Lucy and the Definitive... Cat?

The Trouble of Demons

"Oh, it's bedtime, daddy will be here!" Sara yelled as she picked up Mard from the rocking horse. He spent the day either at a macabre tea party or now wearing a small pink hat and on this child's toy. Personally, he was hungry, and all that rocking had left him a bit nauseous. Not to mention the splitting headache he was getting behind his eyes from her high-pitched voice.

So far, he was in one piece, that was helpful. As she held him, he had to resist the urge to squirm or show the displeasure he was feeling. Being held by anyone that was not Lucy was most unwelcome. The girl put him on her wobbly bed, that was not properly made but looked mostly clean. The cartoons character sheets had colored unicorns and hearts, he wanted to throw up.

He sat there, trying to form his escape plan while she mindlessly chirped about what kind of story daddy would read tonight. She asked him a question and when Mard didn't respond she grabbed him around the neck. Her small chubby hands were remarkably strong and as he looked in her eyes it felt off.

There was a shadow that passed over them, turning them black for an instant before back to their usual hazel color. The muscles in her round face twitched and did her freckles move? Something was wrong with this girl, a kind of evil under her skin that he had felt before.

Mard nodded at her question, reminding himself that he had to be responsive otherwise would wind up like Mr. Tabby Pants. As he understood it, that cat refused to sleep where she put him and so she made him go to sleep. It was such a childlike way to say she murdered the poor cat.

The heavy door creaked open and Mard saw the older human male walk through it. There were bags under his eyes and his smile didn't reach the outer corners. The man's hands shook, and he stutter stepped into the room. "Okay, is my little lady ready for bedtime?"

"Yes! Blackie has been a good boy today. Thank you, daddy," she said as she dropped him and ran to her light blue book shelf. Mard landed on the bed and just stared at the man who was frowning at the tea set. He whispered something under his breath and Mard couldn't quite hear it but judging by everything else, it wasn't pleasant.

Sara bounced in the bed with her book and held it up in the air. The old man took it as she laid down and pulled the covers to her chin. Mard, noticed the door was open just a little and tried to move but Sara had grabbed him.

"Blackie, sleep here," she said as she pushed on his head and forced him down on top of her stomach. Her hand gripped his scruff, forcing him to stay in place.

The old man sat on the edge of the bed and cracked open the colorful book. He started to read, his voice slow and soft with a small slur to it. Mard sniffed and could smell the bit of booze from the man, he was a bit worried what could happen from here.

He knew demons could act differently based on the liquor they ingested, were humans the same way? Would this man do something horrible while intoxicated? As the man read and did voices for each character, Mard didn't think he would do anything nefarious. The man was obviously using the liquor to help his resolve in being here.

Her hand relaxed on him and he could feel her breathing slow down to a simplistic rhythm. Deep and even breaths as the man turned the page of the book, not noticing that only Mard was listening. Mard held still, wanting her to hit more of a deeper sleep before he tried to escape.

The story finished and as expected the cupcake party was a success, not the greatest work of literature written but it worked for children. The man closed the book and leaned over the sleeping girl. Despite his inebriated state he gingerly removed her glasses and smoothed back her hair to kiss her forehead. "Please get better, daddy loves you."

As the man came up to sitting Mard could see the moisture gathered in the man's eyes. He wiped them away with a shaky knobby hand before putting the book back on the shelf. Mard got off the bed, slowly and quietly. He looked back and Sara had rolled over, not noticing that he wasn't there and still asleep.