Hello again. Today has been very emotional.

Things started earlier than normal. Long before the sun crested the horizon, and the earliest birds left their nests. It was in these gloomy hours of midnight that I made a terrible mistake.

I had been locked into a deep and thankfully dreamless slumber. Brought about from my exhaustion when the fuse was lit.

The hat woke up. With an earsplitting crack yet another bolt of lightning jolted me from the smothering embrace of sleep.

Ripping the gentle covers of unconciousness from my mind, and plunging me into a strobing world of blinding light and deafening sound. My weary thoughts shook and blurred as reality fought with the ephemeral mists of blissful nothingness.

The hat was awake, and it was angry. Well, two can play at that game.

It took about a minute for my emotions to move from confusion, into exhaustion. From there they swung past depressed and bounced over irritated into complete fury.

I reached up and ripped the hat from my head. I gripped the understandibly angered headgear in my fists and glared at it. Flames gushed from my body encasing us in a swirling cocoon of crimson glory! My eyes ached as Fury etched its cruel wishes into my exhausted mind. My flames collapsed and condensed into my eyes. Purple light blazed from my gaze and this violent violet bathed the suddenly very still hat.

I had no words, for words cannot express the animalistic and feral rage I was feeling. So I Roared. I bellowed and raged at the poor piece of hattery and it trembled before me.

Finally my breathe and rage died. Leaving my mouth and mind full of bitter ash. My eyes still ache and itch. What did I do?

I replaced the hat on my head and went back to sleep.

It did not disturb my rest again that night.

I was too tired to look or notice but I wonder if I woke Julius, Lena and Onica with my outburst? Everyone was very subdued today. Julius barely burned anything, Lena didn't go diving in the small steams we passed for new frogs and turtles, and Onica was always on guard and highstrung.

If I scared them then I must reflect upon my actions. The very last thing I want is to frighten my friends, and have them leave me all alone again. I have grown used to their company and I would miss them dearly if they left. All the more so if they left because they feared me.

I do not know if I could survive such an event.

I think it is best to lay fears to rest as openly as possible. To face them boldy and openly. So I approached the three of them and asked for theeir forgiveness for my actions. No excuses, no pleading. Just a straightforward acknowledgement of my wrongs, and a request to put them behind us as well as understanding if that proved impossible.

Julius gave a refined nose wiggle, and with a single dignified hop he plopped into my lap. Allowing me to pet his soft anf fluffy fur. I will take that as a very graceful acceptance of my apologies. I am very grateful he did not hold the outburst against me.

Lena teared up a little and crashed into my gut before giving my ribs a crushing hug. She is getting stronger huh? She was crying and sniffling into my shirt when she was talking. But I think she said she never wanted to see me so angry ever again. That I was her dumb big bro and all I had to do was be my bumbling foolish self so she could save me from myself. I guess I really freaked her out and scared her. I have never felt so ashamed.

Until later that is.

Onica gave me a measuring glare. She then simply nodded and murmured her acceptance. Onica is kind of cool isn't she? Rarely ruffled and always ready. I am glad Lena got such a reliable big sis.

Then I lifted the hat from my head and asked forgiveness for my crimes against it. Not only had I imprisoned it for nearly a week in a small box, but I had even threatened its life. Sure it had been shocking me. But for all it knew I was its imprisoner and intended it harm. For all the annoyance its shocks brought me I had never once felt any sense of maliciousness or desire to cause me harm. Just outrage and a good bit of fear. Understandable enough emotions all things considered.

I have done both it and my friends wrong. It can clearly think and feel. It is as much a person as I am. So I apologized to it. I expressed my embarassment and sorrow for how I had treated it so far. Locking it up, and nearly destroying it when it tried to defend itself from what must have clearly looked like an enemy. I had been impatient, unfeeling, and sadly negligent of its wellbeing. And so I was sorry. I offered to protect it should it stay, and to aide it should it desire to leave. I would take it anywhere it wished to be released and free it.

Silence followed my words. Then a quiet sob rode the still air of the forest clearing we had paused in for me to apologize to my companions. The hat wailed and sobbed. It had the voice of a young child.

What had I done? Imprisoning and torturing a young being. I am the lowest sort of scum.

That was the most ashamed I have ever felt

Never again will I let another beings form influence whether or not it has value.

The hat sniffled and sobbed all day. Its brim soggy with tears(?) as its feathers quivered.

Now it is night. The stars shine overhead, as I look at them I wonder if any of them are alive too?

I will talk with the hat tomorrow. Hopefully I can make things right. If it demands its freedom I will let it go happily. Maybe even give it some tinglewood to aid its travels. I feel it is the least I can do.

Goodnight.