It is already past midday when Gabe opens his eyes. He tries to sit up like always: by stretching his wings, when a sharp pain shoots from his shoulder blades. "Argh! Oh, my Lady!" He cries out loud. Thankfully, just like him, his cries are soft and barely make it out of the small wooden toy house that Zhandra had placed him in.

He somehow- with great effort and sprouting lots of not very nice words- manages to move his bottom and prop himself up. Looking around the tiny room, he once again wonders why humans, more specifically little ones: children, would want a dollhouse when they lived in such big ones already.

Didn't humans like having big things like a larger house, a heftier pay, and a bigger car? Though adults did not exactly fall under his jurisdiction, he did have to come in (semi) contact with them from time to time. And after years of doing what he did, he had noticed two things:

1. Having big things leads humans to have big, blown-up heads (in most cases).

2. The bigger their heads get, the tinier their hearts do (in most cases).

Yes, it was necessary to mention that the two observations were correct in most cases. Because Gabe does not believe in generalizing, you see.

According to him, just like there were both good and not-so-good fairies, there were good and not-so-good in everything and everyone. To say that all adults would react the same way in the same situation would not be right. Why, it would be unfair! And Gabe was definitely not that! He believed that if he looked in the right place at the right time, he would find a human who would prove his observations wrong.

Little did the six-inch rosy-cheeked fairy know that this time, albeit being injured, he had indeed ended up in the right place at the right time.

Gabe stretches his legs and groans. He had slept with the book open on his legs. Thus, his legs had fallen asleep.

"Cooperate." He reprimands them sternly: first the right leg, then the left, and wiggles his toes. They get the message (and some much-needed exercise) and wobble.

"Well done!" He hums, lifting the book off his legs and stuffing it back in his pouch. He is about to give standing up another try when he hears the boy's voice followed by a girl's.

"Daddy, I am telling you, that bighead is the monster who has been stealing my crayons!"

"Alex, there are no such things as monsters."

"Ah, looks like the kids have returned from school," Gabe concludes. He hears a chuckle. "It's an adult. It must be their father. Oh-O!"

"You are right, Zhan. There are no such things as monsters. However-"

"Yes, there are. We saw one in the shed this morning!"

"Noooooooooo!" Gabe laments. He searches around in his pouch but finds nothing that can help him out of the sticky situation. However, his hand does encounter something sticky, making him forget about his present predicament. "Noooooo! My candies have melted!" He cries. "My precious candieeeessssss!"

"In the shed?"

"Daddy, Mrs. Benny wanted to meet you."

"Daddy, come with me. I want you to meet him. He looks like-"

"Daddy, Mitch pushed me at snack-time."

"Quiet. Both of you!"

The loud voice startles Gabe. He forgets about the candy and starts crawling towards the tiny mahogany bed, intending to hide under it.

"Alex, how many times do I have to tell you that there are no such things as monsters. There are only-"

"There definitely are such things as monsters, Mr. Daddy; it's just that you can't see them," Gabe mutters, wincing and crawling slowly, very slowly, halfway to his destination.

"I can prove it to you."

"Oh, my Lady!" Gabe exclaims as he pushes himself to crawl that last tiny stretch of floor (because however difficult the task, one must never give up till they have given it their all).

"Fine. Show me."

"But Daddy-"

"Zhan, please give me a few, alright. We will talk about it as soon as Alex has shown me the thing in the shed."

"Mr. Daddy, why did you have to be so accommodating!?" Gabe shakes his head. Then, sucking in his breath, he tries to crawl under the bed. The bed doesn't cooperate. It's a little too small for him to fit under, and for once, he wishes he was Chuck: his friend, who always used to get made fun of for his size. And even after Gabe's innumerable attempts at making him feel better, Chuck always felt that his tiny size was good-for-nothing.

"I will tell Chuck how lucky he is when I get back." Gabe decides, looking at the door outside which he could see a small passage. "If this is like their house, right through the door, to the left must be the kitchen! I am sure I can fit inside the cupboard under the kitchen counter." He reasons and glances back at his damaged wings. "Cooperate!" He demands, and the translucent shimmering wings tremble. Gabe's face softens, "Just a little bit more, alright?" He says fondly and blows it a kiss.

The wings illuminate and stop trembling. Gabe smiles. "Thank you, kindly."

Just as he is about to exit the bedroom, the backyard door swings open, and Alex, Zhandra, and Mr. Daddy enter it, with Alex zealously pulling on his father's bottle green pants and Zhandra following them reluctantly.

"Calm down, Alex. The shed isn't going anywhere." Mick or Mr. Daddy, as Gabe had dubbed him, reassures, barely managing to keep his balance as the child, instead of slowing down, increases his pace.

Gabe's emerald eyes follow the three humans as they step inside the shed. Then, grabbing the opportunity and ignoring the ache in his shoulders, he makes his way out the door and into the kitchen. Thankfully, he finds the cupboards big enough to accommodate his tiny frame.

Thud!

Crash!

"Oh-O!" Gabe yelps at the loud noises coming from the shed he had just seen the Anderson's enter. His first instinct is to help them despite being injured.

He pushes the cupboard door open and is about to slide out when he hears someone sneeze.

Ac-choooo!

He stops and wonders. "A sneeze!? No one yelled for help. Thank you, my Lady! Silly Gabe, you were going to blow your cover for nothing." The fairy shakes his head at his lack of judgment. "Of course, they are fine. Mr. Daddy is with them." He smiles, feeling relieved.

"Alex, sweetie?"

Thud.

Achoo!

"Son, I think the monster-"

Creek.

Ac-chee!

"Zhan, go out. Now!"

Sniff.

"Yes, Daddy."

Clatter!

"Alex, sweetheart, I am sure that the one you are looking for left already. Or else you would have found him by now."

Sniff.

"Zhan, why are you still standing there. Go back inside, or your allergies will flare up."

Sniff.

"Oh. I forgot. Sorry."

"Alex, I think it's about to rain. Let's go back inside, hum?"

Hearing Mr. Daddy try to convince the child to go back inside makes the fairy smile. He almost breathes out a sigh of relief when he hears Alex's next words, and once again, goes into panic mode.

"No, he has to be here- Unless Zhan hid him!"

"Oh, my Lady! Why is this child so persistent!?" Gabe closes his eyes and pouts. His lower lip juts out, and the tips of his lips turn down. He looks like a frowning clown without his trademark painted mouth.

"Alex, sweetie..."

"Daddy! Puleeeeeezzzz."

"Daddy, your phone's ringing!" Gabe hears Zhandra call from a distance.

"Be right there, Zhan."

"But Daddy-"

"Alex, this might be important. We can look later, alright?"

Gabe hears cranky whiny noises and the sound of feet dragging on the grass. Then with a creek and snap of the door closing, silence falls over the backyard.

Sore but relaxed, Gabe tumbles out of the cupboard. "Ac-chooo!" He finally lets out a sneeze that was threatening to escape the moment he had entered the dusty hideout.

*****

"Hello, Mick here. How can I help you?" Mick answers the phone, just as the first huge drops of rain hit the backyard deck, creating a lovely rhythm.

Mick was a nurse by profession. Presently, he was working part-time at the hospital near his kids' school. Since his wife, Sandra's passing, he had felt that the four-bedroom bungalow was a little too big for them, but since it was already paid for in full, not to mention it was the place that held his Sandra's memories, he had not wanted to move.

He was also very passionate about carpentry. Most of the furniture that gave their home character were his projects, and as is the case with projects, sometimes some don't turn out the way you want them to. That didn't mean that Mick was terrible at it, far from it. His handy works were quite popular in his neighborhood. And the call was attending to was with regards to the same.

"Um. Yes, Mrs. Linda, the futon is almost ready- Mn. Sure. Send over your boys tomorrow by 5.30- You too, Mrs. Linda. Bye. "

Disconnecting the call, Mick turns to a pouting a Alex and a smirking Zhandra. A smirk directed at Alex. "What's with the long face, buddy?"

"There. WAS. A Monster. IN THE. SHED!" Alex looks at his father accusingly. A moment later, the pout vanishes, and the dining room fills with giggles as Mick picks up his son and blows raspberries on the belly button.

"More. More." Alex demands, forgetting all about the shed business, and Zhandra looks at the duo with a fond look in her eyes.

A loud thunder rumbles across the now darkening sky. Zhandra's heart plummets to her knees. Her gaze drifts to the backyard door before moving back to her family.

'I need to go check up on Gabe. I hope he is not too scared of the thunder.' The little girl wonders, joining her father and brother at the dining table.

Soon, lunch is over, and it's time for Mick to return to the hospital.

Zhandra starts helping her father clear the table while Alex picks up the bits of food he had accidentally dropped on the floor and collects them in his palm before walking over to the sink and handing it over to Mick.

"Thank you. Both of you." Mick pats his daughter's head and directs a thumbs up at Alex.

"Daddy, I don't think we need Jane to watch over us. I can take care of Alex and myself very well." Zhandra suggests.

Mick quirks his brow. "Zhan, we have had this conversation. You can start your babysitter duties once you are thirteen, alright?" He looks at his daughter suspiciously. "Why, may I ask did you bring it up now?"

Zhandra shrugs, and trying to keep her tone casual, says. "Just checking."

'Jane doesn't do anything, anyway. She is on her phone most of the time. I don't even think she would notice if we were to sneak out... ' Zhandra thinks, feeling dejected, when, unexpectedly, an idea starts to take shape in her mind. Her mood brightens, and so does her face.

Alex is the first to notice. "You are thinking about Mr. Bighead, aren't you?" He says, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot on the floor.

"Oh yes, I am thinking about him. Who else would I be thinking about at this moment?" She says, giving Mick a put upon look.

Mick shrugs; Alex pouts harder, but before he can say or do anything else, the doorbell rings.

"See you at five pm sharp!" Mick calls and rushes outside, where he meets Jane.

"See you at five, Mr. Anderson." Jane, his kids' regular babysitter, a brunette with chocolate brown eyes, says, without looking up from her phone.

Mick nods, acknowledging the statement, but 'Miss too busy with her phone' Jane misses it.

Mick sighs, and shaking his head disapprovingly, leaves his kids and his house in the hands of the fourteen-year-old neighbor.

Mick did not like that, recently, Jane had gotten hooked to her phone, but he overlooked it. Firstly, because, Jane though a little standoffish, had never given Mick any reason to complain, and secondly, he was too busy with his work and kids to give parenting advice to Jane's parents. Even so, he had subconsciously decided to do just that.

With Mick gone, Jane waves to the kids in her charge. "Hey guys. So what do you guys want to do today?"

For once, it makes Zhandra very happy that Jane is their babysitter.

{Chapter Word count : 2125
Word count so far : 4257}