Bedding Down for the Night

[Elixir]

It was maybe a quarter to midnight when Sara and the golem reached the stables. As they entered she sneezed as the unfamiliar smell of hay entered her nostrils along with a healthy dose of dust. The golem also seemed affected, going into a terrible fit of sneezing. Almost instinctively, Sara put her arm around him and reaching into her pocket found a small, slightly soiled handkerchief which she tried to give to the furry beast. He did not know what to make of the handkerchief and so he tried to put it in his mouth, sparking a firm "No" from Sara, the noise of which seemed to startle him greatly. To calm him down she started to sing the lullaby again while she took the handerchief from him and then very carefully motioned for him to lean down and on her very tippy toes reached up to wipe the snot from his nose.

Once she had cleaned the golem's face as best she could, Sara looked around the barn. The hay was old and filthy, the corners filled with cobwebs, the walls caked with dust and dirt, and the whole place had the look of having been abandoned for some time. Yet it was dry. It was not too terribly cold, especially compared to the bitter cold of the night outside. And there was a sizable stall filled with a good mound of hay at the end of the barn, which had a small manger in it which would serve nicely as a barrier between her and the golem so he would not roll over in the middle of the night crushing her. "This will do," she said to the golem, even though by this time she was sure that he did not understand a word she said. She then gently led him to the stall, and picking up the lullaby again sang him to sleep before drifting off herself.

[Cyclops]

After retrieving the groceries from the garage and bringing them to Ember in the foyer, Scott patted her shoulder. He wished both Emma and Aideen a good night, with sweet and pleasant dreams to entertain their mind as the rested, and hopes to ward off bed bugs. He thought some sweeter words to Emma as well, but she spoke nothing back to his mind. She was punishing him, to be sure.

He slipped back out into the cold of the evening. Now less evening, more almost morning, what the old folks would have called the "wee hours" of the night. Walking quickly in the cold his breath huffing out in clouds that nearly froze in mid air.

He made it to the stables and entered cautiously. He did not want to startle the child or her "pet", but he could not allow the girl to remain out here in the freezing night. That would not do. No, not at all.

Finding Sara curled up in a ball and shivering, he walked over silently. The creation she described was little more than snow and ice strewn through with muddy leaves and hardly looked like it was alive at all. 'Musta been a prank, or a cry for attention. Looks like she piled snow in here and packed it together in a huge pile.' Scott thought.

He scooped her up in his arms, keeping her little wool blanket wrapped around her, and carefully walked out of the stables and back to the mansion. He made no sound, less to wake her than to wake the "creature" she had thought she'd made. ' Kids....' he thought '....you gotta love 'em. '

[Elixir]

{posting by Amos, the Golem}

Not too long after Cyclops took Sara away from the stable, the golem woke up. Shaking himself vigorously he threw off the snow, ice, leaves, and hay that had hidden him from view. Then he looked around cautiously.

He didn't see Sara.

So he stood up and looked around again.

He didn't see Sara.

He sniffed the air and when he did not smell her, he started to panic.

Frantically, he sorted through the piles of hay in the barn, overturned the small manger, and then burst out of the stall looking for her. As he searched he began to cry louder and louder, yet she did not come running to him.

If the golem had known words he would have shouted for her by name or yelled "Momma" until she came, but he didn't know any yet. All he could do was bellow and cry, until he finally wore himself out and fell back asleep.

[Elixir]

{Posted by Sara}

Early in the morning Sara rushed into the stables looking for the golem. She had woken up just minutes earlier in her dorm room, surprised to find herself no longer in the stables and questioning whether the entire experience with the golem had been a dream until realizing that her clothing was caked with manure, dirt, and hay. On entering the stables, Sara found the golem, snoring loudly, collapsed near the door. He was clutching a bale of hay in his arms like a young child might clutch a teddy bear. Relieved to find him safe, Sara started to cry ever so slightly before sitting down next to him to wait for him to wake up.

Sitting there she drifted off to sleep herself, waking up about an hour later shortly after the golem awoke and started crying, letting her know that he wanted attention and breakfast.