My eyes shot open as soon as I heard the screams. What…? What was going on…? I am still so sleepy. Isn’t it too early to be up?
“…Mom? Is that you?” I called out drowsily as I sat up in my bed.
The room was still so dark, only my unicorn lamp glowed lightly in the dark.
“It’s still not morning time,” I grumbled as I kicked off my sheets and got down trying to find out what woke me. I walked towards the window and peered outside; everything was covered in snow.
“Snow?” I felt confused. Mrs. Alex from science class said it’s supposed to be summer. Does it snow in summer? That can’t be right.
“I’ll ask Dad. He’ll know.” I decided firmly.
“But what was that noise…?” I was deep in thought trying to figure it out when I heard it once again, the shrill scream.
It sounded like, “Emma!”
Throwing open the door I ran across the corridor towards her room almost tripping over the rug outside the door. It sounded like she was in pain!
“Emma!” I cried out once again as I threw open the door. It was so dark inside, like in those scary ghost movies that Mom and Dad watch but I was the older sister, I’m supposed to be brave and take care of Emma.
So, I slowly inched inside, it was quiet now. It felt scarier now, in the quiet.
“Emma? Emma…” I called out. It was so quiet. I was starting to feel scared now. Was it a prank? But Emma never played with me.
“…Emma? Are you ok? Can you please turn on the lights? Please?” I whispered. Nothing. I wanted Mom and Dad! Swallowing my fear, I felt for the table where I knew there was a lamp.
Click.
The lamp turned on. I felt confused. Emma was right there, on the bed. But why was she sitting like that? And why didn’t she turn on the lamp if she was right there? She could hear me!
I was starting to feel angry now. Was she playing a game with me?
“Emma! Why were you screaming? You woke me up!” I yelled at her, but she didn’t pay any attention to me. She was just sitting there in that weird way, looking down at her bed with her hair all over her face.
“Emma, are you ok?” I asked again.
She didn’t reply. Now, I felt very angry. I stomped towards her and climbed her bed, crawling towards her I shook her shoulder.
“Emma?”
Her hand quickly grabbed my arm tightly and held me in place.
“Emma, stop! You are hurting me!” I cried out as I tried to get away from her. That’s when she started growling, like some animal.
“YOU! YOU TOOK IT!” She growled and looked at me, her eyes looked weird. Like some wild animals.
“Took what?! Emma, stop! You are scaring me!” I started crying now. Why was she doing this?
“MR. BUNNY! WHERE IS HE?!” She yelled at me.
“I don’t have him! I promise! I didn’t see your stupid toy!”
“ARRRRRGGGHHH! GIVE HIM BACK! YOU BITCH!”
She didn’t even sound like Emma anymore. She threw me down and started hitting me!
“Stop! Stop! MOM! DAD!”
I was crying loudly and yelling for help when I felt her bite me?! Sobbing loudly, I tried pushing her off me. Everything was hurting now.
“Emma! Grace! What are you both doing?!”
“Mom. Dad.” I thought, relieved.
“Emma! Get off of her!” Dad yelled as he pulled Emma off of me.
“My God, Grace!” Mom cried out as she dragged me away from Emma.
“Mommy, it hurts!” I cried.
“Don’t worry. I have you.” Mom whispered over and over again as she helped me stand up.
“Emma, what’s wrong with you?!” Dad was yelling at Emma, but she just kept growling and saying, “Give it back.”
Mom and Dad looked sick when she said that, but why?
What was going on?
Mom gingerly pulled me out of the room saying that Dad will handle Emma. I looked back before I left the room, Emma was still staring at me weirdly and I knew. I knew.
If Mom and Dad hadn’t come fast enough, she would have killed me.
…
I sniffled, trying not to cry as Mom bandaged me up.
“Mom, why did Emma do that? What’s wrong with her?” I asked but she did not reply and went to peer out the window.
“The storm is getting worse.” She whispered.
“…and stay there!” I heard my father yell as he came down the stairs.
“John, what happened?” Mom asked as she looked at him.
“Emma is taking some time to think over her actions.” He replied grimly and went to look outside the window too.
“It’s still snowing?” He asked incredulously.
“Yes,” Mom replied irritatedly.
“Don’t worry, it’ll stop in a while.” Dad consoled her.
“I don’t know what to do John.” She gasped and broke down suddenly.
“Hey, hey, hey. It’s alright…”
Expecting to not get an explanation any time soon, I walked out as Dad and Mom continued to talk in hushed voices. I wandered towards the hall and sat on the couch facing the window. It was completely covered in snow by now and the wind went whoosh whoo whoosh outside.
We were supposed to go play outside today but Emma as usual had ruined it. I looked over at the clock, it was 8:00 am. I felt hungry. I decided to go ask Mom for breakfast and about Emma. Leaping off the couch I started towards the kitchen when I saw the door to Mom and Dad’s room creak open slowly.
Was someone in there?
Uneasy, I looked towards the kitchen. Should I call out for them? No! I am not a baby. I can take care of myself. They must have left some window open or something. Feeling brave I slowly made my way toward their room and gently pushed open the door.
There was nothing.
I giggled quietly; I was freaking myself out for no reason. But how had the door opened on its own? I wandered into the room feeling curious, it was empty. I went over to the window and found out that it was shut.
Feeling puzzled, I was busy trying to understand how the door could have opened on its own when I heard the sounds of footsteps behind me. Startled, I turned around, there was nothing.
I quickly made my way toward the door when I felt something tug on my pyjamas. I stifled a shriek and looked behind me. No one was there.
Now, shivering I started walking towards the door again, only to find it shut.
The lights flickered and then turned off. I started sobbing.
“Mom! Dad! Can you hear me?!” I yelled. I cried harder when I heard no answer.
Sniff. Sniff.
I heard a noise right behind me, as though someone or something was sniffing me. A hot puff of air blew over my hair.
Someone was breathing over me. I wasn’t alone in the room.
“Please. Please open the door. I won’t tell anyone. Promise.” I cried.
The breathing grew louder. That’s when I felt a wetness over my head. My hair scrunched up and dripped. I gingerly felt my hair, it was matted and wet. Something licked me. I screamed and ran towards the door, but something caught my foot, I tried to pull my leg away but it wasn’t letting go. I yelled and tried to push the thing away with my hand, it was rough and scaly, but it started to dig into my leg.
“MOM! DAD!”
The lights flickered on suddenly, I didn’t want to turn around. I didn’t want to look. If I looked at it, it would become real. But I was curious. I could hear it breathing, right behind me, my hair moving with its every puff.
I whimpered and turned around. My scream caught in my throat…
…
“Mom! What does this word mean?” I asked as I was reading a storybook.
“Which word?”
“This one!” I pointed it out to her.
“Petrified. Hmm, it means to be scared so much that you cannot move.” She replied.
“Oooh like those times when you watch a scary movie?”
“Not really, those times we are only scared or spooked. Petrified is when you feel much more scared than that.” She laughed.
“Ok, so it means to be suuuupeeer scared?”
“Yes.”
…
… I was petrified.
It was so close. I shook as I moved back slowly. It sat back on its legs like a big dog, watching me. I don’t know what it was. It was huge and scaly with thick fur in places. It stank so bad, like garbage. Its face was like one of those ugly statues mom had – gargoyle she called it – with deep yellow eyes. I screamed as it leaped towards me, pushing aside things with its tail, and crouched down to look at me.
Evil, its eyes looked evil. It yanked on my hair painfully with its clawed hands and held out something with its other hand, Mr. Bunny.
RETURN IT
It spoke and I stared at it dumbly.
RETURN IT
It repeated, pulling my hair harder and my eyes watered in pain. I stuttered out a reply and it threw me away. I yelped, hitting my head on the door, and got up gingerly. My leg was bleeding where the thing held me.
I looked at where it was, only Mr. Bunny lay there, watching me.
That thing was Mr. Bunny?!
I wanted to leave it and run away but I knew it would kill me if I did that. It was watching me. I could feel it. Shivering I went to Mr. Bunny and picked it up.
It grinned!
All sharp teeth, dripping and coated with something disgusting. Its eyes glittered red and the claws on its paws were sharp, pricking me as it gently held my face.
HELLO GRACE
Its voice was not a bunny’s voice.
My friend Jamie next door once told me how he saw a snake in his backyard once and was so scared that he wanted to pee, I had laughed at him and told him that was not possible but right now, I knew he wasn’t lying.
There are scary things out there.
TAKE ME BACK GRACE
Its claws started hurting my face now. Crying I nodded and held it away as it let go and tried opening the door again.
It opened.
I held it gingerly and walked out.
…
“Emma, dear, you cannot keep doing this.” My mom was gently talking to Emma as she sat at the table with Dad watching them both.
“It’s not healthy Emma, the way you are attached to Mr. Bunny,” Dad spoke.
Emma didn’t pay any attention to them. She just kept staring at the table. I hid behind the couch and cleaned myself up, if mom and Dad saw me like this they’ll know something was wrong. I avoided looking at Mr. Bunny knowing that he was still grinning at me and crept my way toward Emma.
“That’s odd, no one is answering the phone at the reception,” Dad muttered as he squinted at his phone.
“Maybe the storm messed with the reception?” Mom suggested.
“Don’t know…” He replied distractedly and continued to dial.
“Oh, there you are Grace. Sit down dear and I’ll get you some food.” My mom called out and got up to get me something to eat.
I hid Mr. Bunny behind me and slid into the chair next to Emma and looked at her. She looked awful like she hadn’t slept in days. But I felt angry at her too! Why would she have this thing? And where did she even find it?!
“Emma, Emma!” I hissed quickly before Mom saw me.
She looked at me blankly.
“What?” She asked dully.
“Here,” I muttered and quickly gave Mr. Bunny to her. I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t want to hurt anymore. I knew I was the big sister, and I was supposed to take care of her, but I am scared.
Emma looked at it in shock, didn’t she want it?
“Emma. I saw it. I saw the thing. The ugly dog monster. Emma, you should get rid of it.” I whispered feeling scared.
“Gracie. I have tried to get rid of it.” She whispered as she clutched Mr. Bunny even closer.
“Then why do you still have it?” I asked, feeling confused.
“Because every time I send it away… people die.”
I stared at her, feeling shocked.
“Gracie… Gracie?”
“Uh… yea?”
“Gracie… what did you mean by dog monster?”
“The thing that’s in Mr. Bunny.”
“Gracie no…” She started sobbing softly.
“What? Emma, what do you mean? Why are you crying?”
“Gracie… the one in Mr. Bunny is not a dog… he is worse… he has horns.”
My body felt cold… petrified.
There were two of them.
I heard a hoarse laugh; Emma and I looked down at Mr. Bunny, he turned and grinned with a mouth full of sharp and bloody teeth.
The lights flickered and turned off.
His eyes glowed red menacingly.
