" Please stop crying" she thought to herself. Her baby brother never cried this much. Even after her mother held him, then set him back into his crib. Standing the the door way she could see the frustrations on her mothers face. She nearly jumped at the sight of her young daughter. "Go back to bed Amalia", "but I want to help". "I know baby, your brother is just going to have to cry it out, I've done all I can". Walking out the door her mom grabbed her shoulder and gently guided her back to her room. Lifting her up and cradling her ever so gently before laying her back into her bed.

"I need you to stay in bed this time, ok sweetie?" "What about daddy? can he stop Billy's crying?" "Hopefully by the time your father gets home your brother will be fast asleep." She got a kiss on her forehead and her mother's hand caressed her head as her fingers ran through her raven black hair. "Try and go to sleep this time, I'll shut your door, that should help with your brother's crying". His cries grew louder, even as her mom shut the door. She tossed and turned in her bed, but nothing dulled the noise of his cries. Even the pillow covering her face, his cries reached her ears ever louder. Louder and louder like a possessed being, or torture, or perhaps he enjoyed crying. A swift look at the clock read 9:02pm, her father wouldn't be home for several hours yet.

She had enough, his cries had to stop. She resigned to do whatever it took to help him sleep, and in doing so she could go to sleep as well. Crawling out of bed and creeping along the floor so as to not make any noise and gently opening the door. Although with the sound of her brother's cries she probably could have stomped around and still been silent as a mouse. "Please stop brother, I love you and I want to help". That did no good, his cries grew louder as if he had a volume knob and someone had just turned it all the way up. Her hand caressed his face and he became quieter, but did not stop. In the darkness lite only with the light of a full moon, her finger fell into his mouth and he immediately became silent and began to suck on it. "You're hungry aren't you? I'll get you a bottle". She pulled her finger out and his cries began again.

She put her finger back in and he fell silent once more. "This tickles" she said with a giggle her brother's face formed a giggle, but no sound. "I'll get you a bottle, but you have to promise to be quiet, ok?" She looked around the room for something to replace her finger, as his tiny hands grasped hers. There on the night stand, just out of reach, a note pad with a pen. She could almost reach it, but she would need to pull her finger out and hear her brother cry once more. She resolved to do it, it would only take a second. Her tiny hands reached for the pen, so close, but not close enough. Pulling her hand away from his face she at last grasped the pen and swiftly brought it around to her brother's crying mouth.

"Now I'll be right back ok?" Her hand caressed his face and then she kissed his forehead. He moved a little, seemingly enjoying the pen as if is where a bottle. She took one last look and crept out the door, and headed to the stairs. The carpeted stairs where easy enough to be silent on, the hardwood would be another matter. "Ok, don't wake mom up" she thought to herself. Step by silent step, creeping along the floor as if she was in the wrong house. Finally getting to the kitchen she looked around the room for a bottle. Luckily there was one in the dishwasher, grabbing it and moved to the fridge. "Milk, milk, milk" she mouthed ever so quietly. The cap to the bottle she set on the floor and grabbed the quart of milk, filled up the bottle and put it back. Screwing the cap on she realized the milk was still cold. "hopefully you don't mind". Creeping back along the floor her foot found a creaky board and she immediately froze in place. Waiting to see if her mom would wake up, "I will be in a lot of trouble". A few moments and everything was still silent. Moving swiftly she found the stairs again and crept back to her brothers room. "I know you like it warm, but I don't want to wake mom up, so you will have to drink this cold, Ok?"

Reaching for the pen in his mouth, but it wasn't there. Panicking she felt around his head and found the pen, "I thought you ate this" wagging it as if he had done something wrong. She placed the nipple of the bottle into his mouth and let go, the bottle fell. Something was wrong, she felt it. The pen had a cap that was no longer there. "Don't tell me you ate it, please don't". Her tiny hands franticly searched around the crib for the cap, but to no avail. Feeling his face she put a finger in his mouth, and there at the back of his throat, the cap. Trying the best she could to pull it free, but it wouldn't budge. Panic once again began to take over her mind, until she had an idea. she pushed the pen into his mouth hoping she could pull the cap out with it. She only accomplished pushing it further down his throat. She tried her best to remain calm, but her face became flush and she started to sweat. She couldn't pull it out, "a knife, I guess I'll have to cut it out".

Creeping back down the stairs past the creaky floor and into the kitchen. Moving around looking once more in the dishwasher, no knife there. Looking up she spotted the knife block, moved over to it and reached as best she could and pulled one out. Back in her brother's room creeping over to his crib, "this is going to hurt, but I have to get that out of your mouth". She gently slide the knife edge across his throat, only a single drop of blood, and no cries. She did it again this time pressing down a little harder, more blood, no cries. She felt his throat, it was slick with blood, but no hole yet. Again and again her tiny hands pulled the knife across her baby brothers throat, until at last a hole big enough for her fingers. Putting a finger into his throat hole that was already filling up with blood, up and down but no pen cap. Feeling around she began to sweat again, pushing up just a little more she found it. One finger in his mouth the other is his throat, she would need to pry it out. after much grunting through gritted teeth the cap finally came free and she breathed a sigh of relief. " Glad that is over, goodnight brother". Not understanding what she had just done, thinking she helped, moved back to the kitchen to replace the knife. The floor board creaked and she froze again. This time she wasn't met with silence but a light turning on and her mothers voice.

"What are you doing, and why do you have a bloody knife?" "Billy wanted a bottle, and I got him one.." Her mother looked around the room before she raced up the stairs, Amalia following quickly behind. "I gave him a pen and the cap got stuck", her mother froze as she flipped on her son's room light. "Am I in trouble mom?" The scream from her mothers mouth was far louder than her brother's at the beginning to the night. "No, no, no no!" she moved over to the crib and picked up her baby boy. Tears ran down her face as she collapsed to the floor. "Am I in trouble mom?" She glared at her young daughter, tear filled eyes full of pain now. "To. Your. Room. Now!" With her head down she moved to her room, after closing the door, all she could hear was her mothers cries. Before climbing into bed she took a look at the clock it read 10:23 pm. She tossed and turned, covered her head with a pillow, her mother's cries persisted, just like her brother's earlier in the night. Taking another look at the clock 10:55 pm, still clutching the knife she moved back to her brothers room and her wailing mother. "Can I help mom?" She was fully collapsed now, with her back to the door, cradling her infant son. "I told you to go you your room, now go!" The little girl's heart sank in her chest, looking down she had an Idea. "This helped Billy, maybe it will help you too mom. The young girl moved swiftly across the room and pulled the knife across her mom's throat. Remembering how much effort it took on her brother's throat she pulled as hard as she could and blood shot from her mom's throat.

"See mom, now you are not crying anymore". The baby's body fell to the floor and the mom turned around wearing freight on her face. One hand around her neck and reaching for Amalia, the little girl began to back away, fear creeping into her mind. "Please mom, I just wanted to help". She struggled as long as she could until her body went limp like her brother's. Headlights poured in through the window. She rushed down stairs to meet her father at the door. "Daddy, daddy" "Hey baby, why are you up so late?" he picked her up as she began bawling. "Billy wouldn't go to sleep so I got him a bottle, and and and, I wanted to help mom" "Shh, its okay, How did you want to help?" She pulled the knife across his throat as well.