I had to have a lumbar puncture. It is a common medical test but it hurt me a lot. The pain, the pain, oh, my god...I even hardly move my head. Turn left or turn right would hurt badly, extremely.

I just laid still on my back, like I had been a dead body. Everytime I spot mom, tears run out. I was a brave boy I didn't want to cry. I yelled at mom, "go!" But the move of my mouth gave me more pain.

Mom stood up and backed off step by step. But as soon as I found out mom was no longer in sight, I cried, "No!"

Mom stepped forward immediately. She held my hand, caressed my face, kissed my forehead. I didn't want to be a brave boy any more. It hurt, I need mom stay with me.

Second by second, life didn't like speedup. He tortured me happily. But mom's voice went with the pain. I finally fell asleep.

When I woke up at dusk, I felt better. Mom and papa sat on the edge of my bed. One is on my left, one is on my right. I could spot them both without moving my head.

I asked for a story and papa decided read Charlie's Monsters for me. It's the first book of Nightmare Academy Series. And it's also the first time papa read in English with mom.

I thought Nightmare Academy is about nightmare, but it begins with a lonely boy only 13, named Charlie Benjamin. He goes to school by himself in his home just like me. But he is lonely and his parents are not like my parents.

"It's an uncertain world, I can protect you in here, but once you step outside..." Charlie's mom always tells him that. So Charlie stays home.

"Always?" I asked. I felt sorry for the boy. My mom never told me that. In fact, mom always told me to go outside and make friends with other kids. "If you want to play with others, just step up and ask." mom always says.

"Yes, always for sometime. But not from beginning to end." papa answered.

They read on. Mom read Charlie's mom's words and papa read Charlie's papa's and Charlie's words. For the aside, they took turns. I listened carefully and asked many questions. We discussed almost everything. Then I suddenly felt papa was a bit strange. He often coughed when he read aside. Everytime papa coughed, mom took her turn continue reading, then papa stopped coughing and blinked at me.

"Flu?" I asked when papa coughed again.

"No." mom giggled and papa coughed more loudly.

Story goes on. Charlie gets an invitation to a sleepover party from another kids who lived just down the street.

"Can he go?" I asked before Charlie told his parents.

"Yes, but something bad would happen." papa tole me but the answer made me nervous.

Then I hear about Charlie's nightmare. Charlie often has nightmare and he always destroies everything around him. All the kids are afraid of Charlie. Charlie went to nursery school at 3 but he got kicked out of every school. When he was 6 years old, he got kicked out of primary school. Then his mom decided to teach him in home herself.

It's really about nightmare. It's Charlie's nightmare. It's so unfair. I hope I could be a friend of Charlie.

I hear papa cough again. "Why keep coughing?" I asked. Mom giggled again and took her turn. "No, papa goes on." It's papa's turn to read aside, I don't want mom took papa's words. "Okey, okey." papa just said ok but didn't read on. "What on earth are you doing?" I asked. Then I saw papa point at the book to mom, "honey, I don't know this word."

"You what?" I was shock, papa didn't know the word.

"I am not good in English, you know." papa said. No, I don't konw, I thought papa should know everything and should be good in everything. "Sorry to disappoint you." papa sign. Ok, I don't know every word neither.

"Skip it." I suggested. I always ignore the word I don't know.

Papa read on. He didn't cough any more but sometimes he would pause for one or two seconds, hesitated. "Don't know?" I always asked. "Don't know." papa admitted and mom giggled.

Something bad really happened on the party. When the kids were all sleep, they were all suspended from the ceiling, wrapped tightly in cocoons except Charlie. Charlie said he saw a giant spider but no one believe him, even his mother. And all the kids hate him. No more friends any more.

I sighed. I knew why Charlie was sure he was the loneliest kid on planet Earth.

I want to listen more but it's time for bed and my parents's no was final. When kissing goodnight I said, "Good night, Mr Tickle. Good night Miss Giggles." Papa and mom laugh loudly but not me. Even Laugh hurt me a lot, you know, it's good make fun another day.