021-[action] Merry Christmas....?

[friendly_ghosts]

[Residents and neighbors of 502 Ricardo street can feel free to notice that a little girl has been waiting out on the lawn since yesterday. She's clutching a teddy bear and watching the snow fall sadly. What's she waiting for? Maybe you should ask her. But you might want to tell her to get inside before she freezes to death. Sometimes she talks to

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[strike_you_out]

[Coming up along the sidewalk is a lone boy of about twelve. His cap has a dusting of snow on it and is pulled down to obscure his eyes. Slugger sometimes comes this way just to glare in the windows of this particular house. (He doesn't know which window is Pokey's so he has to glare in all of them.) Of course, he notices the little girl standing out front right away.

Judging by her size, she can't be very old. He wonders if this is the girl Pokey accused him of killing. If not then why would she be standing in the yard staring up at the house?

Slugger pauses to peer at the house, trying to see what she could be looking at. He'll stay on the sidewalk because if Pokey is in the house and happens to catch Slugger within ten feet of this girl, a war might break out.]

...

[friendly_ghosts]

[She notices him, and tries a shy half-smile.]

Hello..... Are you friends with Pokey too?

[strike_you_out]

[Not seeing anything peculiar going on with the house, Slugger's gaze settles on the girl. What? Friends?]

No.

[Pfha! What sort of question is that? Well, there's one thing he can gather from it: this must be the seven-year-old Pokey was flipping out over. Slugger peers up into the windows once more for good measure.]

You're looking for him?

[friendly_ghosts]

[She gives him a curious glance, not sure what to make of this boy..]

I'm waiting for him. We promised to spend Christmas together.

[strike_you_out]

[Interesting...]

I think he was looking for you.

[friendly_ghosts]

Really? Then... he wasn't mad at me?

[strike_you_out]

[Slugger shakes his head.]

He was mad at me because he thought I did something to you. He came after me...

[Looking toward the big ruts in the snow in the neighboring Smiths' front yard. It looks like something huge with many legs was chasing after something small and shoeless.]