------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------ The Love Month By: SnowPuppy "I'm thirteen! I'm thirteen!" Shouted teenage Moonwatcher rushing into the room. "Sweetheart, your birthday was five days ago, and your still telling people your thirteen?" Said Kay-Si. "Well I am!" Said Moonwatcher. "Yes, sweetheart, but do you hear everybody else running around telling people how old they are, every day?" Kay-Si asked Moonwatcher. "Well, no. But I'm a teenager, mother! I've never been one before!" Said Moonwatcher. "Yes, well, we would appreciate it if this didn't become a daily routine for you. It's okay to be telling people how old you are on your birthday, but once your birthday has passed, it's better off not to go around telling people unless they ask how old you are first." Said Kay-Si. "Okay." Said Moonwatcher. "I noticed, honey, that the calendar isn't changed. May you do that, sweetheart?" Asked Kay-Si. "Sure, mother. I'll change the calendar for you." Said Moonwatcher politely. Moonwatcher went over to the calendar that used to say "January". Moonwatcher changed it, and now it said "February". On this calendar, it said what each month was. Moonwatcher looked at this month;it said "The Love Month". "Mother, whats "The Love Month"?" Asked Moonwatcher curiously. "Since your thirteen, I thought you would already know that. But since you dont, I will tell you. It's called "The Love Month" because the main holiday in the month is "Valentine's Day". And on Valentine's Day, you tell everyone close to you that you love them. And so, thats where it got it's name. Not too hard to figure out, huh?" Said Kay-Si. "Yeah, I knew that." Said Moonwatcher. "Well, it's even more of a Love Month for me and your father." Said Kay-Si. "Whyzzat? Is it because your married?" Asked Moonwatcher. "Well, yes, and it's also because our anniversary is in February. You know, the day we celebrate our marriage. And it's also my birthday." Said Kay-Si. "Wow! You have two special days in one day!" Said Moonwatcher. "Yes, so we get to celebrate two special days in one day." Said Kay-Si. "Wowwy! Well, I'm gonna go over to Molly-Ca's, 'kay?" Said Moonwatcher. "Okay. Have fun." Said Kay-Si. Believe it or not, Moonwatcher and Molly-Ca made up for Moonwatcher's little mistake when he was eight. (See the last story, "The Young Guardian", for more information on that!) Now they are friends again, and, believe it or not, they have agreed to be boyfriend and girlfriend once they are fifteen, which is in two years for Moonwatcher and two and a half years for Molly-Ca. Moonwatcher went up to Molly-Ca's house and rang the doorbell. There he saw Molly-Ca's mother, Jessie-Ca. "Welcome, Moonwatcheer. Molly is waiting for you in her room." Said Jessie-Ca. "Thanks, and it's Moonwatcher." Said Moonwatcher. "Of course, of course. Come on in." Said Jessie-Ca. "Thank you, Mrs.Bils." Said Moonwatcher. "Moonwatcher! Moonwatcher! There you are! Come in, honey!" Said Molly-Ca. "Okay, Molly." Said Moonwatcher. "Oh, Moonwatcher your so silly! Oh, Happy Love Month!" Said Molly-Ca. "Thanks." Said Moonwatcher. "Your welcome. After all, you are my soon-to-be boyfriend, and hopefully, soon-to-be husband!" Said Molly-Ca happily. "Now, Molly, remember? No rushing into things." Said Moonwatcher. "Hey, a girl can dream!" Said Molly-Ca. "Wow, you've straightened up your room!" Said Moonwatcher, entering Molly-Ca's now-clean room. "Yeah, for The Love Month. Have you noticed everything in here is red and pink? Those are the colors of love." Said Molly-Ca, jumping upon her pink-satin bed. "Yeah, it's beautiful." Said Moonwatcher. "I did it all myself, too." Said Molly-Ca happily. "Well you sure did a good job." Said Moonwatcher, admiring Molly-Ca's handiwork. Molly-Ca blushed. "Thanks." "Your welcome." Said Moonwatcher. "You know, Moonwatcher, I know we tryed this one time when I was seven and you was eight, but I want to try it again, and this time, to be longer. I'm ready now." Said Molly-Ca. "Ready? Ready for what?" Asked Moonwatcher. "That kiss you gave me. I want another, please." Said Molly-Ca. "Are you sure?" Asked Moonwatcher. "Sure as I'll ever be. After all, this is The Love Month, after all." Said Molly-Ca. "Well, okay." Said Moonwatcher. And, right then and there, they both kissed, but this time no one pulled away. "That kiss was sweeter than your last one." Said Molly-Ca. "Well, of course, when I kissed you when I was eight you pulled away." Said Moonwatcher. "Yeah, thats when I wasn't ready. But now I am. And it makes me feel good. Thanks, you've made my Love Month a great month." Said Molly-Ca. "Awww, your welcome!" Said Moonwatcher happily. Meanwhile, back at their house, Kay-Si was just cleaning up, when she heard the door. She knew Steppenwolf was back in. "Hey, what's with the rag?" He asked her. "I'm cleaning up." She answered. "C'mon, Kay-Si, your not Cinderella." Steppenwolf joked. "Well, I just finished anyway." Said Kay-Si, putting down the rag. "Well, Kay-Si, I have a surprise for you." Said Steppenwolf. "What?" Kay-Si asked. "I cant tell you yet, because it's not the eighteenth yet." Said Steppenwolf. "Aw, come on!" Said Kay-Si. "Well, on the eighteenth I got guard duty off as you know." Said Steppenwolf. "And the point is?" Kay-Si asked, getting anxious. "The point is we are going to have an evening all to ourselves and the rest I cant tell, my mouth is shut." Said Steppenwolf. "Come on..." Said Kay-Si. Steppenwolf pointed to his mouth. Kay-Si rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. I'll wait." Said Kay-Si. Just then, Moonwatcher came into the room. "Hi I'm back!" He said. "Did you have a good time at Molly-Ca's?" Asked Kay-Si. "I had a wonderful time!" Said Moonwatcher merrily. Moonwatcher didn't look like he usually did. He looked like his head was high in the clouds. Kay-Si shook her head. "It looks like Moonwatcher has a case of puppy-love." Said Kay-Si. "Well, after all, this is The Love Month, isn't it?" Said Steppenwolf. "Yes, it sure is." Said Kay-Si. After that they both kissed and then Kay-Si went to go take a shower. Moonwatcher jumped on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. I'm in love.. I didn't think I ever would be. But I am! It's amazing! Molly-Ca is the most wonderful echidna I've ever met! Someday she'll be my girlfriend... and someday I'll marry her.... and we'll be a couple, just like mother and father. Thought Moonwatcher. He then had a question to ask.. his mother had told him the steps of marriage, but he still didn't know what it was like to married. So he decided to ask his father this question, since his mother was in the shower. He rushed out of the room and found his father. "Dad, what is it like to be married?" He asked. "Well, son, it's a truly amazing experience." Said Steppenwolf. "Yeah, but, what is it like?" Asked Moonwatcher. "Well, when your married and have your own kid, or kids, you feel like your life is complete;and most of all, you feel loved like you never have in your life. It's an amazing experience to be married, and I'm sure you'll feel the same way when your married." Said Steppenwolf. "Wow. Thanks!" Said Moonwatcher, running towards his room. Wow! I wonder if that's how I'll feel when I'm married? It probably does feel like your loved, because someone special loves you and you love them, too! Just like me and Molly-Ca. We're certainly the perfect couple, now that I think about it! Thought Moonwatcher. Moonwatcher decided that he wanted to call Molly-Ca. But he had to get permission before calling. He asked his father if he could call her, and he was happy that he got a "yes". He picked up the phone and dialed the number of his crush. "Hello, Molly-Ca?" He said over the phone. "This is Jessie-Ca, Molly-Ca's mother. Who's calling?" Asked Jessie-Ca. "This is Moonwatcher." Replied Moonwatcher. "Ah, yes, the son of the guardian. Molly-Ca will be right with you." Said Jessie-Ca. "Thanks, Mrs.Bils." Said Moonwatcher. "Yo, this is Molly-Ca!" Said Molly-Ca. "Hey, Molly! Moonwatcher here." Said Moonwatcher. "I knew it was you, honey!" Said Molly-Ca. "Yeah. Well, how are ya? I just couldn't stop thinking about ya!" Said Moonwatcher. "Hey, same here. I'm doing F I N E." Said Molly-Ca. "Thats good to hear. What are ya up to?" Said Moonwatcher. "Not much." Said Molly-Ca. "Hey, Molly, I have an idea." Said Moonwatcher. "What?" Asked Molly-Ca. "Well, you know how we both can't wait 'til we're fifteen so that we can be boyfriend and girlfriend?" Said Moonwatcher. "Yeah." Replied Molly-Ca. "Well, I've been thinking. We can still go out!" Said Moonwatcher. "How?" Asked a confused Molly-Ca. "At midnight tonight, when our parents are asleep, meet me at the park. We'll have a terrific night together." Said Moonwatcher. "Buh-but, what if our parents find out? We will be in heaps of trouble!" Whispered Molly-Ca, trying not to let her mother hear what she was saying. "They WONT find out, dont worry, Molly! As long as they're sound asleep, and as long as we're back in about an hour, they'll never notice we're missing." Said Moonwatcher. "Well..." Said Molly-Ca. "C'mon, Molly! I've been waiting for this moment for a long time!" Said Moonwatcher. "Well, okay." Said Molly-Ca. "Great! You wont regret this! See ya tonight at midnight!" Said Moonwatcher. "Right. Okay. Well, mother wants me off the phone, she's gotta make a call. So, bye." Said Molly-Ca. "Bye!" Said Moonwatcher, putting down the phone. He ran in his room and collapsed on his bed. I can't believe it! Tonight I'm finally going on a date with the one I love! We are getting closer and closer to marriage! I know she is "the one"! She has to be! I dont love any one else like I do her. Thought Moonwatcher. At night, Moonwatcher was eager for midnight to come. He hopped in bed. "Goodnight, sweetheart." Said Kay-Si, tucking him in. "Goodnight mom." He told his mother. He closed his eyes, and pretended he was sleeping. Then his mother went out of the room and Moonwatcher had his thoughts all to himself. Oh, I want so badly to rush out there right now! But I got to wait for my parents to go to sleep, and they should be asleep by midnight. Because when my parents are awake, they hear everything! Thought Moonwatcher. Moonwatcher waited and waited. He was getting pretty sleepy. No! I can't fall asleep and let Molly-Ca down! If I do, she'll never forgive me! I've gotta stay awake! Thought Moonwatcher. But his body disagreed. He needed his sleep. Before he knew it, he was asleep. Then, he woke up with a start. He looked at his clock. Oh my--! It's 12:30AM! Molly-Ca has been waiting for me;for thirty minutes! Oh, I'm late, I'm late! I must go... before Molly starts to hate me! Thought Moonwatcher. But Moonwatcher wasn't fully awake. Half of him was awake, and half of him was still asleep. But it was a good thing that he was aware of what was happening. He tip-toed out of his room, and out the house. Phew! I made it, and without my mom or my dad waking up! Good. Now all I gotta do is go to the park! Hmmm.. I never went there by myself before. Oh well, I guess there's a first time for everything. Thought Moonwatcher. He ran out, and went to find the park. Finally, after awhile, he did. He saw Molly-Ca, and she was about to leave. "Molly-Ca! Molly-Ca! Dont leave! I'm here!" Said Moonwatcher. "There you are! I've been wondering where you were." Said Molly-Ca. "Sorry I'm late." Said Moonwatcher. "Thats okay. Where have you been?" Asked Molly-Ca. "I accidently went to sleep. I'm sorry!" Said Moonwatcher. "Thats okay, I almost went to sleep too." Confessed Molly-Ca. "Well, whats next?" Asked Moonwatcher. "I dont know. What do boyfriends and girlfriends do?" Asked Molly-Ca. "I have no clue." Said Moonwatcher. "Why dont we sit down on this bench and look up at the stars? That seems pretty romantic." Said Molly-Ca. "Okay." Said Moonwatcher, shrugging. After awhile, it started to get really cold, so they both went home. I guess that was a good first date. Thought Moonwatcher. When he got home he quietly went back in his bedroom and climbed into bed. He was tired so he fell straight to sleep. But he was woken up in the middle of the night by the smell of smoke. He woke up, and there was smoke all over his room! He carefully crawled under the smoke, and headed for the door. It wasn't hot, so it was okay to open it. When he did, he couldn't believe what he saw! There was fire all over the place! It was burning! He figured his parents were already out, so he decided to get out himself. He ran through the house, and around the flames, so that he wouldn't get burnt. Finally he made his way out. He collapsed on the ground to catch his breath. When he looked up, he noticed that his parents were no where to be seen. Oh my gosh! What if they're still in there? I will have no parents if I let them burn. I will be an orphan! But I've been told that once I'm out of a fire, I can't go back in for nothin'. But does that include my parents, too? Oh, I dont care WHAT I was taught! I got to go back in there and save my parents! I can't let them burn to death. Thought Moonwatcher. He ran back in, and he noticed the fire was worse than it was before. He ran in his parents' room, and he found his mom laying on the bed, burnt very badly, and then he noticed his dad, who was conscious and leaning over Kay-Si. "Moonwatcher, you should get out of here." Said Steppenwolf. "No, I came back for you and mom!" Said Moonwatcher. "Well we must all get out of here." Said Steppenwolf, picking up Kay-Si's unconscious body. They all got out, and when they were outside, all gasping for air. "Atleast we're all alrigh--- waitaminute! Mom's not alright! We gotta save her!" Said Moonwatcher, noticing the badly-burnt unconscious body of his mother in Steppenwolf's arms. They called the hospital and they were soon there. "You will all have to be taken to the hospital, pronto." Said head medic Dessi-Re. "All of us? But mom's the one that's hurt!" Said Moonwatcher. "Yes but you were all in the fire and you must be taken to the hospital, too, to make sure everything's a-okay." Said Dessi-Re. Moonwatcher and Steppenwolf were just fine, and they looked pretty healthy. So they didn't need to stay in the hospital for long. But Kay-Si, she still hasn't woken up yet. Moonwatcher and Steppenwolf were watching her, looking for any signs of life in her unconscious body. Finally, there was. Kay-Si began to move around. She opened her eyes. "Mom! Your alright!" Said Moonwatcher. "Mom? Who's mom?" Asked Kay-Si in confusement. "You! Your my mom!" Said Moonwatcher. "Mom? What are you talking about? I've never had children." Said Kay-Si. "Yes you have! I'm your son! Mom, dont you believe me? It's me, Moonwatcher!" Said Moonwatcher. "Moonwatcher? I dont know anyone named that, but it sure seems like, I've, heard it before." Said Kay-Si. "You have! Mom, whats wrong? Why dont you remember me?" Asked Moonwatcher. Dessi-Re came into the room. Moonwatcher looked at her with sad-eyes. "Why doesn't my mom remember me?" He asked her. "We're sorry, but it seems that she got burnt so bad that she has gotten amnesia, which means you can't remember anything that happened before the accident." Said Dessi-Re. "Oh no, what are we gonna do? I love mom so much! What if she can never remember us?" Said Moonwatcher sobbingly. "Your just going to have to get her to remember as much as you can. Her memory is still in there somewhere." Said Dessi-Re. "Mom, it's me! Moonwatcher. Your only son. Dont you remember anything? Dont you remember me? Dont you remember dad? Dont you remember...?" Said Moonwatcher upsettingly. "Kay-Si, you've gotta remember our son." Said Steppenwolf. "Steppenwolf?" Kay-Si said. "You remember me!" Said Steppenwolf. "Yes, I remember.. it's all coming clear to me now. I remember! I do! Moonwatcher, I'm so sorry!" Said Kay-Si tearfully. "Thats okay, mom." Said Moonwatcher. "That sure is amazing how she has recovered from that amnesia. Usually it takes days, even weeks, for someone with amnesia to remember." Said Dessi-Re astonishingly. "Mom, I'm so glad your alright!" Said Moonwatcher. Kay-Si nodded. "Thats what I want to talk to you about, sweety. I want to talk to you both about that." Said Kay-Si. "I will just leave you three alone, after all, I'm not included in your family. See you for now." Said Dessi-Re. "Okay, what is it you want to tell us?" Asked Steppenwolf. "Well, while I was unconscious, I was, in a certain place. I can't explain it. But I heard a voice;the same one I've heard all those other times. It told me I could go ahead and open that door, which if I did, I would be dead right now. Or, I could go back, and live longer. But it told me that that was the last time I would have an option. It told me that next time I get into a fatal accident, that will be the time for me to die. So next time, I wont be here talking to you." Said Kay-Si. "Well, what's important right now, Kay-Si, is that your still with us. Okay? Dont worry about what's planned for you in the future. Just be happy with your life now. Okay?" Said Steppenwolf to his wife. Kay-Si nodded. Soon after, they all got to go home. Kay-Si was feeling much better, and so was her husband and child. When Steppenwolf and Kay-Si's anniversary came, also Kay-Si's birthday, Kay-Si was ready for the surprise that Steppenwolf had had for her. Kay-Si was blindfolded. She was getting restless. "Come on! I'm ready! I'm ready!" She said. "Okay, if your sure." Said Steppenwolf. "Sure I'm sure!" Said Kay-Si. "Okay." Said Steppenwolf, taking the blindfold off of her. What she saw before her eyes was a table with a big birthday/anniversary cake right in the middle. The room was decorated with Kay-Si's favorite colors, purple and blue. The only light in the whole room was the light of the candles on the cake. "And, thats not all. After this, there's another surprise." Said Steppenwolf. "Another surprise? Will I have to be blindfolded again?" Asked Kay-Si. "Yep." Said Steppenwolf. When Kay-Si blew out the candles on the cake, the whole room went dark. They both bursted up laughing. Then, right there in the darkness, they both kissed. How did they kiss in the darkness, you ask? Who knows, but they did. When the next surprise came, Kay-Si had to be blindfolded, yet again. She wanted to know when the blindfold could be taken off, and she kept asking Steppenwolf "Are we there yet?", but Steppenwolf always replied "No, not yet.". When the blindfold was tooken off, Kay-Si was amazed at what she saw! There was a limo, right there in front of her! "How...?" She began to say. "That's Jessie-Ca's so-called limo. She let us borrow it. It's really not a limo, she just made it look like one." Said Steppenwolf. "Well she sure did a good job." Said Kay-Si. "Kay-Si, we are going to go to some of the most exciting places on the planet." Said Steppenwolf. And he was right. They went to a fancy resturant, to a big mall, to the park, to the theater, and to the highest hill on the floating island, just to look at the sunset. They were having a terrific time. When they got home, they were exhausted from all the excitement, but they were glad to see their son again. "Were you good for Nick-Ol?" Asked Kay-Si. "Yeah, she showed me some really neat games! I never knew there were so many games in the world! Anyway, did you have a good time?" Said Moonwatcher. "We had a wonderful time, Moonwatcher." Said Kay-Si. "Well, as long as your in a good mood, I have something to confess to you." Said Moonwatcher. "What?" Asked Kay-Si. "Well, you know how you and dad told me I can't go on dates 'til I'm fifteen?" Asked Moonwatcher. "Yeah." Said Kay-Si. "Well, I went on a date! When I wasn't suppose to! I snuck out of my room at midnight and went on a date with Molly-Ca! I'm so sorry!" Said Moonwatcher. "That's okay. It's a good thing that you've told me." Said Kay-Si. "Are you mad?" Asked Moonwatcher. "No, but it's a good thing that you did tell me, because if you didn't, I would have found out anyway and then I would be mad." Said Kay-Si. "Thanks, mom. I'll try to never do something like that again!" Said Moonwatcher. "Well, as long as you know it's wrong, I won't punish you for it. Now, it's getting late, so you better get on to bed, okay?" Said Kay-Si. "Okay." Said Moonwatcher. They all went to bed(at nine), and they all were glad to be home, and also glad that everything was back to normal. THE END