Closer 2

108.

Elise didn't understand what the deal with those weird glass boxes were. She didn't understand why auntie May and uncle Ray suddenly were so interested in them, and she didn't understand why baba and dada wanted to show them to her. All she knew was that they were boring.

This room was boring and being here was boring. She wanted to go home to her toys with baba and dada. Maybe they'd have some nice yummy veggies for dinner and maybe baba would help her play violin so she could be just as good as baba or dada. Or maybe even as good as uncle Ray!

"Baba? Play vilin?" she decided to ask with the prettiest smile she knew would always convince baba to get her whatever she wanted, even right before playtime.

"Sorry Li-Li, I don't have your violin here," baba said, giving her a smile before looking back over at the glass boxes. "Besides, you don't want to wake your brothers, do you?"

Elise had heard that word probably a million times today, but she had no idea what it meant. 'Brothers.' She had figured it had something to do with the glass boxes, at least. Maybe the boxes were sleeping? She knew they couldn't play violin while daddy was sleeping, so it made sense they couldn't if the boxes were sleeping.

Why did the boxes matter, though?

"You know, if daddy and baba allows us, we can go pick up your violin on the way home and practice tomorrow?" Ray suggested with a big grin. Elise grinned right back at him.

"Yeah! Vilin!" she shrieked with excitement, jumping once and clapping her hands. For the first time ever, though, she was immediately shushed by all four adults in the room.

"Shh princess, your brothers are sleeping," daddy said, picking her up to look at the boxes again. She didn't understand the point of the boxes. "See, that's your little brother in there. His name is Benjamin."

"Bother?" Elise asked, furrowing her brows. 'In there'. So the brothers were inside the boxes. That made more sense. Who would want to sleep in a box though? Except the kitties daddy sometimes put on the tv, of course. They loved boxes.

"Yeah, it's your brother," daddy said, kissing her cheek.

"Kitty?"

Elise grinned proudly when the whole room burst out laughing. She loved making people laugh!

"No, babygirl. Your brother is not s kitty," baba said, still not containing his laughter. Elise giggled with him.

"Kitty!" she said again, hoping for a similar result, but the joke wasn't as funny the second time. The only thing that happened this time was that daddy tickled her side, making her squirm and laugh in his arms.

"Your brothers aren't kitties, you silly-silly," daddy laughed, lifting her up and blowing raspberries on her belly. That only tickled more, but Elise thought it was so much fun!

"K... Kitty..!" she said again in between giggles, prompting daddy to tickle her some more. She loved when daddy was all silly!