>>7101At last, Pooh returned with her prize. In the girl's grip was a popgun, the wooden exterior somewhat battered and faded in spots. The brown stock and grip showed signs of wear, chipped woodwork and some details long since lost to time, while the silvery paint of the barrel had dulled to a scratched grey, the sheen gone. Despite the seemingly poor condition of the exterior, a firm rubber cork plugged the muzzle, ready to be fired. Pooh straightened herself up and went to open her door, but she paused for a moment and set Piglett on the bed carefully.
"I-it might be dangerous out there, Piglett." she told the stuffed toy. "You better stay here where it's safe. I... I'll be back once that mean... Sk-Skullasaurus is gone." She turned her gaze to the mirror once more, the reflected doppelganger holding its own weapon. "Y-you stay and protect Piglett." The reflection saluted her and rested the popgun on her shoulder as she started to keep watch.
Pooh's resolve waivered as she thought of the dangers that might lurk just outside her door, but her mind was made up, and much like when it came to honey, when Pooh set her mind to helping a friend, she stuck to it. Taking a shaky breath, Pooh-chan blew out the lantern, not wanting the light to warn the beast of her approach, and carefully opened her bedroom door. An icy wind blew through as Pooh did her best to silently close the door behind her, both to protect the safe haven of her room, and so that the Skullasaurus would not notice she had come out. She trembled as she clutched her popgun in both hands, ready to use it as she surveyed the front room.
The front door of the house lay ajar, allowing the winds to whisper through into the home, unknown words warning of unknowable horrors to poor Pooh's tormented mind. A flash of blue-white outside blasted through the window, lighting the hall, and glistening on the floor was a set of messy, sticky-looking tracks, misshapen and lumbering as they trailed from the door into the heart of their house. Pooh swallowed shakily as she headed further on, hearing something... inhuman, somewhere further inside. It sounded like dripping, but the drops seemed to rustle and pop as they hit. Then a rubbery squeak, followed by more rustling. Perplexed and anxious, Pooh peered around the corner, following the tracks to the kitchen area.
Hunched over in the middle of the kitchen was a strange figure, formless in shape as it slumped in the shade of the night, yet in the slithers of lightning flashes, Pooh-Chan could just about make out the slick, damp flesh. She gritted her teeth and swallowed silently, taking aim at the creature's back as unseen limbs toyed with something behind its bulky form. The sound of liquid dripping once again sounded, but Pooh-Chan's ears did not register it, her heart pounding in her chest as she shakily slid the popgun in preparation.
"L-leave... leave our house, m-monster!" She cried out, thrusting the barrel of the popgun back against the stock, launching the rubber cork from the barrel with a rush of air.
"Ow!"
The Skullasaurus yelped, having turned at the shout only to take the cork to the forehead. The hit stunned it, causing it to tumble over on its backside, it's 'flesh' splitting as it went with its head flipping back. Pooh-Chan stared as her eyes adjusted to the dark, and realised the thing she had shot was not a big, hideous monster, but her housemate.
"Chr-Christopher?" she squeaked in shock, before hearing a growl again. She yelped, dropping the popgun in fright and scrambling round behind Christopher. "O-oh bother, it's still out there!"
"Pooh-Chan?" Christopher Robin frowned, pulling himself up and glancing back over his shoulder to the cowering girl. "What are you doing up this late?"
"H-h-how can I sleep when th-there's a hungry Skullasaurus about?!" Pooh replied frantically. The deep rumbling growl came again, making her reflexively tense and grip onto Christopher. "C-can't you hear it?"
Christopher Robin blinked, dumbfounded by the remark, but in a moment he let out a soft snort and chuckled. Pooh was surprised and confused by this reaction, and her grip instinctively eased.
"Oh, Pooh..." he said, holding her shoulders softly and looking her in the eye with a gentle look. "There's no such thing as a Skullasaurus." he laughed. "That's the sound of a rumbly tummy of one very hungry girl." He replied, giving her tummy a soft poke.
Pooh-Chan, surprised by the comment. As Christopher backed off to light a lantern, she thoughtlessly gripped the hem of her nightie and lifted it up, leaning her back so that her round middle stuck out further for her ease. In the faint lamp light, she saw her stomach tremble softly, another growl coming out, ending with a gurgily "Pop!". She pouted softly.
"Oh, tummy!" she said grumpily. "You scared me!"
Christopher Robin chuckled again, having moved to take off his muddy boots and rain-soaked poncho. He closed the door and cleaned the messy tracks he had left when he returned from emptying a pot. Now Pooh-Chan's view was not blocked by the darkness or Christopher's form, she could see a pot gathering water from a leak in the roof, a tarpauline set underneath, explaining the strange, ecclectic sounds she had been hearing. She lowered her nightgown as Christopher returned to her, taking her hand kindly.
"Come on," he said kindly, taking his panicked friend to the table and sitting her down.
After a little coaxing, Pooh-Chan explained what had happened while Christopher stood at the stove, warming some milk for them both. As Pooh-Chan finished her little tale, he brought over a mug of warm milk for each of them, and a few cookies for them to share, just to help sate Pooh's hungry tummy.
"So, you were trying to save me from the monster," he smiled, sipping his milk. Pooh-Chan blushed, toying with a lock of her golden hair.
"W-well, of course," she replied. "I mean, friends have to look out for one another."
"Well, that was very brave," Christopher smiled kindly, ruffling her hair in a fraternal gesture. Pooh-Chan smiled, feeling a swelling of pride. "But try not to shoot me next time."
Pooh-Chan giggled, sipping her milk and munching on a couple of cookies. By the time she was finished, her belly was full, warm and happy from the milk and cookies. Her eyelids started growing heavy as sleep started to take hold of her. By then, the storm had eased to only a gentle pattering against the glass panes of the window. Christopher smiled as he took Pooh by the hand and led her back to bed, settling her in the soft warmth of her solitude. She cuddled up with Piglett as Christopher pulled the duvet up over her form, tucking her in.
"Goodnight, Pooh-Chan," he said softly as she closed her eyes, steady breaths filling the room as a sweet slumber took over. "Sweet dreams."
And despite the terror of that stormy summer night, Pooh-Chan enjoyed a very restful sleep, feeling proud that, even in the face of great fear, she had shown bravery, all in the name of helping a friend.