Stay With Me. [[Sequel to The Last Year (Once-ler x OC)]]

Once-ler's Promise.

Later that night after dinner, and cleaning up the dishes, we got into bed.  I must have been acting weird since being visited by the Lorax.  Fleur watched as I looked outside the door and windows before heading to bed.  Her eyes followed my movement until I sat down on the edge of bed.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Fine, just thought I heard something," I lied.

"Well, you're the one who wanted to stay in the big, scary woods."

"That's not it.  I'm not scared."

"What is it then?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you.  Come on, let's get some sleep."

"Mhm, it's okay to be scared.  I'll protect you."

She laughed at me as she buried herself under the covers.  It was ironic she said I was afraid while she hid herself under the blankets.  She did this occasionally and I wasn't quite sure why.  Not like there was anyway a blanket could protect her from anything worth hiding from.  A few branches snapped outside.  They kept me from falling asleep because I thought that Lorax was coming back.  But eventually I was able to fall asleep.

A few hours after falling asleep the Lorax came back.  Joined by some of the forest creatures they all snuck into the house.  They carefully lifted the bed and tried to carry it outside.  Still to this day I'm not quite sure how they managed to do it, honestly.  They carried the bed down to the river and pushed it in the water.  The bed started floating down the river.  Water soaked into the mattress and blankets.  Fleur poked her head out from under the blankets still sleeping, holding what looked like a bear.

"Oh no!" The Lorax exclaimed, "who's that?  It was just supposed to be- Did you even check before you brought the bed out?"

The bear-like creatures shook their heads to the side.  With a screech the Lorax ran after them.  He called to us trying to wake us up.  Mainly he wanted to be sure the small bar-ba-loot was okay.

"You shouldn't have drank so much water," she growled giving me a shove.

I rolled over unknowingly letting my arm sink into the water.  The bed turned from the calm path in the river toward a more rapid one.  The Lorax, followed by the animals, called out to them.

"Beanpole!  Hey wake up!" he yelled.

The rapids flipped the bed as I was shocked awake by being thrown into cold water.  My hands clung to the bed as the bar-ba-loot clung tightly to my arm.  The bed bounced through the rapids.  Everything calmed down suddenly.  I gave a nervous laugh.  I looked over to see that Fleur wasn't here with me.  Before I could address that problem I heard a loud noise ahead of me.

"Oh no," I said exasperatedly.

"Hold on, I'm coming," the Lorax yelled.

He took off up the hill.  The bar-ba-loot and I clung to each other.  I screamed loudly watching the distance between the waterfall and I was closing.  The Lorax loosened a rock at the top of the hill.  It flew down the hill into the air and headed toward the bed.  I screamed at the rock now heading toward me also.  The rock hit the opposite side of the bed and flung me into the air.  I clung to the bar-ba-loot as we landed on the ground.  I don't remember much until a shock jolted me awake.  I saw the Lorax smiling nervously at me.

"Y-you saved my life!" I laughed nervously, "I was going into a bright light, th-then you pulled me back!  Thank you!"

"Ehh," the Lorax said.

"How did my bed end up in the river?"

"I kinda put it there."

"You what?!"