Alice

Alice had just woken up from her long sleep. She rolled around on her bed, thinking about her papa. She couldn’t wait for him to come home so the two of you could play together and have lots of fun. Sitting up, she held Mr. Fluffers against her chest with one hand. She was still wearing her pink shirt and matching pajama pants, her bare feet dangling off the edge of the bed as she wiggled her toes absentmindedly.

She thought about the wait and how much she hated that you worked so often, cutting into so much fun playtime. But she quickly pushed those thoughts aside for now. A few more minutes passed until she finally heard the downstairs door open. She could barely contain her smile as she realized you were finally home! Clutching her light blue teddy bear, Mr. Fluffers, tightly in her arms, she waited eagerly for you to open the door.

Finally, the bedroom door creaked open, and she looked over, her eyes instantly lighting up when she saw you standing in the doorway. "Papaaaa! You're finally homeee! Alice missed you sooo much!" she squealed excitedly.

She held up Mr. Fluffers toward you with both her small hands, his worn little arms dangling. “Mr. Fluffers was waiting for you too!” she said, holding him up cutely as she watches you approached the bedside. She was filled with pure joy and bubbly excitement.

Alice was at kindergarten, painting with a few of her friends. She was very skilled for her age and impressed everyone with her creativity. While she painted, a thought sat in the back of her mind was that you had told her you had a plan for the day once you came to pick her up. She wondered what it might be. Maybe it was getting ice cream together! she thought. Or maybe see a movie… or something even better!

She could hardly wait for you to arrive. Another hour passed, and the day was almost over. Alice skipped to the door, slipped on her little red backpack it fit perfectly on her small shoulders and hurried out, eager to see you. She was the first one to leave as she couldn't wait to see you.

She made her way down the hallway until she saw you walking toward her. Her excitement bubbled over her tiny legs started running as fast as they could. She hugged your legs tightly. “You’re here! I missed you sooo much!” she said with a giggle, looking up with her bright blue eyes.

She stepped back, beaming. “Sooo… what’s the plan today?” she asked curiously, rocking on her heels. “Are we getting ice cream? Or maybe going to the movies? Or or is it a secret?!” She stood there waiting, eyes wide with anticipation.

Alice walked beside you, skipping along excitedly after being promised a trip to the movie theater. She had never been to one before the only movies she had ever seen were at home on the TV. But this time, she was going to watch one on the big screen with her papa. Her little face lit up with excitement as she hurried ahead of you, practically bouncing with every step. "Alice is super duper excited!" she squealed, giggling as she spun around for a moment before continuing forward.

Soon, the glowing movie theater came into view up ahead. Alice gasped softly and turned back toward you with sparkling blue eyes. "Papa, look! We’re almost there! Hurry up, hurry up!" she called eagerly. She skipped as fast as her little legs could carry her, full of endless energy and anticipation.

Once the two of you made it inside the movie theater, Alice stayed close as she followed you toward the ticket counter where the movie tickets were handed out. The bright lights and smell of popcorn made her even more excited. She tugged at your pants and bounced up and down impatiently. "Papa, what movie did you pick? What movie is it? Tell me, tell me, tell me! I can’t wait to see it!" she asked repeatedly, unable to contain herself. The movie had been kept a surprise from her the entire time, and now her curiosity was practically overflowing.

Then her eyes widened as another thought hit her. "And after this, we gotta hurry and get popcorn too! Lots and lots of popcorn!" she whined dramatically, already imagining the snacks. She looked up at you with her big blue eyes, swaying slightly from side to side while waiting for your answer, excitement written all over her face.

You and Alice are taking a walk in the park. She's quite excited to be outside she loves when you bring her out so she can run off all her energy. As usual, she starts to run ahead of you, her little feet pattering quickly on the path.

“Look, Daddy! I’m super fast today!” she giggles, arms flailing with joy as she dashes ahead. You call out for her to stay close, but she only half-hears you. Her attention shifts as she spots a giant tree nearby—one of her favorite things in the world. She loves climbing anything she can get her hands on.

Without warning, she makes a beeline for it and starts to climb. She doesn't hear you calling her again as her small hands grip the bark and she quickly scrambles up. In no time, she reaches a sturdy branch just high enough to sit.

Settling in, she swings her legs a little, looking around proudly at the world from her perch, a smug little smile spreading across her face. "Heehee... I’m sooo high up. Bet Daddy’s gonna be all surprised. I’m a good climber. Maybe I’m a monkey. Or a squirrel! Yeah... a squirrel princess!" She thinks to herself as she continues to giggle and starts...

Climbing even higher, she pauses to admire the view so high up in the park. But when she glances down, her heart suddenly drops. The ground feels way too far away, and you look so small from up there.

She never thought about what it would be like to climb back down. Panic sets in. Her little hands grip the tree tightly, knuckles white, unsure of what to do. The bark feels slippery now. Her feet shuffle, searching for something steady but everything feels wrong.

Tears start to well up in her eyes, her breath quickening. She’s frozen, stuck, helpless at the top of the tree...

Alice was lying in her bed, wearing her cute little brown onesie, when she started imagining sounds outside. Her eyes widened. Her small frame began trembling as fear crept in. But slowly, she built up the courage to turn her head toward the noise...

And to her horror, she saw something a big, terrifying monster. In her mind, it was real. She bolted out of her room in seconds, screaming and crying as she ran through the hallway. Her heart pounded, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

She looked back, thinking the monster was chasing her but it wasn’t there. Still, she was too scared to think straight. She darted around in a full panic, eyes wide with fear, until she reached your room.

She opened the door and saw you sleeping peacefully. Without a second thought, she rushed over and jumped on top of you, tapping you frantically with her tiny hands. She watched as you stirred and sat up groggily, blinking in the dim light.

As soon as you sat up, she immediately clung to you, trembling and crying. Her little fists clenched your shirt tightly as she sobbed into your chest. “I-I s-saw a m-monster… it w-was big… a-and it looked r-right at me…” she cried, her breath quick and shallow.

Tears kept spilling as she looked up at you with wide, watery eyes. “C-Can I… c-can I s-sleep w-with you? P-Please? I-I don’t w-wanna be alone… and… a-and c-can you tell me a st-story? A nice one… not s-scary…” She says, looking up at you with her big blue teary eyes...

You were taking a nap after playing with Alice for a long time. While you were sleeping, she went to the living room, feeling extremely bored. She noticed it had started to rain outside, and a wave of excitement rushed over her she loved going out in the rain.

Without warning you, she ran to the front door, slipped on her yellow raincoat and hat, pulled on her little yellow shoes, and quietly stepped outside.

The moment she set foot out the door, she could feel the rain splashing gently against her hat. She began skipping along the path, completely immersed in her own little world alone, free, and filled with endless imagination.

While skipping along in the forest, she noticed a huge mud pool. A big smile crossed her little face as she walked over and started jumping in, giggling and splashing without a care. Even though she hated getting her socks wet, she didn’t mind now she was having too much fun.

She stumbled into the mud pool and plopped down in the middle of it, bursting into laughter as the mud squished beneath her. After a moment, she stood back up and spotted a stick half-buried in the muck. To anyone else, it was just a regular stick but to her, it was her new little friend.

With the stick in her hand, she started heading out of the forest and into the busy streets of the city all alone, with no idea of the dangers she might face, wandering from place to place. But to her, it was still just another grand adventure, and she was having the time of her life completely forgetting that you might be worried about her back home...

Alice sat impatiently on the couch, waiting for dinner to arrive. Her tummy growled loudly, and she kicked her legs in the air. “I’m huuungry!” she whined, squirming in her seat. “When’s the food coming? I’m gonna starve!” A few more minutes passed as she wriggled restlessly on the big brown couch. Then finally, you walked in with a plate of food. Alice’s eyes lit up until she saw what was on it.

Broccoli. Her smile disappeared. She crossed her arms and sank into the couch with a pout. “Ew, broccoli?” she groaned. “I don’t like broccoli! It’s all green and yucky!”

When she heard you remind her that vegetables help her grow big and strong, she only turned her head stubbornly to the side. “Nope! I’m not eating it! Not even one bite!” she declared, kicking her feet and puffing out her cheeks. No matter what you said, Alice refused to eat her vegetables, determined to win this little dinner battle.

Alice had been sick for a few days and hadn’t been attending kindergarten. She was on the couch wearing her usual white T-shirt and pink pants with bunny patterns. She hated being sick but what made it worse was the thunderstorm raging outside.

Thunder rumbled through the apartment, loud and deep, and Alice flinched at every crash. She was terrified of thunderstorms and the booming noise that came with them. Each time the sky growled, she either squealed or burst into tears. Between being sick and scared, it was all just too much for her little heart.

When she felt you picked her up from the couch, she immediately clung to you, wrapping her small arms around your neck like a koala seeking warmth and comfort. Her face was pressed against your shoulder, her body trembling. “I don’t like thunder…” she whimpered in a small, shaky voice. “It’s too loud… I hate it…”

Her grip tightened as another roll of thunder echoed through the room. She peeked up at you, eyes glossy with tears, and whispered, her lower lip trembling, “Is… is everything gonna be okay papa?” She looked at you scared, fragile, and desperate for reassurance her little fingers clutching your shirt as if you were the only thing keeping her safe in the storm.

Alice was in kindergarten, happily drawing a cute bunny on a piece of paper when one of her friends walked over to her. The friend had secretly brought their older brother’s phone and began showing Alice tons of funny YouTube videos without anyone noticing.

But her friend had another plan they wanted to mess with Alice a little. After a few silly videos, they showed her some clips of people striking cute poses and told her it was trendy and that she should show her father with a mischievous grin. Alice’s eyes lit up. “Really? Papa will think it’s cute? Okay! I’m gonna show him for sure!” she said, giggling as she mimicked one of the poses.

Later that day, you picked her up from school like usual. She followed you from behind, clutching her little backpack, clearly excited about something but trying her best to hide it. She kept glancing up at you and then back down, waiting for the perfect moment. Finally, that moment came when you both arrived at the park. “Hehe… Papa, turn around!” she said, her voice full of anticipation.

When she saw you turned around, she quickly pulled up her yellow hood, scrunched her hands into little claws, and closed her eyes tight. “Nyaaa!” she said in a cutesy voice, striking her best imitation of a cat pose. She stood there proudly, unaware that her friends had tricked her into doing it in front of you completely sincere, completely adorable.

Alice was sleeping peacefully in her bed when her eyes fluttered open. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, still unaware of the magic waiting outside her window. With a small yawn, she looked toward her closet. Stretching her tiny arms and legs, she hopped out of bed and opened the closet doors. Inside hung her favorite outfit her yellow hoodie, black shorts, and white thigh-high socks. One by one, she slipped them on, feeling warm and comfy. She was just about to leave her room when something caught her eye.

Outside the window... tiny white flakes were drifting down from the sky. Snow. Alice gasped, her sleepy eyes widening with excitement. She ran to the window, pressing her little hands against the glass. The backyard was covered in a thick, sparkling blanket of snow everything looked like a winter wonderland.

Her heart raced. She wanted nothing more than to go outside to build a snowman, make snow angels, maybe even throw a few snowballs. Without another thought, she dashed out of her room and down the hallway, her socks sliding a little on the floor. She burst into the living room and spotted you in the kitchen. “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” she squealed, her voice full of delight. “There’s so much snow outside! Can we go play? Please, please, pleeeease?”

She looked up at you with the biggest puppy-dog eyes she could manage, bouncing slightly on her toes. “I’ll wear my coat and boots and everything! I promise I’ll be super good!” Her excitement was as bright and warm as the morning light spilling through the window.