Hush
Crickets chirped. The nightly wind blew. Owls hooted. Together, these sounds produced a natural lullaby that could put just about anyone to sleep. No matter how much Sunny tried to fight nature's way of telling him to go to sleep, he wouldn't budge.
He couldn't afford to. Not when him and Mari still shared a room. Sunny wasn't quite sure why, but Mari had a change of heart in the past year or two. She got meaner, her clothes more rebellious. Her hair, originally a uniform onyx, was broken up with streaks of dark purple.
No one was spared from her mean temper and antics. Not even her own brother. On occasion, when Sunny had just drifted off into sleep, he'd be on the receiving end of a wet willy. That, coupled with other 'pranks' drove Sunny to be on guard whenever the two were together.
Sunny gave one last glance at Mari. She was soundly sleeping away, likely dreaming of devious acts. Once Sunny let his guard down, he drifted off to sleep, praying for an uneventful tommorow.
There was an immense haze preventing any good view of where he was. It was akin to looking through fogged glass, but somewhat clearer. He stumbled his way through wherever he was, to a pair of oak doors. Once he passed through the doors, they slammed shut behind Sunny, startling him.
Sunny gazed his surroundings to see where he was. It appeared to be a dilapidated village, similar in size to his native Faraway. The skies were overcast, showing no signs of the Sun. After a brief mental note taking session, he felt an extreme chill. The temperature took a massive nosedive, and so would Sunny if he didn't find a warm place to stay.
He went into the nearest house, only to find the place empty of everything. Sunny darted towards the next house. Also full of nothing. Sunny could feel the cold get to him, if he didnt act quickly, it'd be his last.
Sunny bolted towards the house on the other side of the street. Inside was everything he needed, plus more. A stocked kitchen, a bed, a living room, but most importantly, a fireplace. Sunny bolted to the fireplace, putting his hands near it. For a little bit, he felt... at peace.
Said peace wouldnt last long though. After only a little bit, the fire went out, bringing the chill back to Sunny. Things would only get worse from there. Sunny heard a warped voice coming from around the corner.
"There you are, Sunny. Let's get you back home." Said a black void. Said void had the shape and voice of Mari, but both were warped. Sunny, upon seeing the abomination, fled the house. Sunny sprinted out the door, into the forest.
The void went into pursuit, quickly catching up to Sunny. "Why are you running away, Sunny? There's nothing to be afraid of." Bellowed from the void. Despite the chill and terror of the void, Sunny pressed on.
"Sunny, please stop running, I'm not trying to hurt you. It pains me to see you like this. I onlu want to help you." Echoed from the void. Sunny, distracted by the voids words, failed to dodge a branch, striking him in the face.
Sunny rolled for a little bit, before rolling face up. As Sunny was gathering himself, the void caught up to him. Sunny saw the void bend over, and met face to face. It's head was blank, much like the rest of it's body. "Why did you have to run, Sunny? Now, let's go back home." Rumbled from the void.
The words rippled through Sunny's body, making him feel powerless as the void was about to pick him up. "Sunny, Sunny, Sunny, Sun-
"-Ny! Sunny! Sunny, whats wrong!?" Mari said in a desperate tone. "You were whimpering so much, you woke me up. Tell me Sunny, what's wrong?" Sunny looks at Mari's face. She has a look of immense worrying, her voice on the verge of tears.
When Sunny stared into Mari's eyes, he could tell that a little bit of the old Mari was still there. Sunny's lips started to move. "I, I had a nightmare." Mari leaned in and gave Sunny a hug for the first time in a long time.
"Hush, Sunny. You're not in a nightmare anymore. It's all okay now. Hush, hush...
I'll make sure you won't get nightmares like this anymore."