Since they discovered that children have been disappearing after watching Amanda the Adventurer, Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama have forbidden me to watch the show. And yet I'm a fan!
I'm not an idiot. I know there's something wrong with Amanda the Adventurer. Amanda seems like a cheerful, full-of-life girl, but she addressed me directly during one episode and even responded to my answer, as if she could hear me! Her companion and best friend, a sheep named Wooly, is wise, shy, but sometimes seems terrified of Amanda. I can't explain why, but I feel Wooly is in danger.
I want to save him, so I'm going to defy the rules. I saw in the TV schedule that Amanda the Adventurer is also broadcast in the evening, from midnight onwards. It's very suspicious, but this is my chance to listen to the show on the sly.
Five minutes before midnight, I get up, leave my room and go into the living room to switch on the large television. I also turn the volume down to a minimum, so as not to wake anyone. I wait for Amanda the Adventurer to start, and the show begins at the stroke of midnight.
After the short opening song, the episode opens with Amanda and Wooly in a kitchen.
"Good evening, kids!" Amanda said with a smile. "Isn't it a little late to be in front of the TV? At two minutes past midnight!"
The episode is already off to a strange start. How can Amanda know that it's two minutes after midnight?
"Amanda." Wooly said nervously. "Does it matter?"
"No, not at all!" Amanda replies, still happy. "Now, children, we're going to bake a pie. I love apple pie."
"I'm allergic to apples." Wooly said sadly.
"I didn't ask your opinion." Amanda suddenly says grimly.
Wooly is startled. He says his favorite pie is peach, probably to calm Amanda, but she becomes even more sinister.
"Shut up!" She tells him.
Amanda's eyes seem to pop out of her sockets and her body stretches. I don't like this. I've got to help Wooly. I walk over to the TV screen and put my hand on it.
Suddenly, everything turns white and I find myself on the show with Amanda and Wooly! My appearance has changed to resemble a character from the TV show.
"Good evening, kids!" Amanda said with a smile. "Isn't it a little late to be in front of the TV? At two minutes past midnight!"
"Amanda." Wooly said nervously. "Does it matter?"
They repeat the dialogues from the beginning. The episode has reset.
"No, not at all!" Amanda replies, still happy. "Now, children, we're going to bake a pie. I love apple pie."
"Me too." I say, to stop Wooly from saying he's allergic to apples.
"That's great! But... who are you?" Amanda asks confused.
I could either tell the truth and break the fourth wall or lie and pretend to be a new character on the show. The second option seemed the safest. I'll go for it.
“こんばんは,[1] I'm Yui Seirei. Your Japanese pen pal. Have you forgotten me, Amanda-chan?"
Amanda freezes. She seems unable to answer me. Wooly speaks up.
"Of course! Seirei-san! You started sending her letters last fall, remember?"
"Oh yes. Y...u...i-chan! I'm glad to see you!"
Apart from saying Yui's name in a creepy way, Amanda seems to be back to her normal self.
"Me too, Amanda-chan. Can I help you with the apple pie?"
"Of course, Yui-chan! We need a tool to get started. Do you know what it is?"
"A pie plate?"
"No. Try again."
"A measuring cup."
"No! Try again."
"Uh... a spoon?"
"NO!" Amanda yells.
Her happy face is now twisted with anger. Her eyes turn red and bright. This isn't good! I stand in front of Wooly to protect him.
"Uh, is that a knife?" Wooly asks in a whisper.
Amanda's face and eyes return to normal.
"Yes, a knife!" Amanda says.
A large knife appears on the small kitchen table. Amanda takes it in her hand and Wooly trembles. He's frightened.
"Amanda-chan," I said, "put down that knife, please."
"Why?"
"It's dangerous, you could hurt yourself."
"NO!" She shouts.
The kitchen begins to glitch. Under Wooly's terrified gaze, Amanda transforms. Her body lengthens, her eyes fall to the floor, her arms contort, her face turns red with rage.
« YoU hAve nO rIghT tO tEll mE wHat tO dO, Y…U…I-C…H…A…H! »
Wooly screams. The kitchen glitches more and more. I can feel the TV show coming to an abrupt end. I've got to do something!
"Stay behind me, Wooly-kun! SATURN CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!"
"wHo aRe yoU?"
"I am the Guardian of Silence, Destruction and Rebirth, Sailor Saturn! I'll ask you the same question. Who are you? You're not Amanda!"
"i aM A…A…AmAn…AmAndA!"
"No! I can feel it. You're an evil force, a demon! You're the one who made all those children disappear!"
"HA HA HA HA HA! YeeeEEEEssssSSSS!"
The demon explains that he is part of Amanda. He uses her to devour children and obtain their souls. Wooly, on the other hand, is a pathetic safety system. His existence serves only to keep Amanda happy to hold the demon inside her.
"N...no... That's not true!" Wooly retorted.
The demon laughs again. He tells the sheep he's telling the truth.
"Whatever!" I reply. "I'm going to destroy you."
The demon laughed again. While taking on his true appearance, making all traces of Amanda disappear, he explains that killing him would mean killing Amanda, which would kill the TV show Amanda the Adventurer, Wooly and myself.
"We'll see! SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!"
My attack pushes the demon back, knocking it to the ground. Under Wooly's shining eyes, I leap into the air and land on the gray demon's belly. The Silence Glaive’s blade is on his neck.
"Do you have any last words, demon?"
"fOol." He says. "yOu'lL kiLl uS aLl!"
"Farewell and be free Amanda-chan!"
I cut off the gray demon's head with the Silence Glaive’s blade. Everything turns white.
I find myself in the living room in front of the large television. The screen shows an image saying that Amanda the Adventurer has been canceled and no further episodes will be shown. Still transformed, I become Hotaru again. I turn off the television and return to my room. I don't know what happened to Amanda and Wooly. I wanted to save the sheep. I saved him, in a way, but... he's... I cover my eyes with my hands and start to cry.
"Hey!" A voice suddenly said. "Why are you crying?"
I take my hands away from my eyes and see Wooly sitting on my bed. Wooly the sheep, alive and well.
"Wooly-kun!" I said, jumping into his wool.
He hugs me.
"I'm pleased to see you, Seirei-san, or should I call you Sailor Saturn?"
"That’s... My name is Hotaru Tomoe."
"It's very wrong to lie."
"I know. I'm so sorry. Where's Amanda?"
"I don't know. I think she's gone where people go when they die."
"Then we should say a prayer for her. What do you think?"
We pray that Amanda will rest in peace. Suddenly, my bedroom door swings open. Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama enter my room. They are shocked to see Wooly-kun.
"Good evening." Said the intelligent sheep. "I can explain everything."
He tells them the whole story. Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama are furious that I disobeyed them. At the same time, they're happy that I'm back, safe, and that the demon possessing Amanda is no more. Thus Amanda the Adventurer ends.
[1] Good evening.