A fight for freedom

01: A child's happiness.

I was sat in my bedroom. The sky outside was dark. I checked the clock on my nightstand. It was 11 pm at night. I decided I wouldn't go to bed yet. I would continue to create the handmade wooden toy soldiers I was creating for my little colony, Alfred. I had already done the hard part of shaping and sanding down the wood, now I just needed to paint them. I turned on my bedroom light, before grabbing a paintbrush and some paints.

I began to paint them one by one, taking extra care with every small detail, not missing a single one. I decided to make each one unique, and give them different faces.

Soon, I was done. Now, I needed to let them dry somewhere. I placed them to the side to dry. "Finally, I can relax." I quietly said to myself, before getting changed into something more comfy.

I got comfy in my bed, looking up at the roof of my bedroom, when I noticed Alfred come into my room. He was clutching his favourite teddy bear to his chest. "Artie... I had a nightmare..." Alfred said in a tired voice, with a hint of fear. "Oh, you poor lad, it's alright, it's all made up." I replied, sitting up in bed. Right now sleep could wait, Alfred is the most important 'thing' to me, and I couldn't let him go to sleep scared. "Can I hug you tonight...? You protect me." Alfred asked, his wide blue eyes looking directly into mine. He was like an adorable puppy dog, that you just couldn't resist. "Alright then, come here." I replied, smiling slightly. Alfred climbed into my bed before crawling across it and stopping next to me. He wrapped his little arms around me, and I gently wrapped my arms around him.

Alfred eventually fell asleep like that. It made me smile. I gently kissed his forehead in a fatherly way. I would protect Alfred with my life, forever. Soon, I eventually fell asleep, too.

We both awoke at around 8 am the following morning. We both went downstairs to have our favourite breakfast. Once we had both eaten, I decided to check on the wooden toys I had created.

I walked upstairs to where I kept them. They were completely dry now. I grabbed them all, before heading back downstairs. I decided to surprise Alfred with them, so I hid them behind my back. "Hey, Alfie, I have something for you." I said, holding the surprise behind my back. Alfred looked at me, curious. "What is it?" He asked. I smiled, before revealing the toy soldiers. "Here, I made these for you." I said, handing them to him. Alfred's eyes lit up. "Wow! Cool!" He smiled. "No way, they also have different faces!" He said, observing them. "I'm glad you like them! They're special, just like you!" I said, before gently tapping his nose, and picking him up, holding him like a baby. He giggled, before snuggling himself into me.