Quality time together

“This is the place,” Kard said from the front yard of Timmy's house. “Is anyone home?”

A one story building made of brick and siding considered him with long droopy windows. Its never ending stare, cold and unwelcome. It did not smile, as he had hoped.

“How can such a thing as a house wish me so much ill will?” Kard also wondered why he was not tired. A few minutes ago, he was ready to fall asleep. The reflection passed.

Kard reached out with his tendrils. Softly. To touch what was inside. His children awaited him. He needed to know their names. How can he be a good father without their names? Dreams of distant lands and warped places of fun and frolic. Oh, how he loved those times. The children, whose names escaped him at the moment, were off in their own world of sleep.

His mind retreated from them and went in search of the kitchen. He was hungry. It didn't take long to find, and he teleported there instantly. The cookie jar atop the fridge brimmed with chocolate chip and sugar wafers. They were so good, he sent his tendrils out to the children to share in his glee. His children gushed delight at this.

This house had a large screen television. It had been a long time since he had seen one. After turning it on, a preview of an animated feature film was playing over and over. The children must have been watching this movie. He muted the set, and mentally checked on his sleeping darlings. Well, they were not his, yet, he thought. He didn't know them, but that would soon change.

Here, he discovered they had a common dream. The evening before they had watched this movie with a turtle and all kinds of talking fish. Oh, it was a wonderful movie, he discovered. They laughed and laughed. They laughed themselves silly. He wanted so much to be part of their dreams.

He learned their names. He could be a good father with this information now added to his bag of gems of knowledge. They had nice names, but for now, their names will be Dotty and Martin. And they can pretend to be fish having fun in the ocean. Kard would dawn the role of the happy shark.

He put the images in their dreams, and when they woke, the children got out of bed and ran to the living room. They recognized the happy shark right away and quickly joined in on the fun in the ocean. The happy shark told the jokes and made the funny faces.

Everything was so fine. It was all perfect. One happy family playing together. “This is quality time,” he told them.

A voice from far off called out to his children. “It must be from the land above,” he said confused.

They ran around and then stopped. Something was wrong. Then that woman appeared. Who was she? He asked himself. Then he knew. This had all been a fantasy. The game was over. She had ruined it.

She had asked him to leave, but she was being very rude about it. He remembered her name, or he picked from her mind. He wasn't sure, but he let her know that her alarm for his children was uncalled for.

She made the kids leave the room. His play time was over. “Now, what did you go and do that for?” Kard asked. His tendrils leaped out at her. She was fierce. Her will was strong. She assumed he wanted her body? Under no uncertain terms was that going to happen, and he let her know.

More tendrils reached for her, her fear was like a spicy fire to him. This was new in a way that made him feel sorry for what he was doing to her. He let her know that his little ones would be safe. That she could dream nice dreams and everything would be alright.

He siphoned off the last of her will and took her strength into his own. She fell apart after that. Her head hit something when it fell, but she didn't need the body anyway.

He wanted to spend more of that quality time with his new family. “What shall we play next?”