The date is 2280, and the world is very different. Virtual reality has replaced much of the actual world, and many of the planet's inhebitants are no longer even made of flesh and blood. But children are still children... they still crave new toys and games... they still deceive their parents... and they can still be very cruel. In a future where not everything is as it seems, the wish of parents to see their child do well in the world is still real enough. But pain and torture continue to transcend a virtual existance, and death is still the inevitable end. This is one of a series of ten short stories by the same author, loosely themed as tales of 'cute little animal horror'.