. "What!? Come on mom! Pleeeease! We'll be safe! I swear!"
Hunter chimed in. "Yeah mom! Come on! Please?!"
Nixie was unsure. "But the darkness..."
Her husband put his hand on her shoulder. He spoke quietly. "Nix, relax. It's not near us yet. We'll be okay. Besides, it's so nice out dere. When are we gonna get another chance to do dis?"
"...You're right. ...Hunter, go find a blanket!" Hunter grinned and headed to search for a good blanket. "Polly, go get the tea ready! I'll whip up some some snacks!" Polly squeezed Bongo in her arms.
"Alright mom!" She rushed to the kitchen cabinets to retrieve the tea set.
"...And Bobby,"
Bob jumped a little. "Y-yeah?"
"...Make sure Polly doesn't hurt herself. That tea set is so fragile."
"Oh. Alight..." He was about to turn around, when Nixie stopped him.
"Oh, and Bobby..." She kissed him. "Thank you."

Everyone gathered everything they needed, and set everything up. Once everything was on the blanket, everyone sat down. Polly, wanting Bongo to have his own seat, set her doll next to Hunter. Hunter, disturbed by the doll, shifted away from it. Bob and Nixie happily sat next to each other and smiled.
Bob kissed her on the cheek. "You're so beautiful."
Nixie giggled. "Bobby! Not in front the kids!"
"Oh. Sorry. I just can't control myself around ya." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
Polly and Hunter were getting a little uncomfortable. Polly covered Bongo's eyes as well as her own. "I'm too young for this!"
Hunter looked away and cleared his throat. Loudly.
Bob and Nixie finally heard Hunter and stopped. "Uh..." Both of their faces were red. Especially Bob's.
"Haha..."
Nixie elbowed him.
"Bobby!"
"Sorry... I told ya I had no control!... Um..." 'Ah... My face is on fire...' "...Polly, can ya pour me some tea?"
"Oh! Sure dad!" Polly poured the tea into her father's teacup.
"Thank ya." Nervous, Bob quickly lifted the cup to his lips. Hot tea spilled onto his face and poured down his chin. "AAh!!"
Nixie's eyes widened. "Oh Creator! Bobby! Are you alright?!"
"...Y-Yes! Napkin! Please!" Hunter handed over a handful of napkins to him. Bob immediately took the napkins and dried himself off. "Ah... Thanks."
Polly began to laugh. "Dad! You're so ridiculous!"
Nixie crossed her arms. "Polly! There is no need to be rude!"
Polly continued to laugh. "But it's a good ridiculous! Haha! You're ridiculous too!"
Nixie blushed. "Haha..." She nervously took a small bite out of her sandwich. But as she bit into it, the sandwich was starting to fall apart. Not wanting to get stains on anything, she shoved the tiny sandwich into her mouth. "Mmmph..." Realizing how silly she looked, Nixie smiled and finished her sandwich. Everyone began to laugh.
Hunter, not wanting to miss out on the fun, began to toss cookies up in the air to try and catch them with his mouth. He missed all of them. When the cookies didn't land on the blanket, they hit Hunter in the face. But instead of being brought down, he laughed with everyone and ate the cookies off of the ground. One of the cookies landed on top of his head. But Hunter didn't feel it, and frantically looked for the missing cookie. "What the? Where did it go?"
Everyone began to laugh. "It's right there!"
"Where?!"
"On top of you!"
Hunter patted the top of his head until he finally found the cookie. "Oh. There it is! Haha." He took the cookie and took a bite out of it.
Bob laughed. Nixie however, shook her head in disgust and sighed. "Hunter, don't eat that..."
Polly laughed. "Yeah Hunter! You don't know where your head has been!" Hunter picked up a cookie and jokingly threw it at Polly. "Ow!" Polly picked up a berry threw it at Hunter for revenge. "Take that!" The berry hit Hunter on the nose.
Hunter glared at Polly. "So that's how it's gonna be huh?" A smirk crawled on both Hunter and Polly's face. They began to throw food at each other.
Bob chuckled quietly to himself. 'I'd join, but dat be wrong huh?'
Nixie crossed her arms. 'You have to be joking. I raised them to be better than this!' "Hey! Stop throwing your food! You know better than tha-" A piece of cake landed on her face.
Polly and Hunter grew silent. 'Uh oh. This isn't good...'
Bob laughed to himself, trying his best not to let anyone hear him. Despite his efforts, everyone heard him. Especially Nixie. She wiped the cake off of her face, and shoved it in her husband's face. After a moment of silence, Everyone began to laugh. Bobbery wiped the cake off his face, and continued the food fight.
Everyone was having a fun time throwing food at each other. Fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, and dessert soared through the air. It was getting out of control. Food was getting everywhere. Polly was in the middle of the fight when she saw some pudding head toward Bongo. "No." She ran in front of the doll and blocked it from the food storm. "Noooooooo!" Polly was bombarded with an assortment of food. After a while, the fight was put to a halt. Everyone was covered in filth. The only thing that was left unscathed was Bongo. Polly pick up her doll and looked at it. "Bongo! Are you okay? You're not hurt right?"
"..."
"Phew... That was close!" She laughed. "...I guess you won the fight huh?" Everyone cleaned up and went back inside.

After cleaning themselves off and putting everything away, Bobbery began to prepare for supper. ...And by 'prepare for supper', he was fixing up leftovers from the picnic. Nixie tried to convince him to let her make something, but he refused, saying she needed a break.
Nixie and her two children sat at the kitchen table, waiting for supper. Polly was holding Bongo in her arms, proud of her new friend. Hunter stared at the doll. The sight of it made him uneasy. '...Why is it staring at me? It's like it's TRYING to remind me of what I did. ...It looks happy about it too.'
Polly smirked. "Hunter, stop staring! You're making Bongo nervous!"
"Uh..."
"...I know you're jealous, but keep it to yourself! Bongo can't take it!"
"Uhh... Sorry!"
'Wait. I'm not jealous! I just don't want him to hurt you! And I don't want you to spend so much time with him! And I don't want him to exist! ...Okay, maybe I'm a little jealous. I mean, it's just a doll. It can't hurt her. Besides, she looks happy... Maybe I should... warm up to the thing.' It took a while for Hunter to build up the courage to speak. "...So, Uh.... Polly?"
"Hm?"
"I don't think I... had the chance to really meet... Uh..."
"Bongo!"
"R-right... So... is that okay? ...That I meet him?"
"Of course!" Polly plopped Bongo on the table. "He's so cool. Look at that face! Doesn't that just scream 'cool'?"
"Yeah." 'No. No it doesn't. It's just weird.'
Polly handed the doll to her brother. "Don't hurt him!"
"I won't." Hunter reluctantly took the doll. The doll was surprisingly soft. 'I thought it would be rough and scratchy, but it isn't. Maybe I was wrong about it?'
Polly giggled. "Soft isn't he?"
"Yeah."
"I knew you'd like it. I like it too! I couldn't let Bongo be made with anything else. He deserves the best!" Nixie gave Polly a stern look from across the table. It seemed she was still a little upset that Polly raided her wardrobe. Polly nervously laughed to herself. "...Sorry." Hunter handed the doll back to Polly.

The leftovers finally made it to the table. The tired family quietly ate together. Polly had Bongo on her lap. She offered the doll a piece of her sandwich. "Aren't you hungry Bongo? You didn't eat all day."
"..."
"Wait, you don't need to eat?"
"..."
"Oh... I didn't know. Sorry Bongo! ...Well, more for me I guess!" Polly continued to eat her food. "..." Her eyes were getting heavy. She didn't sleep at all the night before, and it was catching up with her. 'I'm... so tired. I... I can't.' She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Hunter was tired too. He took a glance at Polly and saw her fast asleep. 'What the...? Hey! It's not bedtime yet... ...I ...I wish it was though.' Hunter yawned. He didn't have a good sleep the night before, and the thought of a nap sounded really good to him. 'Goodnight...' Hunter's head fell onto the table.
Nixie and Bob were alarmed by the thud. Nixie rushed over to Hunter. "Hunter! Are you okay?" Hunter didn't respond. He snored a little. "Oh thank Creator, he's just sleeping."
Bob began to chuckle to himself.
Nixie turned to face her husband. 'What on earth is he laughing about?' Bobbery gestured to Polly, who was fast asleep with Bongo in her arms. Nixie smiled. "Aw... they're so precious."
Bob nodded. "Dey really are."
Nixie sighed. "I don't know what I would do without these two..."
"Come on Nix. Let's go get these lil rapos to bed."
Bob picked up Polly and carried her to her bed. As she was being carried away, Bongo slipped from Polly's arms. In her sleep, Polly reached out for the doll. It was as if she could sense it wasn't with her. "Don't worry sweetie. I'll get it back." Bob set her down and tucked her into her bed. He then retrieved the doll and placed it right next to Polly. Almost as soon as Bongo was put down, Polly squeezed the doll in her arms. Bob walked back to Nixie, who was standing by the sleeping Hunter. "Too heavy for ya?"
"Hm? Oh. Um.." 'Well, I guess so... but...' "I just didn't want to wake him up..."
Bob smiled. "Ya kiddin? He wouldn't wake up if da world was endin."
Nixie nervously laughed. "Bobby..."
"Hehe... Come on and help me lift him up." The two lifted hunter from his chair and tucked him in.
Nixie looked at him and sighed. "My babies... They're so beautiful."
Bob smiled. "Yeah. Dey really are." He yawned and stretched. "...Well, I dunno bout you, but it's bout time I hit the hay." He was headed to bed when he noticed that Nixie wasn't following him. "...Ya coming?"
Nixie stood in place, looking at her sleeping children. "...I ...I think I'll stay here for a while longer if you don't mind."
Bobbery didn't understand what she was up to, but he didn't feel like asking her about it. "Alright then. Don't keep me waitin long..." He reluctantly went to bed without her.

The house was dark. Nixie was the only one up. She looked down at Hunter and Polly. Both of them were fast asleep. "*sigh* Look at how peaceful they are... Their little faces, they are nothing short of adorable..." She parted the hair from Polly's face. "I'm sorry... You two don't deserve anything bad to happen. ...But I know I can't stop that. Oh how I wish I could could. I would keep us in a bubble if it meant we'd be safe... But... I can't. ...I know you will turn out great, you have to. *sigh* ...When I was a child, I was always expected to be greater than I truly was... I don't wish that on anyone let alone the two of you... Whenever I felt afraid or unsure about something, this one song would always comfort me. ...I'll be honest. I need to be comforted right now... I don't know if it still works at all, but I pray it provides you good fortune at the very least." She began to quietly sing a lullaby. She didn't know where she learned the song, or even know what it was about. All she knew was that the song gave her good vibes. She finished her lullaby and sighed. "...You probably didn't hear it, but that's okay. As long as you two are safe and sound, I will always be happy. ...I love you." Nixie, humming her lullaby, finally went to bed.