Work Text:
A loud cry echoed in the dark rooms of the Layton’s household, followed by multiple calls from the little Katrielle.
Emmy quickly threw away their covers and walked to the girl’s bedroom. A quick glance at the clock told her it was nearly three in the morning. She sighed and entered the room. Turning on the light, she saw the little girl sitting on her bed, crying over her messed blankets.
“What’s wrong, baby ?” she said while sitting on the small bed. Hershel entered the room soon, after, and took a sit on the other edge of the bed.
“They- They came back-” the little girl answered, hot tears pouring down her face.
“What ?”
“The shadows- They’re going to catch me-” she hiccuped. The professor dried a few tears from her cheek.
“Please, calm down, my dear. You’re safe here, nobody will hurt you.”
“I’m scared…” she cried, grabbing Emmy’s sleeve. She hugged the little girl, rocking her as she caressed her hair.
“There’s no need to be, baby. It was just a bad dream.”
Katrielle may be a smart girl for her age, Hershel and Emmy realized she was subject to recurrent dreams that scared her a lot. Her parents couldn’t remember the last time she had slept a whole night without waking up in screams and cries.
From what they understood from her explanations, what scared her this time was shadows.
“They were chasing me, and- and I was alone in a dark place and they caught me-”
“Ssh, my dear, it’s okay, it’s over now…” Emmy whispered. She looked at Hershel, who stood up and began to look around the room.
It was a normal 8-year-old room, full of plushies and fairytales' books. The curtains surrounded the closed window, as Katrielle developed a fear of dark over the time. The professor frowned, and stood up. Emmy shot him a curious glance when he headed to the window. After a couple of seconds, he made a soft hum.
“Look, Katrielle.” he softly said. The girl looked up at him, and so did Emmy. He pointed at the window. “Do you see the streetlamps over there ?”
The girl left Emmy’s arms and got out of the bed, heading to her father. He picked her up and hugged her close so she could see what he was talking about : streetlights were visible from her window, hidden behind the trees from their garden.
She let her head fall on Hershel’s shoulder. “Yeah.”
“You said you dreamt of shadows, am I correct ?” he said. The girl nodded. “I believe I know where they came from. Look, do you see the lights through the trees ?”
“The light of the lamps ?”
“Yes. Since your curtains were opened, I assume the shadows you’re referring to are the trees’ ones. They simply reflected on your wall on the other side of your bedroom.”
“Oh.”
Emmy crossed her legs on the bed. “See, dear ? Nothing to be afraid of !” she said, smiling. The girl looked at her with her big blue eyes, pouting.
“But- I can’t sleep with the curtains closed.” She mumbled against her father’s chest.
Hershel laughed. “Oh, I think I have an idea for that.
He walked to the bed and put the girl in Emmy’s arms. Then, he left the room, and returned after a few minutes with a small box. Emmy tilted her head curiously.
“What’s that ?”
“My parents gave me this when I saw them today. They said I should give it to Kat for her birthday, but I guess it’ll be a early gift.”
Kat giggled. “Yes, I love gifts !”
Emmy laughed, hugging her daughter. “Ah, you surely do. What’s in this ?”
Hershel kneeled in front of the little girl, handing her the box. “Here, open it.”
Katrielle giggled while she grabbed the bow, Emmy holding her by the waist so she wouldn’t fall from her lap.
Inside of the bow was a strange semi-sphere. She carefully pulled it out, inspecting it with curious eyes. “What’s that ?”
“It’s a night light.” Hershel said, and stood up. “But it’s a very special one.”
He went to the window, and closed the curtains. He could hear the little girl gasped as he did, but Emmy soothed her with soft whispers. He then turned off the lights.
“Now, Katrielle, you should find a button under the sphere. Turn it on.”
The girl struggled to find the switch, but finally managed to find it with her mother’s help. She turned it on.
Bright spots of lights illuminated the room. The walls, the ceiling, and all the furniture were covered in small bits of lights that slowly moved around like a night-looking sky. A faint piano music emerged from the lamp, accompanying the stars’ dance over Katrielle bedroom. The girl gasped in surprise.
“Woah ! That’s so pretty !”
Hershel smiled and took a seat next to Emmy. Katrielle stood up, putting the lamp on the floor, and wandered around the room while cheering about the ‘cute baby stars all around’.
Emmy’s head fell on Hershel’s shoulders. “We should thank your parents next time we see us. But I hope she’ll sleep the rest of the night, though…”
Hershel breathed a laugh and kissed his wife’s forehead. “I hope so.”
Since then, the little girl’s nightmares suddenly went away, and none of them heard about dark shadows or horrible monsters ever again.