That is classic 9-year-old logic—the "not a nap" nap is a staple of sick days! And he is absolutely right; sometimes waking up with a stuffy nose makes you feel more "blah" than you did before you closed your eyes.
Since he's resting and multitasking with his thoughts, here is a story just for Evan, featuring a familiar friend.
The Day the glitch Came to Leechburg
The gray, freezing rain hammered against the living room window, but inside, Evan’s battle was heating up. He wasn't taking a nap, he told himself, he was just... resting his eyes between rounds. The sniffles had definitely slowed his reaction time in Rhythm Track, and DOORS was just too intense for a scratchy throat.
He closed his eyes, just for a second.
When he opened them, the living room looked... wrong. It was still his house in Leechburg, but everything had a strange, blocky, 8-bit texture. The books on the shelf were pixelated squares, and the grilled cheese sandwich on his plate looked like a low-resolution graphic from 2011.
"What in the Roblox is going on?" Evan whispered, his voice sounding oddly digitized.
Suddenly, a loud "Psst!" echoed from the corner of the room. But it wasn't Screech. Standing next to the window, looking more realistic and terrifying than any Roblox entity, was the Demogorgon, its flower-petal face clicking open.
Evan froze. He didn't have his phone to call for help, and his laser-tag skills wouldn't work on a pixelated monster.
"Thump-whoosh!" With a burst of speed that defied the laws of physics, a blur of orange, black, and white fur launched itself directly at the Demogorgon’s head. It was Dusty! But she wasn't just a cat anymore. She was glowing with a strange, pixelated energy, and every time she "chased" the monster, a satisfying "DING!" sound effect rang through the room.
Dusty was glitching! She was using her "wait, watch, and launch" routine to knock the pixels right off the Demogorgon. The monster clicked in frustration, trying to swat the super-powered cat, but Dusty was too fast. She landed on its back, creating a shower of sparkling code.
The Demogorgon let out a digitized roar and dissolved into a cloud of ones and zeros.
"Dusty, you did it!" Evan cheered.
"Meow-ack!" Dusty chattered, landing perfectly on the 8-bit grilled cheese plate and looking very proud.
Suddenly, the gray light from the window started to flicker. The pixelated books began to smooth out, and the digitized dinging sound faded into the rhythmic thump-whoosh of the freezing rain outside.
Evan blinked and rubbed his eyes. The Demogorgon was gone. Dusty was back to being a normal cat, currently statue-still on the windowsill, staring intensely at a Black-capped Chickadee that had just landed on the feeder.
He wasn't sure if he’d had a "not a nap" dream, but he felt a little less stuffy, and a lot braver. If Dusty could take on the Upside Down, he could definitely conquer Door 50... as soon as his nose stopped running.
What does he think, Lauralee? Did Dusty the Glitch-Cat save the day, or was it all just the grilled cheese talking?
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