Today was the day. Today, Jericho was going to make everything better, and everyone was going to be happy, especially the little girl. He stepped out of the alleyway, looking around. Down the street, he could see the little girl's school. He made his way down the sidewalk, crossing the street properly, and then stopping at the front steps of the school. He waited all day, till finally, the bell rang and the students bursted out the front doors. Jericho hid behind a trash can, waiting for Sally to come out.

Sally came down the steps, followed by a few other popular girls. They all seemed to have the same pompous attitude and way of walking. Jericho didn't like it, but he started to follow them, being sneaky when the need arised. Finally, one by one, each girl went their seperate ways, leaving only Sally. He continued to follow, all the way back to her house. It was a fancy house, and Jericho seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the pretty colors. This time, Sally's red hair looked grey compared to her world. It was actually a bit sad.

But he didn't have time for this. He needed to find a way inside and a place to hide until night time. He waited outside behind a bush next to her front steps. It was hours before Sally came back out, this time accompanied by her purebred dog, Mr. Squiggles.

They passed by the bush, the dog seemingly unaware of Jericho hiding behind them. Once they were out of sight, Jericho dashed up the steps and through the doggy door, bolting to the first place to hide he could find. It happened to be behind coat rack. It didn't do a very good job of hiding him, and he could hear footsteps coming, made louder by the hardwood floor. He climbed up the coat rack and hung from one of the hangers, concealing himself amongst the very expensive looking coats. The footsteps went right by him and out the door. He could hear the sounds of a car turning on and then pulling out.

Jericho jumped down, feeling safe at last. He knew what he had to do, grim though it may have been. He explored the house, searching for the kitchen. Sally's parents must have been very wealthy, as everything looked very expensive. He went through a large living room with lots of soft looking furniture. If this were the little girl's house, he might have felt inclined to make himself at home. But it wasn't her house, it was Sally's. Just thinking about that girl made Jericho so mad. He could hardly think straight.

Finally, his feet brought him to the kitchen. His mind cleared up, his hatred pushed back by the new feelings of accomplishment as he climbed up the side of the cabinets, pulling himself up onto the counter. He looked around. A big counter for a big kitchen. Sink, towels, bread box, and... the knife rack! Yes, this was his goal! He padded over, searching amongst the knives, till he found a big rectangular one with a hole in it. This was perfect. The little girl was going to be so happy with her present.

Jericho threw the cleaver onto the floor and jumped down. It was a bit heavy, but he managed to drag it with him while he looked for a better hiding place. Finally he found one: under Sally's bed.

A few hours passed, during which Sally returned, her parents coming home shortly after. He waited and waited, until finally Sally went to bed. Jericho breathed out in relief, moving out of his hiding place and looking around. He hadn't taken a very good look at her room until now. Though it was a bit dark, her room's bright colors still vibrated in the moonlight that came through her large window. The moon was full tonight, and the light it cast felt funny on Jericho's emotionless face. He looked up at it, gazing in wonder. The moon was always a mystery to him. It seemed so pretty, and so far away. Something unreachable, untouchable, and innocent. A slight pain in his stitches brought Jericho back from daydreaming. He dragged the cleaver out the door.

He headed for the kitchen, looking for Mr. Squiggles. When he reached the kitchen, he found the dog lying asleep on the floor next to his food bowl. Now that Jericho had a clear look at it, he realized that this was a very ugly dog... and fat... Why was Sally so proud of this ugly dog? It mattered not to Jericho, for he had already raised the cleaver high above his head. His arms trembled under its weight, and he couldnt hold it up any longer. Without emotion, with only the burning want and desire to make the little girl happy, he brought the blade down fast and hard.

The little girl had once told Jericho that sharing was important, and that fighting over a cookie can be solved by breaking it in half, so thats essentially what he had done. All he had to do now as get the other half to the little girl. Now Jericho didn't know much about morals, or the difference between right and wrong. But he did believe that sharing was the solution to the little girl's sorrow. He walked back to his alley in the dark of night, with the little girl's present in his arms. When he finally returned home, he put her present in a small box he found amongst the garbage of the alleyway. He closed the lid, put it aside, and crawled back into his own little box, falling asleep.

The next day, the little girl walked by the alley like she usually did. But as expected, her usual smile had been turned into a frown. She was still sad. This made Jericho very happy, because it was his chance to cheer her up. He did everything right, followed all the rules and did a good thing for somebody. He was sure that he was going to be loved forever after this! The little girl gave Jericho a hug and told him about her day. She said that Sally didn't show up for school that day. Jericho knew why. He wanted to say something. He wanted to say something to her that he had thought about saying long ago.

He strained, trying as hard as he could do open his mouth. The stitches dug into his skin as he teared up from the pain. Finally, he ripped open his mouth, the stitches popping here and there, causing a bit of blood to flow. Jericho didn't care. Jericho knew what he had to do. He coughed out dust and dirt, trapped in there long ago. Taking a deep breath, he forced out his words, sounding like a very small child, yet somewhat aged.

"I-I-I... L-Luuh.. Looove... I-I l-love y-y-you"

The little girl laughed, hugging Jericho as tight as possible.

"I love you too Mr. Bunny!" The little girl held Jericho for a long time, rubbing behind his ears occasionally. Now was the time. Jericho knew it, he felt it. He pushed off her some.

"Whats wrong Mr. Bunny?"

Jericho padded over to the present, picking it up and handing it to her. "O-open... h-h-hooome"

"A present for me? Thank you so much Mr. Bunny!" The little girl reached down to lift the lid, but Jericho stopped her first.

"Open h-home"

The little girl looked a bit puzzled, but finally she understood.

"Alright Mr. Bunny! I'll open it at home! In fact, I'll rush home right now just to open it!" She gave Jericho one last hug. "I'll always love you Jericho! No matter what! I'll see you tomorrow ok!" With that, she gave him a little kiss on the cheek, and walked off.

"B-bye!"

Days passed... then weeks... then months.... But Jericho never saw the little girl again. The rainy days returned, seasons came and went, and every day Jericho would sit at the entrance to the alley, and wait for the little girl... But she never came..... Jericho felt sad. The stiches had somehow grown back, as if they were a part of him. He couldnt talk anymore, nor did he want to. He felt like falling asleep forever, but everytime he fell asleep, he would keep waking up the next morning to the same rainy day, over and over again. His eyes watered, his chest hurt, and he lowered his head, looking at the ground beneath him. Why did the world hate him? He did nothing wrong.... Yet the world punished him. If only she would come back... If only... if only it would stop raining....Poor Jericho...

The End

original story idea and thumbnail pic by  lvhaseo

story and jericho character by me