Post by danishweasel on Dec 9, 2007 3:05:32 GMT -5
It was a puddle-jumping day. The rain set into the dips in the dirt. It made the best kinds of splash pools that soaked everyone and everything standing too close with mud water. But today, I couldn’t jump in puddles. Mommy and Daddy had a research meeting with the neighbors next door, Mr. Kelthas and Mrs. Miandra. Always boring days. Going over there meant no pouncing, no ball playing, no climbing on stuff, no nothing. Just sit and be a good pup when Mommy and Daddy worked. No fun…
But today, it was different. I was playing in their living room with my favorite ball and I heard voices coming from downstairs in the basement. It took a bit to open the door. Their handles weren’t made for puppy hands. I got inside. I got down the steps and I saw a little cat my age, around six years old. She was black with orange stripes and splotches. I never knew mommy and daddy’s neighbor-friends had a kid. She had a mark on her chest like mine, but hers was an A. I guess it was a special number. She had to have been special to be allowed in the basement lab with no grown-ups there.
“Whatcha doin’?”
“Who are you?” she said, scrunching herself into a corner.
I tilted my head as I looked her over. Strange way to say hello.
“Hey, I’m Ataxia! You my Mom and Dad’s friends’ kid? What’s your name?”
“I…I guess. They call me Ace.”
“Ace, huh? Okay, Acey, wanna play?”
“Play..?”
“Yeah, play! I’ve got a ball we can kick ‘round.”
“O…okay!”
It was so much fun. We batted that ball back and forth. Once, Acey balanced it perfectly on her nose before I batted it off and hit something glass. It smashed to the floor and it didn’t take long before there were heavy steps coming our way.
“Ataxia, what did you break now?”
Mommy did that angry glare that made me crouch down to the floor. I tried to look up at her, but all I could do was glance up and quick look down at the floor again.
“I didn’t mean it, honest…Me and Acey were just playing…”
“You were told that this place was off limits! Miandra, I am so sorry. Ataxia should know better.”
“Don’t worry about it, Zielli. She’s only a child. Now, Ataxia…if you promise to keep quiet about…Acey, we’ll let you play with her whenever you like. How does that sound?”
Mrs. Miandra looked back at Mr. Kelthas and he nodded. My tail wagged so hard, I thought it would fly off. Visit Acey whenever I wanted? Were they fibbing? They weren’t even going to get mad at me for breaking stuff? This was great!
“A-course! Can I visit tomorrow too?”
Mr. Kelthas and Mrs. Miandra looked at each other for a moment before nodding slowly.
“Sure, dear.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Acey, Acey Acey! How’re you today?”
“Doing better, thanks.”
“Great, because we have a lot of playtime to make up for while you were sick!”
Acey wasn’t looking well at all. Though she said she was okay, I could tell she was just toughing it out for me. She was ten years old, just like me, but she didn’t look it. She looked so small, so weak. Her parents said it was some disease that made her that way, and she had to take plenty of shots to get better. She had to wear bandages over her arms since some of the medicine reacted bad with her skin, but they said it would make her better in the long run. It didn’t seem to be working very fast, though.
I was afraid to pounce her too hard in case I broke her. So, we basically had to stick with hide-and-seek which she was an expert at. She knew all the best hiding places. Afterwards we took some of the toys out of my bag and we played with dolls. We pretended that our dolls were royalty. Acey was the queen doll today and I was her loyal Jack.
“Oh, before I forget, look what I got!”
I pulled two long pink socks out of my play bag and slipped them up over my paws. I wiggled my toes, the only parts of my front legs that were left bare, and looked up at Acey with a smile.
“I know you feel weird with those bandages on your arms all the time, so I had my mom make these. Now you’ve got nothing to feel weird about cause we’re the same!”
For some reason, Acey started to cry. She was smiling but had tears in her eyes at the same time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was Acey’s thirteenth birthday, or at least what we decided was Acey’s birthday. For some reason, her parents didn’t have a cake or presents or anything fun, so I decided to bring some birthday fun to her. Unfortunately, Acey’s parents wouldn’t let me in. They said she was too sick, that I couldn’t see her. So, I let my tail droop and started walking back home. But once they shut the door, I counted to ten before sneaking back. Acey had shown me the back entrance to the basement lab and was able to sneak me the spare key. She said they never used it anyway. Bag filled with gifts and goodies around my neck, I gently pushed the door open.
“Pssst…Hey, Acey. Got some presents for the birthday girl!”
Where was she? There was no light on and I couldn’t risk turning on the lamps. If Acey’s parents saw the light…I had to settle with the light from one of the Bunsen burners in the room. The light blue flame cast an eerie light on the room, haunted house-like almost. Which is probably why I nearly yelped when I first saw Acey. She was on a stretcher nearly completely covered in white bandages, though some had been soaked through with blood and other substances, pus maybe. The way her head was wrapped, it looked like one of her ears had been wrapped down or was just completely missing. She hadn’t even noticed I was there until the stifled bark.
“Xia…You made it…I didn’t think Mom and Dad would let you in…”
“Well, you’re right on that one. I snuck in. I couldn’t miss your birthday, though…you don’t look like you’re up to any kind of partying.”
Acey tried to shift herself so that she could see me, but could only lift herself slightly before collapsing back down again, gasping lightly for breath. I put my paws up and stood on my hind legs to make it easier on her.
“Sorry, Xia…This illness…I don’t know…Mom and Dad keep giving more shots, writing down what they do…I don’t think they’re working, though…I think it’s making it worse…”
“That’s silly. Why would your mom and dad give you something to make it worse? They’re some of the best scientists in town. I’m sure they’ll find a cure soon.”
I wagged my tail hopefully. To that, Acey smiled at me, but it wasn’t a happy smile, not like the ones she had when we used to chase each other around the lab. Nothing like that at all.
“Xia, tell me…no matter what happens…how I look when I get better…will you still like me? Will you still be here?”
I tilted my head at her, confused. To reassure her, I patted her on the shoulder softly.
“What’re you talking about? I’ll always be here. You’re stuck with me, Acey. Now, enough of that talk. Time for birthday gifts!”
I pulled out a lump hastily wrapped in packing paper and topped with a makeshift bow. She couldn’t move to unwrap it, so I shredded the paper for her. Hidden within the layers of paper was the Queen doll, the one we had shared when we were younger. The plush doll was a little worn with the gold trimming on the dress partly coming off and some of the yarn hair had fallen out, but it was unmistakable. It still had some of the chemical stains that had soaked into the fabric when we danced her across the lab tables.
“Queen Lianne…you’re giving her to me?”
“Yah-huh! I thought since you can’t really get around much, something to cuddle with would be perfect.”
I tucked the doll under Acey’s arm for easy snuggling. She nuzzled it a bit before resting her head back onto the stretcher again. For the first time in a long while, she looked perfectly happy and it made me all the happier to see that happy Acey smile that brightened my day, no matter what the weather.
“Thanks a lot, Xia…You’re the best.”
“Oh, I got you some treats too, but you’ll need to save those for when you get better! I’ll leave them next to ya…There we go.”
There were steps getting louder above us. Not sure if they were heading towards the basement, but better to not take a chance being found where I wasn’t supposed to. I nuzzled Acey with my nose and ruffled the little bit of fur that wasn’t hidden by the bandages.
“Gotta run, I guess. I’ll check on you tomorrow, okay? Get some rest, get better, Acey!”
“I’ll try, I’ll try…”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Acey still isn’t back yet?”
“I’m sorry, dear. She’s still recovering at her grandmother’s. It may be a while before she comes back.”
“Do you know if she’s getting my letters? Did she send back a reply yet?”
“You must understand, dear, that the girl is very ill. She needs to regain her strength before she can respond. Don’t worry, Ataxia. Kelthas and I will let you know about her condition as soon as we hear from them.”
“Where does Acey’s grandma live? Is it close to here? Can I go visit?”
“Don’t you worry about things like that. It’s too far for you to walk on your own. The girl is trying to recover from a serious illness and needs plenty of rest. Go play with some of the other kids in town. Let Acey have some quiet time to get better. Now, good day.”
Mrs. Miandra closed the door gently before I could ask anything else. Play with some other kids? But I wanted to play with Acey…It had been long enough. In three days, it would be a month since she left for her grandma’s. But why would they send her there in the first place? Why would they risk trying to move Acey from a lab with plenty of gadgets and supplies already there? ...Hah! It was so simple! Tricky, tricky, trying to make me think that Acey was somewhere else when she was right under my nose. She must be still in the basement lab! Why didn’t I think of this before?
I scampered back to Acey’s house and went in through the back door. Though there were no lights on, there was still enough daylight to look around the lab without having to light any of the burners. First glance, no sign of Acey…Maybe she was hiding. I checked all her usual hiding places: the lower cabinets, under the shelves, other nooks and crannies that I couldn’t squeeze into even as a pup. Still no sign of her.
“Okay, Acey. I give up. Where are you?”
She didn’t respond. I kept looking in other places, on the high shelves, deep within the storage closets, even behind the curtains of the hazard shower. Still nothing. That showoff. Just because I wasn’t the best hider didn’t mean she had to brag about it by refusing to come out. Then came an idea. I smirked as I laid down on the floor, resting my head on my paws.
“Fine, I just won’t look for you anymore.”
If I looked like I was off my guard, she might try to pounce me. She always liked the chance to beat me at my best game. I waited to hear the offbeat footsteps, her attempt at being stealthy. Nothing still. The minutes went by, not sure how long. Eventually, my eyelids got heavy and I let them fall over my eyes.
“Zielli, don’t you dare blame me for your lack of parenting. If you wanted to keep her away from the creature, you should have discouraged her from visiting or encouraged her to do other things. It’s simple operant conditioning.”
“I’m sorry to inform you, Miandra, but parenting is a bit more complicated than just applying a few psychological theories. Not like you would know, seeing as you haven’t produced any offspring worth raising.”
The loud voices made me jump. I must have dozed off…Acey still wasn’t around, and now there were two women on the floor above shouting at each other. They sounded like…Mom and Mrs. Miandra?
“Then maybe you should have provided your child with better toys. Think of what others might think, letting your child play with a broken Ace.”
“You told me the thing wouldn’t last long. That the experiments you were conducting were fast-acting, that it would take a couple weeks. It lingered for years and now Ataxia has grown attached!”
“I had misjudged the Ace. While frail, it had plenty of fortitude to withstand plenty of toxins and diseases which made it a good test subject for our work. We weren’t going to throw it away so quickly. Listen, this is nothing to jeopardize our partnership over. The Ace is dead and you have nothing more to worry about. Ataxia will find some new friend to play with and all will be forgotten.”
The Ace is dead…
…
…
…Acey?
My parents found me in my room, sobbing into some pillows, clutching Jack Niro to my chest. I didn’t notice them until they sat on my bed and Mom put a paw on my shoulder.
“Darling, what is the matter? Why tears?”
I could barely look at them. My eyes were blurry from crying and looking at Mom reminded me of the conversation. That the creature, the thing, the Ace was dead…and all will be forgotten.
“If I’d been born an Ace, would you’ve hated me too?”
Mom and Dad moved up the bed, on either side of me and pulled me into a hug with me at the center. Dad nuzzled me nose-to-nose.
“But you weren’t, sweetie. You’re our wonderful Ataxia and you can only go up.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Acey,
It’s been years since you were “sent to your grandma’s house,” but I’m still writing to you. I could trust you with everything. I still do. It’s all wrong, Acey, all of it. But I can’t do anything about it. Not yet. That will change in time.
Whenever I look back on those times when we were young, I see what I was blinded to before. How you never talked about other friends. How you had no toys to play with other than the ones I shared with you. How your parents were hardly ever around. How I never saw you playing outside. You were never able to jump in puddles, were you? You never got magic kisses for cuts and bruises or pollen stuck in your nose after smelling a flower and having rapid-fire sneezes after. Never accidentally ate a bug while running around outside with your mouth open wide to catch snowflakes. At least you knew what ‘play’ was, I taught you that.
I have to wonder, Acey. Was I at least able to make your life a little better? There was always fun and smiles when we played together and joked around together. But what were you thinking as I walked out the door to go home, knowing that you could never see what was outside of the laboratory walls? Did the time we had together make your days a little more bearable? Or did I only make it worse?
I wish I could ask you these things, but I know it’s too late now. I wish I could have been there to hold your paw, to give you whatever strength that I had and to remind you that you were loved. I guess I can only hope that you went peacefully. I like to think that you went in your sleep, a smile on your face as you held Queen Lianne in your arms. In those dreams, you were a queen yourself, wearing the silky pink dress and gem-studded crown that Lianne wore, twirling around a flowery courtyard in the bright sunshine. And with those thoughts, you left that crippling prison behind you.
I promise, Acey. Things will change. All is not forgotten.
Friends forever,
Xia
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fanart:
((OOC: This is the birthday card drawn by Ataxia for Acey's thirteenth birthday. Underneath is the lyrics for Soon You'll Come Home from All Dogs Go to Heaven. I thought they just fit perfectly. For best effect, rick-click the Youtube link below, and open it in a new tab as you look at the fanart.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0EDP9Sf4kE))
All I have is a picture in my mind how it would be
If we were together
Let's pretend that you're far away
Let's say you write to me
And you promise in your letter
That you'll come home
Come home to my heart
When you come home
We'll never be apart
If I keep dreaming of you
Start believing it's true
Soon you'll come home
Soon you'll come home
Soon you'll come home
To my heart
Soon you'll come home
Home to my heart
Soon you'll come home
Home to my heart
If I believe...
But today, it was different. I was playing in their living room with my favorite ball and I heard voices coming from downstairs in the basement. It took a bit to open the door. Their handles weren’t made for puppy hands. I got inside. I got down the steps and I saw a little cat my age, around six years old. She was black with orange stripes and splotches. I never knew mommy and daddy’s neighbor-friends had a kid. She had a mark on her chest like mine, but hers was an A. I guess it was a special number. She had to have been special to be allowed in the basement lab with no grown-ups there.
“Whatcha doin’?”
“Who are you?” she said, scrunching herself into a corner.
I tilted my head as I looked her over. Strange way to say hello.
“Hey, I’m Ataxia! You my Mom and Dad’s friends’ kid? What’s your name?”
“I…I guess. They call me Ace.”
“Ace, huh? Okay, Acey, wanna play?”
“Play..?”
“Yeah, play! I’ve got a ball we can kick ‘round.”
“O…okay!”
It was so much fun. We batted that ball back and forth. Once, Acey balanced it perfectly on her nose before I batted it off and hit something glass. It smashed to the floor and it didn’t take long before there were heavy steps coming our way.
“Ataxia, what did you break now?”
Mommy did that angry glare that made me crouch down to the floor. I tried to look up at her, but all I could do was glance up and quick look down at the floor again.
“I didn’t mean it, honest…Me and Acey were just playing…”
“You were told that this place was off limits! Miandra, I am so sorry. Ataxia should know better.”
“Don’t worry about it, Zielli. She’s only a child. Now, Ataxia…if you promise to keep quiet about…Acey, we’ll let you play with her whenever you like. How does that sound?”
Mrs. Miandra looked back at Mr. Kelthas and he nodded. My tail wagged so hard, I thought it would fly off. Visit Acey whenever I wanted? Were they fibbing? They weren’t even going to get mad at me for breaking stuff? This was great!
“A-course! Can I visit tomorrow too?”
Mr. Kelthas and Mrs. Miandra looked at each other for a moment before nodding slowly.
“Sure, dear.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Acey, Acey Acey! How’re you today?”
“Doing better, thanks.”
“Great, because we have a lot of playtime to make up for while you were sick!”
Acey wasn’t looking well at all. Though she said she was okay, I could tell she was just toughing it out for me. She was ten years old, just like me, but she didn’t look it. She looked so small, so weak. Her parents said it was some disease that made her that way, and she had to take plenty of shots to get better. She had to wear bandages over her arms since some of the medicine reacted bad with her skin, but they said it would make her better in the long run. It didn’t seem to be working very fast, though.
I was afraid to pounce her too hard in case I broke her. So, we basically had to stick with hide-and-seek which she was an expert at. She knew all the best hiding places. Afterwards we took some of the toys out of my bag and we played with dolls. We pretended that our dolls were royalty. Acey was the queen doll today and I was her loyal Jack.
“Oh, before I forget, look what I got!”
I pulled two long pink socks out of my play bag and slipped them up over my paws. I wiggled my toes, the only parts of my front legs that were left bare, and looked up at Acey with a smile.
“I know you feel weird with those bandages on your arms all the time, so I had my mom make these. Now you’ve got nothing to feel weird about cause we’re the same!”
For some reason, Acey started to cry. She was smiling but had tears in her eyes at the same time.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was Acey’s thirteenth birthday, or at least what we decided was Acey’s birthday. For some reason, her parents didn’t have a cake or presents or anything fun, so I decided to bring some birthday fun to her. Unfortunately, Acey’s parents wouldn’t let me in. They said she was too sick, that I couldn’t see her. So, I let my tail droop and started walking back home. But once they shut the door, I counted to ten before sneaking back. Acey had shown me the back entrance to the basement lab and was able to sneak me the spare key. She said they never used it anyway. Bag filled with gifts and goodies around my neck, I gently pushed the door open.
“Pssst…Hey, Acey. Got some presents for the birthday girl!”
Where was she? There was no light on and I couldn’t risk turning on the lamps. If Acey’s parents saw the light…I had to settle with the light from one of the Bunsen burners in the room. The light blue flame cast an eerie light on the room, haunted house-like almost. Which is probably why I nearly yelped when I first saw Acey. She was on a stretcher nearly completely covered in white bandages, though some had been soaked through with blood and other substances, pus maybe. The way her head was wrapped, it looked like one of her ears had been wrapped down or was just completely missing. She hadn’t even noticed I was there until the stifled bark.
“Xia…You made it…I didn’t think Mom and Dad would let you in…”
“Well, you’re right on that one. I snuck in. I couldn’t miss your birthday, though…you don’t look like you’re up to any kind of partying.”
Acey tried to shift herself so that she could see me, but could only lift herself slightly before collapsing back down again, gasping lightly for breath. I put my paws up and stood on my hind legs to make it easier on her.
“Sorry, Xia…This illness…I don’t know…Mom and Dad keep giving more shots, writing down what they do…I don’t think they’re working, though…I think it’s making it worse…”
“That’s silly. Why would your mom and dad give you something to make it worse? They’re some of the best scientists in town. I’m sure they’ll find a cure soon.”
I wagged my tail hopefully. To that, Acey smiled at me, but it wasn’t a happy smile, not like the ones she had when we used to chase each other around the lab. Nothing like that at all.
“Xia, tell me…no matter what happens…how I look when I get better…will you still like me? Will you still be here?”
I tilted my head at her, confused. To reassure her, I patted her on the shoulder softly.
“What’re you talking about? I’ll always be here. You’re stuck with me, Acey. Now, enough of that talk. Time for birthday gifts!”
I pulled out a lump hastily wrapped in packing paper and topped with a makeshift bow. She couldn’t move to unwrap it, so I shredded the paper for her. Hidden within the layers of paper was the Queen doll, the one we had shared when we were younger. The plush doll was a little worn with the gold trimming on the dress partly coming off and some of the yarn hair had fallen out, but it was unmistakable. It still had some of the chemical stains that had soaked into the fabric when we danced her across the lab tables.
“Queen Lianne…you’re giving her to me?”
“Yah-huh! I thought since you can’t really get around much, something to cuddle with would be perfect.”
I tucked the doll under Acey’s arm for easy snuggling. She nuzzled it a bit before resting her head back onto the stretcher again. For the first time in a long while, she looked perfectly happy and it made me all the happier to see that happy Acey smile that brightened my day, no matter what the weather.
“Thanks a lot, Xia…You’re the best.”
“Oh, I got you some treats too, but you’ll need to save those for when you get better! I’ll leave them next to ya…There we go.”
There were steps getting louder above us. Not sure if they were heading towards the basement, but better to not take a chance being found where I wasn’t supposed to. I nuzzled Acey with my nose and ruffled the little bit of fur that wasn’t hidden by the bandages.
“Gotta run, I guess. I’ll check on you tomorrow, okay? Get some rest, get better, Acey!”
“I’ll try, I’ll try…”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Acey still isn’t back yet?”
“I’m sorry, dear. She’s still recovering at her grandmother’s. It may be a while before she comes back.”
“Do you know if she’s getting my letters? Did she send back a reply yet?”
“You must understand, dear, that the girl is very ill. She needs to regain her strength before she can respond. Don’t worry, Ataxia. Kelthas and I will let you know about her condition as soon as we hear from them.”
“Where does Acey’s grandma live? Is it close to here? Can I go visit?”
“Don’t you worry about things like that. It’s too far for you to walk on your own. The girl is trying to recover from a serious illness and needs plenty of rest. Go play with some of the other kids in town. Let Acey have some quiet time to get better. Now, good day.”
Mrs. Miandra closed the door gently before I could ask anything else. Play with some other kids? But I wanted to play with Acey…It had been long enough. In three days, it would be a month since she left for her grandma’s. But why would they send her there in the first place? Why would they risk trying to move Acey from a lab with plenty of gadgets and supplies already there? ...Hah! It was so simple! Tricky, tricky, trying to make me think that Acey was somewhere else when she was right under my nose. She must be still in the basement lab! Why didn’t I think of this before?
I scampered back to Acey’s house and went in through the back door. Though there were no lights on, there was still enough daylight to look around the lab without having to light any of the burners. First glance, no sign of Acey…Maybe she was hiding. I checked all her usual hiding places: the lower cabinets, under the shelves, other nooks and crannies that I couldn’t squeeze into even as a pup. Still no sign of her.
“Okay, Acey. I give up. Where are you?”
She didn’t respond. I kept looking in other places, on the high shelves, deep within the storage closets, even behind the curtains of the hazard shower. Still nothing. That showoff. Just because I wasn’t the best hider didn’t mean she had to brag about it by refusing to come out. Then came an idea. I smirked as I laid down on the floor, resting my head on my paws.
“Fine, I just won’t look for you anymore.”
If I looked like I was off my guard, she might try to pounce me. She always liked the chance to beat me at my best game. I waited to hear the offbeat footsteps, her attempt at being stealthy. Nothing still. The minutes went by, not sure how long. Eventually, my eyelids got heavy and I let them fall over my eyes.
“Zielli, don’t you dare blame me for your lack of parenting. If you wanted to keep her away from the creature, you should have discouraged her from visiting or encouraged her to do other things. It’s simple operant conditioning.”
“I’m sorry to inform you, Miandra, but parenting is a bit more complicated than just applying a few psychological theories. Not like you would know, seeing as you haven’t produced any offspring worth raising.”
The loud voices made me jump. I must have dozed off…Acey still wasn’t around, and now there were two women on the floor above shouting at each other. They sounded like…Mom and Mrs. Miandra?
“Then maybe you should have provided your child with better toys. Think of what others might think, letting your child play with a broken Ace.”
“You told me the thing wouldn’t last long. That the experiments you were conducting were fast-acting, that it would take a couple weeks. It lingered for years and now Ataxia has grown attached!”
“I had misjudged the Ace. While frail, it had plenty of fortitude to withstand plenty of toxins and diseases which made it a good test subject for our work. We weren’t going to throw it away so quickly. Listen, this is nothing to jeopardize our partnership over. The Ace is dead and you have nothing more to worry about. Ataxia will find some new friend to play with and all will be forgotten.”
The Ace is dead…
…
…
…Acey?
My parents found me in my room, sobbing into some pillows, clutching Jack Niro to my chest. I didn’t notice them until they sat on my bed and Mom put a paw on my shoulder.
“Darling, what is the matter? Why tears?”
I could barely look at them. My eyes were blurry from crying and looking at Mom reminded me of the conversation. That the creature, the thing, the Ace was dead…and all will be forgotten.
“If I’d been born an Ace, would you’ve hated me too?”
Mom and Dad moved up the bed, on either side of me and pulled me into a hug with me at the center. Dad nuzzled me nose-to-nose.
“But you weren’t, sweetie. You’re our wonderful Ataxia and you can only go up.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Acey,
It’s been years since you were “sent to your grandma’s house,” but I’m still writing to you. I could trust you with everything. I still do. It’s all wrong, Acey, all of it. But I can’t do anything about it. Not yet. That will change in time.
Whenever I look back on those times when we were young, I see what I was blinded to before. How you never talked about other friends. How you had no toys to play with other than the ones I shared with you. How your parents were hardly ever around. How I never saw you playing outside. You were never able to jump in puddles, were you? You never got magic kisses for cuts and bruises or pollen stuck in your nose after smelling a flower and having rapid-fire sneezes after. Never accidentally ate a bug while running around outside with your mouth open wide to catch snowflakes. At least you knew what ‘play’ was, I taught you that.
I have to wonder, Acey. Was I at least able to make your life a little better? There was always fun and smiles when we played together and joked around together. But what were you thinking as I walked out the door to go home, knowing that you could never see what was outside of the laboratory walls? Did the time we had together make your days a little more bearable? Or did I only make it worse?
I wish I could ask you these things, but I know it’s too late now. I wish I could have been there to hold your paw, to give you whatever strength that I had and to remind you that you were loved. I guess I can only hope that you went peacefully. I like to think that you went in your sleep, a smile on your face as you held Queen Lianne in your arms. In those dreams, you were a queen yourself, wearing the silky pink dress and gem-studded crown that Lianne wore, twirling around a flowery courtyard in the bright sunshine. And with those thoughts, you left that crippling prison behind you.
I promise, Acey. Things will change. All is not forgotten.
Friends forever,
Xia
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fanart:
((OOC: This is the birthday card drawn by Ataxia for Acey's thirteenth birthday. Underneath is the lyrics for Soon You'll Come Home from All Dogs Go to Heaven. I thought they just fit perfectly. For best effect, rick-click the Youtube link below, and open it in a new tab as you look at the fanart.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0EDP9Sf4kE))
All I have is a picture in my mind how it would be
If we were together
Let's pretend that you're far away
Let's say you write to me
And you promise in your letter
That you'll come home
Come home to my heart
When you come home
We'll never be apart
If I keep dreaming of you
Start believing it's true
Soon you'll come home
Soon you'll come home
Soon you'll come home
To my heart
Soon you'll come home
Home to my heart
Soon you'll come home
Home to my heart
If I believe...
oh I just want to give them both hugs. I do love the way this is written. 
