Mum and Dad were being overprotective.

Super overprotective.

Had been so since the 'concert' that his brother had taken him to last month.

And whilst it was kind of nice that his Mum and Dad were trying to be around more, all the 'hovering' was getting to be pretty annoying.

Because he did not need an escort to school, or to the library or to the swimming pool that was finally back open. He was 12 - not a baby - and he was used to going to those places by himself.

Tonight, however he had to himself, because both Mum and Dad had to do work things that they couldn't get out of, even though both had told him more than once that they'd tried to and he'd heard his Dad talking to someone on the phone about someone else covering.

It was a relief having the house to himself and Briar had ended up downstairs with a few library books as he sat on a chair by one of the windows that looked out street-side. A plate of cookies that he'd managed to rustle up perched on the window sill along with a glass of milk.

It was quiet without his parents about, but Briar was kind of used to the quiet. Because when his Mum and Dad weren't doing the super overprotective thing he tended to be alone at home a lot.

Both his Mum and Dad worked jobs that seemed to involve super long hours and his brother was still away at college, although he thought he'd heard Mum say something about it being only for one more year or something.

He munched on a cookie, chocolate chip - his favourite. It would be nice to see his big brother more, because his big brother was awesome and took him to fun places like the water park.

Okay so he had also taken him to the concert, which was not awesome, but Briar could forgive him for that - after all his brother didn't know about the creepy fog or that there was going to be a monster there.

Maybe he would avoid concerts next time, because even without the monster there had been too many people there for his liking. Waaay too many people.

The man with the wing thingies had been nice though.

He ate another cookie, dunking it into the glass of milk in between bites, waiting until he had finished it before reaching for one of the library books - a choose your own adventure type.

He wasn't sure what make him to glance outside at that precise moment, but a flash of movement from the sidewalk caught his attention, the library book momentarily forgotten.

There was another flash of movement and then another, something seemingly up outside.

Briar grabbed the last cookie and headed upstairs so he could prop open the window in the drying room enough to slip out.

There was something happening and it called for investigation. Investigation of the Oort sort.

-- 498 words --