“Kids! Get out quickly! The fire is spreading!” Mrs. Jane looked scared as she rushed everyone out. But I didn’t want to leave, I couldn’t leave because if I left… then HE will keep following me. I was SO stupid! Mommy always said not to pick up someone else’s things, but I didn’t mean to! I… I…I just wanted to see what it was but then it started speaking, and it was so cool! My own talking bunny! I was so excited, I wanted to show it to everyone, but HE stopped me… said “They will be jealous and take me away.” So, I kept quiet and acted like everything was normal. I didn’t even tell Gracie and we share everything. “What’s your name?” I asked. “Call me… Mr. Bunny” HE replied with a too-sharp smile. We were the best of friends. But then HE became weird, he wanted me to do stuff… bad stuff… evil stuff. HE wanted me to hurt others, my friends, teachers, family… Gracie. HE said, “They all want to take me away from you and it will be fun, just do it once Emma. Once.” HE used to whisper throughout the night. “Let me in Emma, you can sleep. I’ll do it. We can play together. Just let me in.” I stopped sleeping after that. I tried to get rid of it so many times, but it keeps coming back! Finally, one day I got angry and threw it into our fireplace. I stood there for hours watching it burn. Mom came down and asked what I was doing, I just told her I was feeling cold. HE did not come back after that. I was so happy; everything was normal but then I saw Mr. Bunny sitting in my room again. HE was smiling weirdly at me. Hopping off the chair HE came towards me and whispered, “That was mean Emma. Maybe I should go to Mommy and Daddy, tell them… no, SHOW them how mean you were to me.” His claws looked sharper. “No, please, I’ll not do it again.” HE just smiled. Then the school burned. I promised to never get rid of Mr. Bunny again. ...
The candles burned dimly, their pale yellow glow danced across fearful faces.
Gracie and I just sat there, scared. Mom and Dad were arguing, their voices getting louder and louder each moment. We were all scared.
“Anne! It’s been hours and this storm isn’t letting up. We need to leave. Now.” Dad yelled as he gestured to the windows that were covered in snow.
“John! You’re being ridiculous! How can we drive in this weather? It’s not safe.” She pleaded.
“So, you just want to wait here? At least let’s try going down the trail to the reception. Surely, we can find some help there.” He begged.
“John… it’s a twenty-minute walk. You’ll freeze.” She replied, her voice faltering. She was going to give in, we could see that.
“Alright, I’ll try to do my best to make it there and if it’s too cold, I’ll return at once.” He said as he pulled on his thickest coats and layered them.
“John… what if you get lost?” Mom whispered as she walked towards him, looking close to tears.
“Hey, hey, hey. Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it. We’ll be out of here soon enough.” He said cheerfully and waved at all of us and left, taking the only flashlight with him.
The door shut with a low thump behind him, leaving the rest of us in silence. Mom stood staring at the door for a while, looking lost.
“Alright girls let’s all go near the fireplace, it’s brighter there. Dad will be back in a little while.” She said, trying to be cheerful. She turned into the hallway and left.
“We have to tell her,” Grace whispered immediately, a determined look on her face.
“No! She’ll get mad at us!” I whispered back.
“Emma, no. This is scary. We don’t know what to do. We need help.”
“Gracie… no. You don’t understand. HE will get mad at us.”
“Who?”
ME
HE grinned at us, all sharp teeth, and ugly eyes.
Grace yelled and jumped back.
“No! No more! I am telling Mom!” She cried out and ran away.
“Grace! Stop!” I tried calling her, but it was too late.
YOU SHOULD HAVE STOPPED HER. REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENS EMMA?
Something weird started happening then… Mr. Bunny started falling apart. His body started shaking and tearing in a few places and exploding in some. White tufts of fuzz floated in the air as something started to grow out from the toy. Black, scaly, and tentacle-like objects grew out from it. Mr. Bunny laughed at my horrified face.
His eyes bulged out as it crawled about on its new legs.
I screamed in horror as HE moved towards me.
DON’T WORRY EMMA. I WON’T DO ANYTHING TO YOU. I’LL BE GOING TO PLAY WITH MOMMY AND GRACIE NOW.
“No! Please!” I yelled and tried to run after it, but the living door slammed shut, trapping me in.
“Please! Please! Don’t hurt them!” I cried out, sobbing in fear.
There was nothing but silence from the other side.
…
I stood there for a while, not knowing what to do when the door opened up all on its own with a soft creak. I crept out slowly because I knew this was a trap and this was what HE wanted me to do.
“Emma. Emma, this way!” I heard Gracie whisper from somewhere around me.
“Grace? Gracie?! Where are you?” I cried out, shivering from the sudden cold.
“In here. In here Emma.” The voice came again from upstairs now.
I hurried up the stairs, hoping to find Emma, but there was no one and I couldn’t see anything clearly. Even though the candles were lit, it was still too dark.
“Grace…? Are you here?” My voice shook as I called out for her once more.
“Here, Emma. Here.”
Her voice was coming from my room. I froze in fear, I did not want to go in there again, somehow, I knew Mr. Bunny, no… the thing in Mr. Bunny was trying to trap me there. But what if it really was Gracie and I wasn’t helping her?
Maybe she was trapped? Maybe she needed my help?
Fighting down my fear, I slowly crept forward toward my room and gingerly pushed the door open.
…
The room didn’t have much light, just the pale glow from the candle. I looked around for Grace as I walked in, but no one was there when suddenly I heard a voice.
“Emma. Are you here for me Emma?”
I whirled around and saw her.
“No! No, no, no! Oh God! Gracie?!”
She wasn’t even conscious, her head lolling about her shoulder lifelessly as strings from a cloud of black smoke strings pierced through her skin and held her up in the air like a puppet. Her hair was a bloody mess, and her eyes were glued open as she stared at me. But her mouth, God, her mouth was bleeding so much. She was trying to say something, but she couldn’t speak.
She had no tongue.
“Emma…”
“Emma…”
EMMA! ANSWER US! SEE? GRACIE WILL ALWAYS PLAY WITH YOU NOW.
HE laughed and the strings piercing Grace shook her around, like a puppet. I just stood staring, horrified.
AWW, EMMA. DID WE SCARE YOU? BUT YOU LIKE PUPPETS AND PLAYING WITH GRACIE. YOU USED TO BE SO SAD WHEN SHE WOULDN’T PLAY WITH YOU. NOW SHE CAN ALWAYS PLAY WITH YOU. WELL, SHE CAN’T SPEAK, BUT SHE CAN PLAY.
I screamed as HE threw Gracie at me and jumped out of the way. Grace’s body hit the floor with a loud thump and lay there. I ran to her and tried to shake her, but I knew she wouldn’t wake up.
“Gracie…no, no, no. I’m so sorry.” I sobbed.
PLAY WITH HER! PLAY WITH HER! YOU ASKED FOR THIS!
“No! No! Please! I’m sorry! Please!” I pleaded with him as I tried to get to the door while dragging Gracie behind me. I just needed to find Mom; she’ll make all this go away.
PLAY WITH HER EMMA… OR WE CAN PLAY TOO
I stopped in shock, Gracie’s body slumped to the ground as she slipped from my fingers. I turned around slowly and peered into the dark. Mr. Bunny floated in the air, its body bulging as a black, clawed hand gripped it.
WANT TO PLAY EMMA?
A grotesque face peered down at me as the creature crouched in the dark. Its horns curved around its face. Its teeth stretched from ear to ear as though its face was slashed horizontally. It had no nose, just a pit gouged in the middle of its face.
The eyes burned red as it moved forwards, clacking sounds echoed in the room from its cloven feet as they hit the floor.
“…no …no” Was all I could whisper as it approached me.
WHY ARE YOU SCARED EMMA? WE PLAYED TOGETHER FOR SO LONG
I sobbed as its snake-like tongue licked my tears.
LET’S PLAY. MOMMY IS HERE TOO
A mangled and skinned body came crashing through the roof and fell on top of me. I was drenched in my mother’s blood and guts.
I couldn’t stop screaming.
