Goodbye, Pumpkin.

“But Daddy!” She whined exhausted and upset “ I'm not sleepy”.

“It’s way past your bedtime honey” I said standing up to turn the Television off.

“No no dad I'm much more mature now daddy, my bed time should be later!’ She responded rubbing her heavy blue eyes.

“Lilith, you’re five!”

“and a half!” she exclaimed half heartedly.

“We will talk about it in the morning, Pumpkin”. I let out a slight groan as I picked up my daughter's petite body off the couch.

She wrapped her arms around me nuzzling her nose into the crease of my neck and mumbling an incoherent argument muffled by my shirt.

We shuffled down the hallway, the floorboards moaned underneath us creaking with each step we took towards Lilith's Bedroom. The house hushed aside from the faint sound of Lilith's delicate breaths.The silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

We approached the slightly ajar door, the door was painted every shade of blue we could find in the store. She was convinced that blue was her new favourite colour in the entire world. The month before it was Pink.

Painting my daughters room a new colour every few months isn't exactly the cheapest hobby in the world. Lilith better pick a favourite colour and soon.

I nudged the door open using my free hand, we sauntered into the dark, stuffed animals silhouettes added a certain creepy possessed element to her room when the lights where off but for the most part “Mr. BoBinky” and company helped me convince my daughter to sleep almost every night. So I wasn’t complaining. I could hear Lilith awakening from her light power nap as she began to squirm and groan shielding her eyes from the bright hallway light behind me crossing the room to get to the bed.

“C’mon love, hop into bed”

Surprisingly she obeyed and crawled underneath the covers laying on her back, only her head stuck out of the warm blankets. In proportion to the bed her head and body were far too small for the sea of blankets that surrounded her.

Lilith was four years old but she was so little you wouldn't have been able to guess her age.

I was about to say my goodnights to her when she interrupted me before I even began to speak.

“Daddy I’m scared” she stifled a giggle knowing that I wouldn't take her serious.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in response. Lilith was the most fearless child I had ever met. Nothing ever scared her for any reason, the girl was too curious for her own good. However at this point she would resort to anything to prolong her time for staying awake.

I pushed a blonde curl out of her eyes and kissed her on the forehead. “Good night, Pumpkin”I whispered as I stood up and turned to walk out the door.

“Daddy, it’s the wolf.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. My heart skipped a beat as I spun around on the balls of my feet.

“Honey..what wolf?:”

“You know what wolf.”

I remember the day he took her. I remember finding her, it was early dawn, the round full moon had just escaped from its usual spot in the sky. She laid there, stunning blue eyes just like Lilith’s wide-open frozen in just one moment before she died. She looked an angel soaked in red.

The cuts around her face and even her mangled body couldn't stop her that her last moments from looking calm and happy as she always was.

He took her from me, and I couldn't stop him.

The hardest part was having to explain to your four year old daughter that mommy would be able to come home. Lilith never really understood, but she knew that mommy was in a better place and that she would look over us.

I had never thought it would come to this. To him taking her from my arms. He was just so vicious, so animalistic.

I couldn't stop the wolf.

I blinked back to reality and look down at my daughter's well acted scared face. “Sweetie Wolf won't hurt any of us dad is taking care of him. Now please sweetie get some sleep, pumpkin.

She let out a large sigh finally gave in “all right daddy”.

“Good night, Pumpkin”.

I walked out of her room pulling the door closed behind me. She never really went to sleep, but I knew I had a half an hour nap time before she would “wake up” and tell me she was thirsty.

I pushed my bedroom door open, the cool breeze of the summer wind hit my face.

My window was wide open the curtains danced in the soft wind. I Heaved a sigh. Lilith must've tried to cool the house down even though we had the air conditioning on.

I walked across the cold floor and put my hands on the window beginning to close

them.

An excruciating pain shot up my arm.

No it couldn't be.

The worst cramps I had ever had set in on my biceps. My arms twisted. I felt my ankles popping. It came on so suddenly. I dropped to my knees, looking through my bedroom window, I saw the full moon. Fur began to sprout from my neck as my muscles stretched and grew. My teeth grew from my mouth as my clothes began to rip from the size of my rapidly growing body.

I heard a little voice behind me. “Daddy?”

My voice dropped deep and I let out with a growl of pain “Goodbye, Pumpkin”

And then the wolf came.