Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Homeless… Oh… I have heard of that. “You don’t have a house?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I haven’t for a long time. I couldn’t afford one. They call us unhoused when they want to be politically correct. I guess it sounds kinder. It doesn’t change the fact that I don’t have a place to sleep of my own.”
I scoop her off the bed and cradle her against me. “You will never be unhoused again, Little one. You will always have a soft bed to sleep in when we get to Eleadia.”
She snuggles into me and smiles. “I like that idea.”
I carry her into the kitchen and turn the water on over the basin.
“That’s a huge sink,” she muses.
“It’s a basin. Every home in Eleadia has one. It’s for bathing Little girls.” I nuzzle her nose, making her giggle.
She twists to look at the rising water. “You’re going to put me in that giant sink?”
“Yep. I’m also going to wash you. You’re going to sit like a good girl while Papi gives you a bath. That’s how it will always be. I will never leave you unattended in the basin. It’s too far off the floor.”
Her eyes go wide. “It is very high. How tall are you?”
“Seven foot six.”
“Wow. That’s so tall. I’m only five feet tall. You’re a giant.”
I chuckle. “I’m pretty big compared to you, Little one.” I turn around so she can see the living room. “Notice how large the furniture is?”
She nods. “Is your furniture like that at home, too? I’ll never be able to climb onto it.”
I smile and tap her pretty nose. “It is that big at home, and you will not climb on it. Hard rule. You’ll only be on the couch or chairs if Papi lifts you up to sit with me. Otherwise, you will stay on the floor.”
Her brow scrunches. “That’s kind of weird, Papi.”
“Only by human standards. I’ll warn you Papis are nervous beings. We worry about our Little girls day and night. There will be many rules. Most of them are meant to keep you safe. It would give Papi a heart attack if anything happened to you.”
“You can’t keep me from tripping and falling, Papi. Sometimes people have accidents.”
“I will do my best to ensure there are no accidents. No running in the house. You will rarely be unsupervised. When I need to leave you alone in a room for a few minutes, I will put you in your playpen where you can entertain yourself safely. No standing or climbing out of the playpen.”
“Playpen?” Her pretty brown eyes are mesmerizing.
“Yep. I’ll fill it with all kinds of fun things for you to do.” I lower her into the water.
She sighs as it swirls around her. “It feels so good, Papi. Why does the water feel different?”
“We bring it from our planet.”
She gasps. “You bring your own water?”
“Yes. Our water doesn’t have the impurities water on Earth has. We don’t have the kinds of toxins on Eleadia that are found on Earth. Not only will your skin and hair feel healthier, but your digestive system will be in much better shape within the next few hours.”
“If I drink it?”
“You already did drink it, Little one. I fed you a bottle while you were sleeping.”
Damn her eyes are pretty when they go wide. They make my heart skip a beat every time. “You fed me a bottle? Like a baby bottle?”
I pick up a cup to pour water over her head. “Yes, Little one. You’ll get all your nutrition from formula for a long time. It’s specially created to avoid any allergies. When I start introducing you to other foods, I’ll do so slowly to ensure you aren’t allergic to anything.”
“I’m not allergic to anything, Papi.”
“You don’t know that, Little one. You’ve never had any of the foods we have on Eleadia.” I set my hand between her shoulder blades. “Lean back for me, Baby girl, and close your eyes.”
She does as instructed, squeezing her eyes closed tight while I pour water over her hair.
“You have different foods?” she asks while I gently rub soap into her hair.
“Totally different. We don’t have any of the same plants.”
“What about hamburgers. Do you have those? And pizza? Do you have pizza?” she asks excitedly.
I chuckle. “We don’t have either. We don’t eat any animals. We don’t kill them or capture them for any reason. Not even to keep as pets. We let them live harmoniously in their natural environments.”
She jerks her head toward me. “No meat?”
“Nope.”
She pushes out her bottom lip in a pout. “Poop.”
It’s hard not to laugh. She’s so stinking adorable. I’m feeling luckier by the minute.
She rubs her eyes. “Soap is getting in my eyes.”
“It shouldn’t burn, Little one. It’s very mild.” I tip her head back. “Let me see your eyes, Janelle.”