The young redhead girl was sitting rather dejectedly, with her arms folded defiantly across her chest. Her father had condemned her to her room yet again for disobeying him. The door opened, and her father came in, "What am I going to do with you?" he asked. She simply pouted some more.
He sighs, and sits down on the bed next to her. "Katie, I'm not mad at you. I promise. But you cannot just go wondering off into the woods like that, ok?" She turns to him, still stubborn. "But you let Michael go off with his friends!" she says in a pout. He looks at her kindly and says, "That's because he's thirteen and goes out with his friends." She continues to pout, "But I'm almost ten daddy, I'm old enough that I don't need you or mom to go with me!". He sighs again, "Sweetie, you know that I worry, and that I know that you think you can handle it." He hugs her to him before continuing. "But you're my little girl, " he says with a smile, "and no matter how old you get, or how strong you get, that'll never change." He straightens up, and says, "But that doesn't mean that you can go into the woods without an adult missy! You're to stay here until you are called for dinner." Kat starts to object, but he cuts her off, "No buts! You knew that you were not allowed outside the house, so this punishment is to remind you of that."
The next day, Kat went up to her brother after breakfast. "Are you and your friends going to the woods after school today?" She asks with earnest eyes. He looks at her with a look of annoyance and asks, "Why do you care?" She says, "I want to go with you guys! daddy won't let me go out alone, and he's always too busy to go out with me!" He gives her a little shove as he brushes past, "No Katie, you're not going with us into the woods!" She tags along after him and whines, "Why not? I'll be good, I won't get in the way, I promise!" He responds by slamming the front door on his way out, and Kat tries to hold back tears.
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