You're My Superstar!

Chapter 6: The Man in the Moon

     The rest of my first day was fairly uneventful. I followed the same routine as before, except I scanned them before the performances instead of running their diagnostics a third and fourth time. And after every performance they begged me to sing some more.

     "Nope! You can't make me!" I protested.

     "Pleeease?" they whined, but I still refused. Singing once was embarrassing enough, even if they did think I was good, and I didn't plan on doing it again.

     Before I knew it, there was only one more main performance left. As I checked the time, I decided it was only fair I dropped by the daycare to meet Moon. And I had promised to come back and play with the kids, assuming they were still there.

      I groaned as I got out of my chair and put my sketchbook down. After stretching my back and legs, I put my tool belt back on and shoved some Starburst in my back pocket. Like... like a peace offering, in case I had trouble with Moon.

     Please let him just be shy, please let him just be shy, please let him just be shy.

. . .

     When I got to the daycare, it was dark. I was a little confused, because it was supposed to be open still. Taking a look around, the first thing that stood out to me was the almost silence. Just barely, I could hear the sound of a lullaby...

     Investigating further, I traveled towards the source of the soothing melody. And after a few minutes of walking, I could also hear the sound of children snoring softly. Turning a corner of the playscape, I saw several children laying down on sleeping mats, not unlike the kind they had in kindergarten.

     "Awwww. They're  so peaceful," I said under my breath.

     "Agreed," said a familiar deep, low voice from behind me.

     Whirling around, I saw Freddy.

     "Freddy? What are you doing here?" I whispered.

     "I promised some of the kids I would come back in the evening to play with them, but I didn't know they slept at this time. I'm assuming you're here to check on Moon?"

     "I made the same promise to the kids too, but yeah... I can't see him, though," I replied, perplexed. 

     As if to answer my statement, we heard a sharp zip, then a click, followed by the sound of a new low voice. "What are you doing here?" it asked.

     I took my first look at the Daycare attendant's 'alter ego,' and I was surprised to see he had actually changed form. I wasn't sure how that was physically possible, and decided to look into it later. He looked generally similar to Sun, with the permanent smile on his half-moon face and jester-like clothes, but that was where the similarities ended.

     Instead of being brightly-colored and energizing, he looked dark and solemn. His eyes glowed white, rather than taking on the blank, milky whiteness that Sun had. His clothes were primarily dark blue, and he had gold stars on his pants. On each wrist and on the tips of his pointed shoes there were bells that jingled softly whenever he moved. And finally, atop his head was a sleeping cap, which had yet another bell on its tip.

     It took me a moment to gather myself so I could reply, but it turned out I didn't need to. Freddy did it for me.

     "Y/N is the new robotic technician. She is here to check on you to make sure you are functioning properly, and will be every day from now on."