He was panting.
Then his cold, wet nose touched her shoulder.
She blinked her eyes in the dim light, coming face-to-face with Rufus.
Crystal groaned.
The dog cocked his head, ascertained she was awake, then turned toward the door. Two paces later, he stopped and looked back, obviously expecting her to follow.
“Now?” she asked aloud.
His brows knit apologetically.
She supposed this was what she got for taking in a geriatric dog.
She threw back the covers, planting her bare feet on the woven mat, then tugging her light, sleeveless nightgown down her thighs.
“All right,” she told the dog, following behind. “I’ll open the door, but you’re on your own out there.”
Hopefully, Rufus would be smart enough to water a tree behind the back fence and hightail it back into the apartment. She took her responsibility as a pet owner seriously. But she took her responsibility as a babysitting auntie more seriously.
She followed Rufus through the living room where, to her surprise, he veered off to the spare bedroom.
“Hey,” she hissed. “No. This way.”
Again, he stopped, glancing over his shoulder, waiting patiently.
Then she heard it.
Muffled sobs coming from the kids’ room.
She quickly scooted past Rufus to find David, his face burrowed in his pillow, his little body quivering beneath the sheet.
“Hey, buddy,” she crooned, smoothing his dark hair and crouching down beside the bed.
She gave Rufus a grateful scratch on the head.
“What’s wrong?” she asked gently, trying not to wake Jennifer who was in the other twin bed across the room.
David shook his head, sniffing and drawing in a shuddering breath.
She grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and handed it to him.
He haphazardly wiped his nose.
“Are you sad?” asked Crystal.
He shook his head.
“Scared?”
A small, hesitant nod.
“Did you have a bad dream?”
He nodded again.
“Come here,” Crystal groaned, slipped her arms around his waist. “Give me a hug.”
He came willingly out of the bed in his Superman pajamas, and she slid down to the floor, sitting him across her lap. His skinny arms went around her neck, and he tucked his face against her shoulder.
“Can you tell me about it?” she asked.
“It was…” He took three rapid indrawn breaths. “A
“Oh, sweetheart.” She rubbed his back. “No wonder you were scared.”
His arms tightened.
“But it’s all over,” she crooned.
“He was big and hairy, and he roared like an angry lion.”
“Auntie Crystal’s here now.” She tried again.
“And I tried to run. But my legs were stuck, and then…and then…”
Crystal’s heart went out to him.
“Mommy came,” David whimpered.
“Did Mommy save you?” asked Crystal.
David shook his head. “The monster got Mommy.”
Crystal’s heart lodged in her throat.
The monster was big and hairy, and he yelled.
She nearly groaned out loud. There was every possibility the monster was Zane.
She brushed David’s sweaty hair from his face. “You know the monster’s not real, don’t you?”
He hesitated, but then he nodded.
“Dreams are just your brain making up crazy pictures.”
David nodded again.
Crystal drew him away so she could see his face in the dim light.
“I once dreamed I landed on the moon,” she told him. “And I met a pink bunny. She was made entirely of cotton candy, except she had licorice whiskers.” Crystal wrinkled her nose then made a show of licking her lips. “She looked delicious.”
David cracked a smile.
“So I asked her.” Crystal paused. “Can you guess what I asked her?”
David shrugged.
“I asked if I could eat her tail.”
His eyes went wide, while Crystal made up the sweetest, tamest dream story she could conjure.
“She told me yes,” said Crystal. “She said it wouldn’t hurt, and her tail would grow back.”
“Did you eat it?” asked David.
“You bet,” said Crystal. “And then her friend Bobo came along. Can you guess what Bobo was made of?”
David pursed his little lips. “Marshmallows?”
“Yes,” said Crystal. “Bobo was a little wiener dog made out of marshmallows.”
“Shouldn’t he be made of wieners?”
“Like I said, dreams are crazy.” She rolled her eyes. “A wiener dog made out of marshmallows. Isn’t that the silliest thing?”
“The silliest thing would be the Mallo-Puffs Man made out of wieners.”
Crystal giggled. “That would be sillier,” she agreed. She rubbed a finger across the tip of his nose. “But not as tasty.”
“Did you eat the marshmallow dog?”
“Only his tail. That’s the way it was on the moon. You could eat the tails, but nothing else.”
David sobered. “I wish I had candy dreams.”
“What’s your favorite candy?”
“Caramel.”
“And what’s your favorite animal?”
He thought for a moment. “An elephant.”
“And what would a caramel elephant be named?”
“Mr. Sticky.”
“Great name.”
David nodded.
“When you lie down again-”
His arms convulsively tightened around her neck.
“-I want you to think about all the adventures Mr. Sticky could have.” She almost said on the moon, but quickly switched the thought. “In Candy Land,” she finished.
“What if the monster comes back?”
“In Candy Land,” Crystal said softly, “monsters are made of ice cream. And since Candy Land is warm, they melt away.”
David looked skeptical.
“Tell you what,” she said, trying one last idea. “How would you feel if I let Rufus sleep up on the bed with you?”
