●Minight Castle●

     Sparkles flew in from all open spaces in the castle. Windows, open doors, and cracks in the roof. The silver sparks materialized into the form of a lithe, young woman. Pluto dusted herself off and sighed. Another unsuccessful hunt. The Beast was too elusive, as he always slipped through their fingers.

     She decided to continue her day. Heading to her library, she grabbed a handful of her favourite books and put them in a bag. Pulling on a pair of silver sandals, Pluto walked out the door and down the path towards Starlight Castle. She walked through the lush greenery of the forest. It was much less haunting in the light of dawn. She turned down the path to the town.

     Pluto bade the townspeople a good morning and hurried on her way. At the Starlight Castle, she clutched her precious luggage and stepped through the doors. A small group of children sat on a plush carpet. Pluto sat on a chair, and pulling out one of her books, she began to read to them.

     After reading to the children of the town, Pluto decided to visit Flare. She and Flare had always had a special connection, probably due to their quiet personalities and shared love of all things books. She grabbed her bag, dropping it off at her castle before starting towards the Dawn Castle.

     Flare's castle was in a large clearing a few minutes away from Pluto's own. It was clean and bright, with bookshelves lining the interior. She didn't bother knocking. Flare was sitting in her main library, reading a book. Big surprise. She smiled when she saw me.

     "Pluto! This is a surprise!" She exclaimed. "Hey Flare, let's eat lunch. I'm hungry." Pluto nagged her. "Okay, okay. I'm going!" She groaned, jokingly. Together, they headed towards the kitchen.

     The girls made some sandwiches and took a few apples with them and carried it all outside. After our late lunch, we basked in the afternoon sunlight that filtered through the trees. Pluto bade Flare farewell, and started home to her own castle.

     Back at Midnight Castle, Pluto decided to do some painting. Heading to the solarium, she set up her eisel near the large window. She painted the beautiful horizon and the sun just beginning to set.

     After a delicious dinner, Pluto decided it was time for bed. She had been out late trying to capture the Beast.

     The girl slipped into the silk nightclothes, brushed her teeth, then climbed under the plush sheets of the canopy bed. Sleep came easily.

     The silvery white glow of the moon lit the cool air, silent, till a piercing scream shattered it.

     Pluto shot up in bed, her ears ringing. "The Beast!"