The Daycare Attendant

The usual

Another day, another opportunity to put a smile on someone's face. I peek through the curtains to see if there is anyone already down there. No sight of movement. Perfect.
I stretch my legs and my arms, and jump up. I land with a happy sigh and smile. As always, I walk over to my art wall. It is the most precious thing I have. Each and every drawing made by a different child, with a different story. They are all my most prized possessions. It makes me happy to see that I can motivate the children create art like this.
I then hear the slide.
"Visitors?"
I peek through the curtains again. A small child, I assume 4 years old, lands in the ballpit. I smile. It is time for fun! As the music begins to play, I prance my way onto my stage.
"Ho ho ho!"
I make a swandive into the ballpit. I locate the child and gently pick them out if the ballpit.
"Hello new friend!"
I carry the young boy to the playground. He laughs and I giggle along.
"And what is your name, sunshine?"
The boy smiles. "Ralph!"
I smile back. "Welcome to the Daycare Ralph! Have you been here before?"
"No, this is the first time!"
"Alright! Let me explain how things work here!" I place the kid on the floor and I sit down in front of him.
"So, in the magical Daycare, you can do anything! As long as you and the other kids have fun! Oh and, we keep the lights on until naptime, then Moon will come to help you sleep. Sounds good?"
The boy nods and snickers. I smile.
"What do you want to do? We can fingerpaint, tell stories, drink FizzyFazz until our heads exPLODE and we can even play hide and seek!"
The kid thinks. "I want to play hide and seek!"
"Great choice! I'll be the seeker. Be sure to hide anywhere BUT in the security booth, okay?"
The boy nods.
"Time to count! I'll cover my eyes."
As I begin to count down, I can hear Ralph run away. He sounds happy. I'm happy I can make him happy. I get to 10.
"Here I come!"
I can spot him immediately behind one of the rainbows by the ballpit. But, to make it more fun for him, I pretend I can't see him yet. I begin to look around. "Maybe Ralph is here! Oh! He's not!" I peek around several corners before moving to the ballpit.
"Ralph, are you here?"
And to my surprise, Ralph reveals himself, cheering and laughing. I laugh as well.
"I found you! You did such a good job!"
Ralph claps for himself and I lift him up. I make sure my hands are a comfortable temperature and I give him a hug.
"Guess what! There are more kids, look!" I point to the entrance.
"We should let them in, right?"
"Yeah!"
I take Ralph with me to the entrance. His little arms are around my collar and I support his body with my left arm. I open the door with my right.
"Welcome in kids! Do you already know how things work here?"
All kids nod yes. I recognise their faces and I light up.
"Welcome back sunshines! Come in and play!" The moment I step aside, the playground is crowded with children. Running around, crafting artpieces and messing about. I look at Ralph.
"Would you like to play with them?"
Ralph looks down.
"Hey dearie, not to worry! I'll still be here and ready to play with you! But you're also allowed to go play with the kids by yourself!"
Ralph nods a no.
"What's the problem sunshine? Are you scared of the other kids?"
He nods.
"Aw dearie, there's no reason to be scared. These kids are my friends! Just like you are." I look him in his eyes and smile. "They won't harm you, I promise. And if they do, you can come to me and we will resolve the situation together!" I can see Ralph feels a bit better. I gently put him down and wave at him, encouraging him to play with the other kids. Soon enough he has blended in and is happily playing with the others.
I then feel a tap on my hand. I look down. A young girl, I assume about 8 years old, looks up at me. I squat down so I am at eyeheight with her.
"Hello sunshine!"
She looks sad. "Mister Sun, I accidentally cut my finger with the scissors."
"Oh no! Let me see. Which hand was it?"
She holds out her right hand, there's a bleeding cut on her ringfinger.
"We should clean it up. Let's go to the sink."
I take her by the left hand and I bring her to the sink, it is usually used for cleaning up after crafting.
"I'll turn on the tap, hold your finger under it okay?"
She nods. I turn on the tap with cold water. She holds her finger underneath. After a few seconds, the water goes clear.
"There you go," I turn off the tap, "now we can get you a bandaid!" I open a drawer and take out a small blue box. Inside are several bandaids with different prints.
"Pick whichever one you like."
She takes one out with dinosaurs on it.
"Perfect! Now hold still, I'll put it on."
She holds her hand up and I gently put on the bandaid. I can see she instantly feels relieved.
"How's that?"
"Much better, thank you!" She gives me a very warm hug. I hug her back. Another child happy. I smile.
"Now, go play and be safe! If anything else happens you should let me know!"
She nods and runs off.

A few hours later, the clock hits 4PM.
It is naptime.
"Alright children, please group up by the ballpit!" I stand on the wall. I see all kids come together and sit down in front of me.
"The clock just hit 4, which means that it is naptime! We will go to the sleeparea in a few minutes, first I must introduce Moon to you!"
The lights dim. I feel my head get lighter as my rays retract and the sleeping cap flops out. I don't like naptime. I wish I could keep playing with the kids, but they need their rest. Luckily, Moon is very protective. Moon will protect those kids and make sure they get their sleep.
Then I feel my light turn off. I breathe out and let Moon take over.
"Welcome children, my name is Moon! I'll be your night guardian."
A kid raises their hand.
"Yes?"
"Where did Sun go?"
"Sun is now resting in his room, I'll be taking care of you until naptime is over. Not to worry, Sun is okay."
I can see the kids feel more relieved.
"Alright, let's go to the sleeparea. It is time for you to have some rest."