Aerie's Mom closed the picture book she was holding and placed it on the nightstand before leaning in to drop a kiss on Aerie's forehead.

"Mommy's going to turn off the light, okay, honey?"

"Wait, Mommy, can you check undur the bed to make sure der are no mossters?"

"Alright, honey," Mom said with a chuckle, and hunched over, pretending to actually look under the bed. "All clear, you're safe and sound. Do you want one of your dolls to sleep with you?"

Aerie gripped the edge of the covers under her chin and haltingly shook her head, blinking her large round eyes. "No, Aerie's a bik gurl now. I'm five whole years old now, so I'm gon' sleep by myshelf."

"Ohh my baby's all grown up now, isn't she?" Mom cooed while sweeping Aerie's bangs to the side and kissing her nose. "Okay, then, sweet dreams, honey. Goodnight~" With that, she switched off the lamp on the nightstand and left the room, quietly shutting the door with a creak.

A minute of silence passed, before the covers rustled and Aerie sat up in bed, reaching out with her small hand to switch the lamp back on.

"I ammost fogot to say gunnight to evwybody," she mumbled and climbed out of bed, making sure to step as far away as she could from the darkness beneath her bed.  She shuffled to the corner of her room where her toys lined the shelves and adorned the top of her trunk of prized possessions. She reached out for her newest toy, the tie-dye patterned inflatable palm tree she had received that day for her fifth birthday, but halted and retracted her hand.

"Oldess ones furst. Gotta show reshpekt," she nodded to herself solemnly and turned to pick up her first favorite toy, the cushion shaped like a steamed bun that she had had since she was a baby.

"Gunnight, Shoommiee," Aerie murmured and planted a kiss on the smiling mouth stitched on the front.

She searched and found the Bambi doll on another shelf, giving it a kiss on the nose. "Gunnight, Luhaen."

Next to it, she picked up a pirate alpaca doll, but frowned. "Where's your shungasses? Oh, dey fell off. Here you go," she said, as she retrieved the sunglasses from the floor and balanced them on the doll's muzzle, kissing it afterwards. "Gunnight, Krissie."

Aerie almost grabbed the Kung Fu Panda Po stuffed doll next to the alpaca doll, but remembered that next was supposed to be her angel doll.  She spotted the white dress and glittering wings on top of the trunk and pulled it up to leave a kiss on the wired halo. "Der you are. Gunnight, Shuoh. Watch over evwybody ann me, pwease, okay?"

Her unicorn doll sat next to her angel doll, so she leaned over and kissed the golden spiralled horn. "You, too, Laycorn. Gunnight."

Aerie then moved to a shelf where three Beanie babies were piled up on each other.  She pulled out the one on the bottom, a beagle Beanie baby, and pecked it on its nose. "Gunnight, Bacon."

Next to be kissed was a camel Beanie baby. "Gunnight, Chennie."

"And gunnight, Chayull. Don' be too loud wit Bacon, okay?" she cautioned, after planting a kiss on a giraffe Beanie baby. "Deeoh will be watching you."

Aerie grabbed a round owl stuffed animal, kissed its beak, and placed it next to the Beanie babies, having it face them. "Gunnight, Deeoh."

"Okay, back to Tao. Gunnight~," she sang and smooched the kung fu panda doll before replacing it next to the alpaca doll.

Aerie reached down to pick up her Ken barbie doll dressed up in a tutu and placed a smack on its small face. "Gunnight, Kayeee."

"Whew, finelly. Shehun, thank you fer waiting. Gunnight," she said, as she hugged the tall inflatable palm tree leaning in the corner and kissed the lone coconut-shaped protusion near the top.

"All done. Time to sleep now," Aerie mumbled through a yawn and climbed back into bed, momentarily forgetting about her fear of the monsters under her bed.  She turned off the lamp and snuggled under her covers with a contented sigh. "I.. luv.. y-...."

The silent room soon filled with the soft breathing sounds of Aerie's sleeping figure, and after a while, the whole house was plunged into darkness with only the moonlight to stream in through the windows.