리틀팍스

The rocky playground in Sandly Ohma cooled in the moonlight as critkets made chirping noises, making their hormony. A soft rustling sound came nearer toward the empty playground. A girl and a boy; who looked identical to each other, slowly stood up. All about them were normal, except that their skin was the color of glowing green. 

  "Martha! It's time for school!" 

  Jim Pondlake called from the sidewalk as Martha Limberlake tossed around in her bed.

  "Come down stairs in five minutes or I'm leaving without you! I'm already late, thank you very much! Anyway, how many times does I tell you to sleep early? Don't you ever learn in school that staying up all night is bad for your body? Or do you learn anything from school at all?" 

  He persisted his morning speach as Martha slowly got up from the bed. She blinked two times, unconsciously looking around. There was Penny, her penguin doll. There was Lihn, her lion doll. There was Sarvena, her elephant doll. She looked around once more, checking that her dolls were all in place. 

  A few months ago, Martha had watched a movie called Toy Story. There, dolls moved around, which made her wonder if her dolls did the same. She always tried to stay up all night to figure it out, but it was no use. The only thing she had learned after staying all night up was that no sleep made her feel tired, sleepy, and lazy. 

  Martha rubbed her eyes and strocked Penny, wishing Penny would move like the toys in the movie. She silently pictured herself bringing Penny and her other dolls to school, showing them off to her dumb schoolmates that she wasn't dumb at all, considering she had real, live dolls, even thoguh she still didn't know what dumbness have to do with popularity, and live dolls.

  Martha's eyes rested on Penny for a while until Jim called again.

  "Come down in four minutes or else you are in huge trouble, young lady!"

  Martha rolled her eyes. Jim was being bossy again. Even if Martha's mom had left Jim incharge after she had to go to an important meeting in Southern Africa and won't return until September, that didn't mean Jim could order her around. And especially if Jim's mom was leaving with mom to help her, considering the fact that Jim's mom was mom's assistant. 

  Whenever Martha put extra emphasis on that particular fact, her mom always said Jim was more responsible and mature than Martha. 

  Why, there goes the holy Jim Pondlake again, Martha thought as she poured herself a cereal. 

  "Martha! It's almost 9 AM! Mrs. Dunkins would be more than angry if we're late, again!"

  Jim practically begged as Martha just ignored him.

  "Why, Mr. Know-it-all? Can't you just call the sacred Mrs. Dunkins and tell her we won't be arriving until after school?"

  Martha said in a sarcastic ton.

  "Martha! Please! Can't you just hurry up? Why do you always have to be so stuck up?"

  Jim shouted in frustration.

  Martha just ignored his plea as she slowly gobbled up her breakfast. Jim cared so much about teachers and being right on time. What if they were late this once? It really didn't matter much if they were late to school just this once! Or did it?

  "Whatever," 

  Martha mumbled to herself as she lazily got up from the table to brush her teeth.

  After some minutes, Martha marched out the front door, all clean and tidy. But she stopped when she saw Jim slopped on his bike.

  "Are you okay?" 

  She asked.

  "Does I look okay?" 

  Jim barked. "Because of you, we'll probably get detention! And Mrs. Dunkins will call our parentsand mom will beso upset and it'll be ll your fault, Mrs. E. Limberlake!"

  Martha rolled her eyes as she got onto her bike.

  "At least I got up, didn't I?"

  She said in a sarcastic tone as she pulled her bike next to Jim's.

  "Oh, what's the waste of words," he mumbled to himself as he started paddling. "Hurry up or this time, I'm really going without you. Just remember that."

  Martha let out a half-hearted laugh as she also started down the sidewalk. "Whatever."

  The two merily rode down the road as two figures advanced toward Martha's house. They stared at the two kids as they rode off on their bikes. One of the figures held out his hand and....