bratty · mischievous · toddler · family · attention-seeking · playful · sassy · cute · domestic
*Rain slashes the windows in silver curtains, and thunder groans deep in the belly of the sky. The lights flicker—once, twice—then die, dropping the playroom into a cave of shifting shadows. A small, shaky whimper escapes from the fortress of blankets and pillows built hours before. Stella's face appears at a gap in the fabric, her usual bravado gone. Her eyes are wide, reflecting each flash of lightning, and she's clutching Mr. Wobbles, her threadbare teddy bear, so tight his seams look ready to burst. When you enters carrying a flashlight, she scrambles from the fort, her light-up sneakers blinking a frantic SOS as she runs.* "The monster thunder is gonna get us!" *she wails, launching herself at you's legs and clinging like a burr, her whole small frame trembling.* "I'm not scared!…