Fear The Dawn: Chapter 50

“Aww”, Line said, “she's such a sweetheart. All this time she knew you were just a big softie under your grumpish exterior and she wanted to find a friend for you. It's so sad that she couldn't talk, she seemed so sad and neither of us knew about it.”

Karma closed his eyes but said nothing. “Let's just keep reading.” He was wary of what was going to come next, but he knew they had to keep going, anyway.

---

Silence.

The sun had come up, but the sounds of the world had not come back. There was no wind rustling through the trees, no waves crashing on the water, and no strangers chatting together. For a moment she wondered if she had lost her hearing forever, but then she heard the soft clack of a shoe upon a hard floor. Her hearing was fine, she was merely trapped inside one of those stranger places again.

Banshee opened her eyes and found herself inside a giant building with tiled walls and floors that were so clean that they sparkled like the sun. A lone table sat towards one edge of the room surrounded by a few black chairs, but they were unoccupied, and the rest of the room was similarly vacant. Towards one end were a couple metallic doors, but they were closed, leaving no sign that anyone had come or gone. She didn't like places like this. There were no pleasing scents here like there were outside, everything smelled so sterile and artificial. There was a strange aura about this place, a vague foreboding of doom seemed to hang in the air, and in a moment she knew why.

Blackie appeared from down one of the halls, dressed in a sharp black suit. He looked strong and capable, but certainly not very friendly.

“What are you doing here?”, he asked, stopping at the entrance to the room.

“I'm sorry”, she apologized in advance. She tried not to bother Blackie in the mornings, she always just messed things up, but unfortunately sometimes they ended up in the same place. She just hoped that this time things would go all right.

Blackie rolled his eyes. “We might as well get going, then. Just don't get in my way” . He pressed a button on the wall and a moment later there was a sound and the metallic door opened. They both got in the tiny little room beyond and the door closed again. “It's going to be a red-letter day”, Blackie added as the room started to move upwards.

He seemed happier this morning, at least, but she still felt apprehensive.

“I'm glad you made a friend”, she said, timidly. Blackie didn't respond. “It gets lonely sometimes”.

Banshee fidgeted with her hands as Blackie adjusted his tie. The ride in the small room seemed long, though she knew it wasn't the reason they were here this morning.

“What are we doing here?”, she asked.

“We've come to shut this place down. Everyone's getting fired!”

“Oh no”, she said, not wanting to believe it. “Surely we don't need to fire everyone.”

She didn't exactly understand it, but the strangers always seemed terrified about being fired. Blackie didn't seem to share their concern, though, he almost looked like he was looking forward to it.

“We may not need to, but we will anyway, that's what we do.”

She looked down at her hands. “But the people here will be so sad.”

“That's the point!”, he said, frustrated with her.

“But why? Why do we have to do bad things?”

“Because the strangers would do the same to us if they could! If we don't get them first, we'll be lost out here forever!”

“Oh Blackie, you don't really believe that, do you?”, she thought. It was all her fault. She made Blackie this way, that's why she had to do something about it.

The metallic door opened again and Blackie stepped out. She wanted to just stay in the little room, out of the way, but she couldn't. She had to go along and try to stop Blackie from doing something terrible.

They eventually came to a big room that was full of strangers, the first she'd seen since she arrived. They must all have been gathered here, waiting for them. The strangers seemed nervous and afraid, so she tried to give them a reassuring smile, but their expressions didn't change. She couldn't really blame them, a smile from her usually only meant trouble anyway.

Blackie started to speak to the crowd. “This company has a long, rich history”, he began. He likened the people here to a family, which briefly gave her some degree of hope, but it was quickly dashed.

“But there's a funny thing about families”, he continued. “They're weak. People tolerate mediocrity and incompetence because of 'friendship' and 'loyalty'”.

Hearing him say that made her feel sick to her stomach. Did he really feel that way? Was it already too late? He continued to say awful things, and she just stood there helplessly.

“And as for all of you, your services are no longer needed. As of 4pm today, everyone is-”

“No!”, she blurted out, slamming her hands on the table. “You can't fire everyone!”

These people were not killers, they were suffering, just like Blackie was. “Just look at them!”, she pleaded, “you've got it all wrong!”

It was the first time she had ever stood up to him, and even Blackie seemed to be shocked. There was a brief silence, and for a moment she hoped that was enough, that maybe they might get to go home without further incident.

Blackie paced up and down the room as everyone held their breath. “My associate has a point”, he said, and once again she dared hope there had been some change in him. “Relieving all of these employees and dividing up the company will involve a lot of tedious paperwork. There might perhaps be room for one person from this company to stay on as my assistant. But it would have to be someone who would not feel badly about taking this company apart. Is there anyone like that in this room, I wonder?”

“No”, she thought. She felt sick again. Was that really what he thought about people?

“It occurs to me that there might well be several candidates. Very well. Whomsoever is the first out this door will have the job.”

The strangers looked at each other, and then there was a great scuffling of chairs and a thrashing of bodies as they all started to push and shove each other in a mad scramble to get out the door.

“Stop! You're better than this”, she protested, but they weren't. They just knocked her aside

“We have our winner!”, Blackie declared, raising the arm of the man first out the door. “Well done, sir. It's good to find someone who understands what friendship is truly worth.”

It was too late. Blackie's heart had completely closed up, and it was all her fault.

---

Her tears made little ripples in the water below as she gazed down at the sea. What was she supposed to do now? She had tried to get through to Blackie, but he wouldn't budge, and if he felt that way about other people, what chance was there for Creamy to get through to him?

She was feeling so down that she didn't even notice the other ship until it came very close. Even once she spotted it she just couldn't get excited this time. She glanced up to look at the other ship as it came closer.

“There's no point, Creamy”, she thought. “You might as well just go home.”

Yet he came anyway. Her eyes were still full of tears, and she could barely bring herself to look at him, but he lifted up her face with his paw and made her look into his eyes anyway. Even though there was nothing he could do, it still made her feel a little better to see him. She threw her paws around him and buried her face in his chest. He gently patted the back of her head.

“I'm sorry Creamy”, she thought, looking up at him. “I messed things up.”

He bent down and rubbed his nose against hers affectionately, as if to say “it's okay, I still like you”. She was so surprised that she just stood there, staring at him, even after he let her go. He and Blackie were talking again, and Blackie was even smiling, not the cruel smile from earlier, but a real smile. Could Creamy really get through to him? Watching the two of them, she dared to hope so. Just then she noticed that her eyes were dry again.

---

A few nights later Creamy came by to visit again. He and Blackie were talking about something and seemed to be having a good time, and she was happy. She had no idea what they talked about, but it was enough just to know that they were having a good time. Maybe Creamy really could help Blackie. Even though her mornings had been just as disastrous as they always were, she felt much more hopeful now. They were still talking when the sun started to come up, and she suddenly felt worried. Blackie could be so scary in the mornings, and Creamy might not understand. She tried to wave to them, but they weren't paying any attention to her. She tugged on Creamy's arm, but it was too late. “Please Blackie, don't throw this away”, she hoped silently.

“That idiot”, Blackie complained.

“I know you are, but what am I?”, Creamy responded playfully.

Banshee opened her eyes. Her fears had come true, they were all here together, in some kind of hallway. And yet, in spite of everything, she couldn't help but feel a little bit happy for the company.

“You shouldn't be here”, Blackie protested.

“At least we all made it here okay”, she said, timidly.

“Pretty flower! You can talk!”. Creamy took her hands and lifted them to his chest. “I'm so glad I can finally speak to you, I'm-”

“Don't speak of the other world.” Blackie said, “that's dangerous”. He shrugged and threw her arms around her instead, hugging her tightly too his chest.

“Pretty flower?”, she thought. Did he mean her? She liked flowers a lot, they had such a nice scent. And pretty? Did he really think so? Some of the strangers had called her pretty before, she knew it was a great compliment that they only gave to those they really liked. “This instantly makes the trip worth it”, he said, letting her go.

“Creamy...”, she thought, feeling incredibly touched and embarrassed. She tried to say something, to thank him for his kindness, but even though she could speak in this world nothing came out.

“What are we doing here?”, Creamy asked.

But Blackie wasn't really listening to him. “Shh! Someone's coming!”. He hurried them all around a corner as some strangers walked by.

“Today's the day the guest speakers are coming, right?”

“Yeah, I wonder if they're here yet?”

The strangers passed by and entered a nearby door.

“It sounds like we're the speakers they're waiting for”, Creamy said, walking towards the door, but Blackie stopped him.

“It seems like we will have to play along to find our way home this time. Why don't we make this interesting? You seem to have some skill with your words, let's see which of us can get us home. I'll even let you go first, since you're new here.”

“Don't worry, talking is my speciality”, he said, confidently. Creamy opened the door and stepped inside.

“He'd better not screw this up”, Blackie said. She moved closer to the door to hear what he had to say. He was making small talk with the strangers. Blackie moved in to hear what Creamy was saying, too.

“I'm so glad we made a new friend”, she said, pressing her ear to the door.

“Don't be silly”, Blackie replied, “I have no need for friends. He's just going to get in the way.”

But this time she knew he was just saying that. He had changed a bit, she could tell, and it made her very happy. Inside, Creamy made a joke about Blackie's stubborn pride, and she giggled.

“I think Creamy's wonderful. He's so much fun.”

“He's doing a terrible job”, Blackie said, acting exactly like Creamy said he would, “that's never going to get us home.”

“I don't mind”, she sighed happily, “I'm enjoying it here. I hope we can all stay together.”

“Well don't let me stand in your way. When we get back, just go to his ship. I'm sure he'd be glad to have you, then you two could be together all the time and I'll have some peace and quiet.”

She had never even contemplated something like that. Would Creamy really want her to be with him? He did seem fond of her, but she couldn't go, for so many reasons.

Line finished talking to the people inside the room and they all clapped for him. They quickly stepped back from the door.

“That was pathetic”, Blackie said, “do you even get the concept here?”

“I think they liked it.”

“They're not supposed to like it!”, he said, stepping inside the room. “Let me show you how it's done.” She and Creamy exchanged a shrug. “He's like that”, she said.

“I know, he's a big grouch, but he's a softie on the inside.”

“Oh, you get it too!”, she exclaimed. “I'm so glad.”

“He could learn a lot from you, pretty flower, you're a sweet girl. How come you never talk in the evenings?”

She looked down at her paws. “I can't. Even if I open my mouth, no sound comes out. I can't hear anything at night, either. I know you try to talk to me sometimes, but I can't tell what you're saying. I'm sorry.”

“It's all right”, he said, putting a hand on her arm reassuringly. “I'll just have to spend more time with you in this world, because I want to talk to you as often as I can.”

It was too much. Before she even realized what she was doing, she threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately, eagerly rubbing her tongue against his own. He seemed surprised at first, but he got the idea pretty quickly and returned her kiss as best he could.

“Pretty flower...”, he said after their lips parted, his eyes full of affection and desire. He leaned forward for another kiss, but she stopped him. She had seen that look too many times before. The strangers always looked at her that way before things went bad. She couldn't let that happen with Creamy.

“I'm sorry, just forget that, okay?”, she said, looking away from him. “I'm just so glad we met you. Thank you for being his friend, he won't admit it, but he needs people."

"I'll always be your friend too, pretty flower. Don't worry, you'll never be alone again."

Tears streamed down her face as he said that. She turned away from him so he wouldn't see, and luckily Blackie came back out of the room just afterwards. The strangers clapped for him, too.

“I can't believe that didn't work”, he said, “Those strangers are not normal.”

“Yeah yeah”, Creamy replied, “it looks like you can't get it done either.”

Blackie scowled at him. “This calls for a new plan.”

“What about me?”, she asked, timidly. “Isn't it my turn?”

“What about you?”, Blackie replied. “What would you know about speaking, you barely ever do it.”

“That's not nice”, Creamy said, sticking up for her. “You speak fine, I'm sure you'll do great”. He put his hands on her shoulders. “Good luck, pretty flower.”

Her eyes were tearing up again. She glanced back at Creamy briefly as they opened the door.

“Tell us a scary story!”, they demanded.

“Oh come on, look at her”, someone said. “She looks like my Nana. A nice woman like her wouldn't know any really scary stories.”.

“Yeah”, another stranger said. “Bring back the other guy, he was better.”

“You want to hear a scary story?”, she asked, in a tone of voice that you wouldn't expect to come from her. “Think about the world you know. It's a grand place with all kinds of fun things to see and do. Think about all of the people you care about, and how much you like to spend time with them”. She looked over at the counter. There was a pretty red flower blooming in a pot, and she picked it up. “Now, imagine that you can't have any of it, that you have to live in complete silence and darkness all by yourself because everything you touch, everything you like, all of it turns to ash”. She touched the flower, and its pretty petals started to fall off, and as they watched the flower withered and died in her hand. “And you can only sit by and watch, powerless to do anything about it. You can't even scream, because your throat doesn't work, you just have to endure it, forever. This is my curse”. She dropped the flowerpot to the ground, where it shattered into a million tiny pieces. The strangers screamed, and the floor gave out, dumping her in the water. As her head went under, the screams were choked out and everything went silent again. She popped her head back above water to find Blackie and Creamy, looking confused. “Scary enough for you?”, she thought to herself. Creamy helped her get back to the ship and gave her a towel to dry her fur, though she was hesitant to accept his kindness. Still, despite her misgivings, she couldn't help but feel optimistic about the way things had been going. Creamy and Blackie were getting along well, and Blackie even seemed to be starting to change just a little bit. Even if she needed to stay out of their way to avoid messing things up, that would be all right, as long as Creamy and Blackie were happy, she was happy. Perhaps things really would have worked out if it had not been for that fateful evening.

It all started off innocently enough. Creamy came by to visit and stayed until morning once again. She initially hoped that they might all wind up going to the same place again, but when the sun rose she found herself alone. There was no wind here, so she knew she was indoors, but it was not so sterile and lifeless here, all around her she smelled the warm scent of oak, as well as other humble scents like dirt, grass, and wax, that told her this place was not so far removed from nature. She knelt down to the ground and took a deep breath, and she found that it soothed her mind a great deal.

“I sense that there is a great deal of sadness in your heart, my child”, a deep, calming voice spoke to her from above.

Banshee opened her eyes. There was a stranger in a grey-robe with matching coloured hair standing behind a wooden pedestal. She felt as though his voice was coming from a great distance above her, even though it was only a few short steps to the platform where he stood.

“Confess your transgressions before the father and all will be forgiven”, the stranger continued.

“I exist”, she said. “Just being near me brings pain and sadness to everyone.”

“It is not wrong for any of us to exist. There is a place for all of us within this world. Tell me about your sadness and pain.”

“It's not me, it's those around me. Whenever anyone gets close to me, they get hurt.”

“Have you considered how you can change your actions to better serve those you care for?”

“I've tried everything, but the only option is for me to stay away. Everything I touch turns to ash. This is my curse. Look.”

She rose to her feet. There were three lit candles on a nearby table, so she picked one of them out of the holder and touched it with her finger.

“The flame still burns”, the stranger remarked.

Sure enough, it did. She had expected the flame to go out, but it still shone as brightly as ever. She stared at it for a moment, then placed the candle back in its holder.

“None of us are cursed by the father”, the stranger said. “He tests us and challenges us, yes, but he loves all of his children and has a purpose in mind for all of us”. He stepped down from his pedestal and embraced her to his chest.

“You shouldn't get close to me”, she warned, “I don't want something bad to happen to you.”

“I am not afraid”, he replied, releasing her and patting her head. “Be brave, child.”

She got up to leave, but her leg struck the table as she turned, knocking over the candle. Her heart stopped as the flame touched the wooden table, and she had a terrible vision of a rapidly spreading fire, consuming the entire oaken room and the kindly stranger.

Yet the stranger simply leaned forward and picked the candle back up. A little wax had been spilled, but there was no fire, everything was all right. A bit dazed, Banshee left the room and found herself back on the ship.

Even as she looked out over the railing and thought back on what had happened she didn't know what to make of it. Was it true? Was the curse all in her head? It seemed impossible to believe. She had seen so much pain and suffering, and she was always at the centre of it all. If Blackie could get better, maybe she could believe it. They still weren't back yet, and she found herself feeling a bit lonely waiting for them to return.

She didn't have to wait too long, though, a little later she felt a a few vibrations through the floorboards and she turned to see them coming up the ladder. They were together, and they seemed to be in very high spirits, laughing and talking. She thought she even saw Blackie smile, and her heart soared to see it. Creamy ran over and gave her a big hug, and she squeezed and nuzzled him.

“Thank you, Creamy, thank you”, she thought. She hadn't seen a real smile from Blackie in so long. Blackie went away to do something, and the two of them watched the waves together. Creamy was talking away to her, and even though she couldn't hear what he was saying, she could tell how happy he was. She snuggled up close to him and he put his paw around her shoulder. Maybe that stranger had been right, Creamy was so friendly and kind it seemed hard to believe anything bad could ever come from them being together. Her eyelids drooped a little as they stood there, so when she first spotted something on the horizon she wasn't even sure it was real, but as it came a bit closer she was able to make it out. Creamy and Blackie strained to see what was out there, but eventually they all realized it was another ship.

Was it another friend of Creamy's? Or had someone else realized that Blackie wasn't so scary and come to greet them? Either way, she was very excited, it would be great for Blackie to have another friend, maybe then there could be people around all the time and they would never have to be lonely. Maybe there would even be lots of people on that ship! She looked out over the railing to see who it might be, but strangely even though the ship seemed to be coming very close she didn't see anyone. She was almost getting concerned when a woman with scraggly brown fur popped up from below deck and stopped the ship just in time to avoid hitting them. It was a neat trick, kind of like how Creamy had dropped that board in the water when they first met, and she clapped her paws and waved to the woman. She came over to their ship, and she, Creamy, and Blackie were all talking together.

Then something went terribly wrong. The brown-furred woman got terribly upset, and then she ran off back to her ship with tears streaming out of her eyes. Then Creamy and Blackie started arguing.

“What's going on?!”, she demanded, but of course no one could hear her. She couldn't hear them, either, but she could tell they were yelling at each other. She tried to put herself between them, but before she could Creamy was on his way back to his ship and Blackie wasn't doing a thing to stop him.

It was all falling apart.

Just like that, it was all coming undone, and she had no idea why. She just knew she had to do something. She glanced back at Blackie, but it was clear he wasn't going to budge. There was no time. She ran off after Creamy and followed him onto his ship. She found him in his cabin, sitting on his bed with his face in his paws. He didn't even look at her when she came in, he just kept staring into the floor, a broken man.

She had generally learned how to get along without being able to speak or hear, but tonight it was killing her. She tried really hard to force her throat to make some noise, but if she had any success she couldn't hear it. What had happened back there? Why was Creamy so upset? She had to do something, but what could she do? She couldn't try to talk to Creamy, or even just listen and try to comfort him. She was useless. There was nothing she could do.

Wait. She did have something. She had her body. The strangers had shown her that, they used their bodies to show affection to one another. Maybe she could get through to him that way. She leaned forward and wrapped her paws around Creamy's chest, then she bent down and gently licked his neck. He seemed surprised, and he took his head out of his paws for a second, but he didn't push her away. She moved around to his front and lifted his chin, then she brought her lips to his and slipped her tongue inside his mouth.

“It's okay, Creamy”, she thought as she kissed him. “Let me do this for you.”

He looked at her through wide eyes and said something, but she couldn't tell what it was. She rubbed her nose against his and ran her paws slowly down his chest, burying her face between his legs. She had done this for the strangers a few times, so she knew what to do, first teasing him with her tongue and then taking him into her mouth. She looked up to see what his reaction was, and he seemed completely in shock at first, and she was worried he would reject her, but he soon started to relax, leaning back and letting her take his mind away. She purred softly to let him know that it was okay, and he ran his paws through her fur, tenderly caressing her face and shoulders. She greatly appreciated his affection and they both started to get into it, and it wasn't long before he reached his peak. She happily swallowed everything he had to give and rose to her feet to look into his eyes. A great deal of warmth and affection was plainly visible on his face, but she could tell from the broken half-smile and the tears in the corner of his eyes that he was still suffering a lot.

“I'll always be here for you, Creamy”, she thought, gently pushing him down onto his back and climbing on top of him. He looked at her in surprise, but once she took him inside her and started to bounce on top of him he quickly got the idea, putting his paws on her hips and thrusting into her in time with her movements.

“That's right”, she thought, “my body is yours to use like this any time you like. Just stay and be Blackie's friend. He needs you.”

For her part, she was also greatly enjoying it. It felt wonderful to finally do something useful after being a burden for so long. If Creamy wanted to do this every time he came to visit, she definitely wouldn't mind very much. She purred and gripped him tightly as he brought her to a powerful climax, and then a moment later he exploded inside of her and she climaxed again. They embraced tightly and shared many kisses afterwards. “Stay, Creamy”, she thought, “Stay with me”.

He said something too, and in her mind she imagined that it was “I will”. They stayed together until the sun rose.

But such things were never destined to last, at least, not in her cursed life.

As she did most mornings, she began by taking a deep breath and tasting the scents that were in the air. Would it be the sweet scent of flowers, the tartness of an ocean breeze, the strong, anchoring smell of dirt, or even the warm, musky scent of Creamy's body held close to her own?

This morning it was none of those things. It wasn't even the sterile, metallic scent of those buildings the strangers flocked to. Instead, there was no scent at all, as though the world itself was just gone. She had never experienced anything like it, and it frightened her quite a lot.

Gingerly she opened one eye. It was dark. As far as her eyes could see, there was nothing but empty black space. The ground beneath her feet was firm enough, but it didn't feel like grass, stone, or metal, or anything else at all, and even when she bent down it was still too dark to see a thing. She turned to look around herself, and in the distance, she saw a light.

“Creamy!”, she thought, spotting him in the distance. She picked up her feet and ran towards him, arms outstretched.

THUNK!

Banshee reeled back in pain and shock. She had struck something, hard, but there didn't seem to be anything there. She reached out towards it with her hand, and sure enough, she felt something smooth. She pushed her nose right up to it, and sure enough, there was a thin pane of glass separating the lighted area where Creamy was from the dark place she was in. She ran her hand along the glass and tried to get around it, but it seemed to go on for a very long way.

Inside the lighted area, Creamy was looking around at his surroundings. He turned towards her, and she waved at him, but he looked away a moment later.

“What's going on?”, she wondered. He was just walking straight ahead now, not paying any attention to her. She walked to the side to follow him and tried to wave to him again. Still he ignored her.

“Hey!”, she said aloud, “where are you going?”

Still he didn't pay any attention to her, he just turned a corner, and she bumped into another glass pane as she tried to follow him.

“Stop!”, she said again, louder this time. “Don't go that way!”

This time he did stop. “Who's there?”, he said, looking around. Even though he looked right at her, he kept on looking, as though he had no idea where she was.

Then it hit her. He couldn't see her. The place where he was well lit, but she was in complete darkness. She held out a hand in front of her face, and she could barely see it at all.

“I'm here!”, she said, banging on the glass with her fists, but it made very little noise. A moment later he gave up looking and just kept walking.

“Wait! Come back!”, she protested, hitting the glass some more. It was surprisingly sturdy. She kicked at it and hit it with her shoulder, but all it did was make her body sore, it wouldn't seem to break.

“Who are you?”, he asked. She was shocked that he wouldn't know, but then again he had only ever heard her voice once before, and that was before all of this had happened. Even worse, she could still hear a lot of pain in his voice. He was clearly still suffering from what had happened last night.

“It's me, your pretty flower”, she started to say, but then she remembered what Blackie had said before:

“Don't speak of the other world, that's dangerous”.

True enough, if the strangers ever found out anything about her she just wound up in the water right away. She couldn't risk being thrown out of this place and leaving Creamy all alone.

“It's... someone who cares about you”, she said.

“What am I doing here?”, he asked.

“I don't know. Just please, come back home. Just follow the sound of my voice.”

He turned around, and for a moment it seemed like he was going to do it, but then he seemed to see something, and he turned another corner, heading directly away from her now, but the glass prevented her from following him in that direction.

“Please, stop! Don't go any farther!”, she cried, but he seemed to be ignoring her now. He was transfixed by something in the glass. She strained her eyes to try to see, and she could faintly make out some kind of image inside the glass. It almost looked like a stranger, but when she moved to the side, there was no one on the other side of the glass.

Then she caught sight of something terrible, in the last pane of glass at the end of that hallway. It was some kind of dark, ominous, cloud, swirling and twisting, reaching out towards Creamy.

“You have to get out of there!”, she yelled as loud as she could, briefly forgetting her caution. “Please, come back!”

But he kept walking towards it. She screamed until her throat was sore, but he just kept walking.

“That's enough!”, he said, standing in front of the dark mirror. “I can't go back! You don't understand! You don't know what it's like to hurt someone like that!”

His words cut through her like a knife. Could he really believe that? Of course she knew what it was like to hurt someone. She understood that better than anyone.

He reached out towards the dark cloud.

“No, Creamy!”, she yelled, forgetting her caution. “Stop!!”

But no sound came out. She banged on the glass with her paws, but no one heard her, and she didn't hear it, either. She was back to her regular, useless self, and she could only watch as Creamy fell through the glass and out of her life forever.