Happy Valentine's Slay ( A Grimm Diaries Prequel 10.5 ) by Cameron Jace Page A

‘Wee!’ whenever they saw me, running around the town, knocking on their windows and doors, making sure they went to sleep the time their parents desired. I was child, and I wore a silly nightgown that made my mission even harder. Other children laughed at me. They thought I was a loon, running around obsessed with the time all children had to go to sleep. But I couldn’t argue with the destiny I was meant to fulfill. I was also told that if I did this job, I would end up being the Sandman one day, which is what I had always wanted.
    Ten o’clock was the time the children had to go to bed in the town I came from. That was two hours before the clock struck midnight, and the real scary thing started happening. Of course, all children were curious about what happened after twelve, and they tried their best to poke their noses their nose out into the darkness of the night. It was better that they didn’t. I wasn’t sure they were strong enough to face the Boogeyman who came out of the closet after midnight, the goblins who ate young girls, the werewolves, the vampires, the Queen’s headless huntsman and her wolf Managarm, and so many other terrifying night creatures.
    After I made sure the children were asleep, I had to walk back to my house in the darkest of nights with no one to take care of me or protect me. Only one girl; the Moongirl cared for me. Bless the Moongirl who disappeared unexpectedly some time ago. As I am writing this, there is another imposter moon shining in Sorrow’s night sky. I wonder who that might be, and who is controlling it.
    One day, some of the awful children dressed me up in a rabbit’s costume when I was asleep to make fun of me. I woke up to the sound of my pocket watch chiming right before ten o’clock, and I had to go out to make sure the children were asleep. I didn’t have enough time to look in the mirror to see that I looked like a walking-talking rabbit.
    Running into town, or rather ‘into toon’ like the Scotts like to say, children laughed at me because of my long rabbit ears and padded big legs. It took me a while to understand why they mocked me. I remember one respectful man, summoning me out of his window to tell me. When I approached, I saw he was a writer. He had a rather peculiar writing desk, the color of ravens.
    “What is it, sir?” I asked. “Please, I have no time. I am in a hurry. The Queen of the land demanded that I make sure the children are sleep before ten o’clock.”
    “Well, you won’t be able to do that looking like you do right now.” the decent man told me.
    “Looking like what?”
    “Like that!” he showed me my reflection in a looking glass, and what I was looking back at a rabbit with a pocket watch.
    “It must be the awful bullies who did that to me,” I said. “Thank you for telling me, Mr…?”
    “Call me Carroll,” he stretched out his hand, and I shook it. “Lewis Carroll.”
    “I assume it’s not your real name, sir,” I said.
    Mr. Carroll laughed. “Most of us don’t tell our real names, right? You know about the power of names, don’t you?”
    “Of course,” I said. “Does this mean I shouldn’t tell you my name, Sir?”
    “I know your name,” he winked. “Everyone knows you’re Willie Winkie.”
    “Thank you for telling me,” I said as I took off the rabbit outfit. “Are you writing a book?”
    “Yes,” he nodded, asking to keep my rabbit’s outfit with him. “In fact, you’ve just given me an idea about a character in my book.”
    “Really?” my eyes widened. I had never met a writer before.
    “A rabbit with a pocket watch, late for the queen,” Mr. Carroll winked at me.
    “Are you going to name him Willie Winkie?” I asked him.
    “Of course, not,” he laughed again. “I am going to name him: Rabbit. Thanks for the inspiration. Now go, you have a job to do. Get those children to go to sleep. I am trying to write a book here.”
    I walked away that night, and never met that Mr. Carroll again.