《The Festival of Ruina》


 Playground

    The trees buzzed with cicadas, their shrill melody drowning the laughter and wails below. Plastic playgrounds teemed with life, countless children playing in an endless haze of dirt and grime.


    You won¡¯t play with them? A woman¡¯s gentle voice echoed in her ears.


    Melissa blinked, taken away from her daydream. A twisted pine tree shielded her from the sun, its branches wrapped around her body like soft, supple fingers. The other students¡¯ screams grated against her ears.


    She held Teddy closer.


    But the weather is perfect, honey. The stuffed bear, who Melissa named Teddy, wiggled in her arms. Her voice was gentle, without a hint of judgment. Don¡¯t you want to play?


    Melissa watched a ladybug crawl into her tattered dress. The bear¡¯s white fur glimmered in the darkness, proof of the girl¡¯s immaculate care.


    She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯ll get dirty.¡±


    The girl admired Teddy¡¯s fluff, a nostalgic embrace, and nuzzled it in her arms. She didn¡¯t notice the clamor of voices approaching her, cawing laughter, the kick of a ball¡ª


    Her vision flashed black as something smacked her face. She sprawled to the ground, desperately holding Teddy above the dirt. A soccer ball rolled to a stop in front of her.


    Hoots of laughter rang in her ears. ¡°Goal!¡± a group of children jeered. They crowded around her as she stumbled to her feet. Her face stung. A hint of blood tickled the inside of her nose.


    Are you okay? Teddy flopped in her hand as the girl blinked the spots out of her vision. Melissa inspected Teddy¡¯s fur before nodding.


    ¡°You brought it again?¡± An older boy reached toward her. The children watched with stretched, vacant smiles as the girl shied away from his reach. Their grins overlapped with the screams of monkey bars, tag, hide-and-seek, drumming in her ears incessantly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch Teddy,¡± the girl mumbled. Most of the students circling her were older, though she recognized some of her classmates near the back, glancing at each other as if they shared an inside joke.


    ¡°Aww, what did Teddy say this time?¡± The older boy¡¯s tongue dripped with sympathy. ¡°Can I see Teddy for a second?¡±


    Melissa shuffled backwards as the circle of faces convulsed with smirks and giggles. ¡°What do I do?¡± She squeezed Teddy¡¯s hand as she shuffled backwards.


    They can¡¯t hurt me.


    ¡°...Really?¡± Melissa asked. She listened closely to the toy in her arms, but Teddy didn¡¯t respond again.


    The children covered their grins, bursting into whispers as Melissa quietly offered Teddy to the boy, who snatched it from her hands with vicious glee.


    Suddenly, the boy frowned. He put Teddy close to his ear. ¡°Wait, I can hear a voice. It¡¯s talking to me!¡±


    The children glanced at each other, uncertainty flickering in their eyes.


    Melissa revealed a tentative smile. ¡°Teddy spoke to you? That¡¯s great! What did she say?¡± Her smile creased nervously as the boy shoved her back to the ground. ¡°What did she say to convince you?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± the older boy drawled. His lips flicked into a grin. ¡°It said: ¡®I love eating dirt¡¯!¡± He flung Teddy into the air. The children laughed as Teddy arched into the sandbox with a dull thump.


    Melissa¡¯s smile crumpled.


    Across the playground, Teddy''s stitched grin stared back at her, stained forever.


    Melissa couldn¡¯t always hear Teddy¡¯s voice. Before her mother left, Teddy never spoke, so she had to use her imagination. Whenever she played pretend with Teddy, it only responded with silence and a fluff-stitched smile. No matter how lonely or sad Melissa was, Teddy was always happy, and that made her happy, too.


    Yet the girl¡¯s most blissful memories were still with her mother. The sweetness of her mother¡¯s skin, the softness and the way she hugged her tight, humming a lullaby Melissa couldn¡¯t yet understand¡ªthose were the moments she wished would never end.


    The day her mother disappeared, Teddy spoke for the first time. Melissa returned from school to an apartment that reeked of a familiar sweetness. Her father was drinking on the counter. Shattered bottles coated the floorboards. And warm, metallic crimson¡ªwhat kind of drink was that?


    Her mother ran away, he said. She ran away because she didn¡¯t love them, he said. Then, he corrected himself: Because she didn¡¯t love her. Because mommy and daddy still loved each other so much; the little brat was the reason why she left them behind.


    Melissa didn¡¯t believe it. Why did her mother hug her like that, sing her to sleep every night, just to leave her? Because she didn¡¯t love her anymore? Melissa couldn¡¯t understand.


    Her mother never came home again.


    That night, Teddy comforted her. Melissa still remembered Teddy¡¯s first words:


    Don¡¯t cry, honey. I¡¯m here, so don¡¯t cry.


    Teddy was always there to comfort her, and her mother became a distant, painful memory.


    Now Teddy was stained forever.


    The fight was a haze. Melissa vaguely felt her body crushed, fists and nails gouging into her skin, but the girl was only focused on the boy who threw Teddy into the sandbox, whose eyes flashed with fear as she writhed and shrieked, glaring at him every intention to tear him apart, no matter how impossible that was.


    The blows stopped as someone extracted her from the fight.


    A voice carried Melissa in its arms. ¡°What''s going on?¡± A murmur trickled through the crowd as the chaos receded. It seemed many of the older students recognized the voice. ¡°Stop it!¡±


    The boy scrambled to his feet, tears of indignation in his eyes. ¡°Daan? What do you know? She almost scratched my throat out!¡± Indeed, there were three bleeding lines on the boy¡¯s throat where Melissa¡¯s nails had sunk into their target.


    "Uh-huh. And look what you did to her,¡± he said. The other children muttered, shifting their gaze away from the awful sight before them.


    Melissa shook her head. In fact, she was fine. The fight was too chaotic for bruises that actually hurt. The scratch marks dripped into her clothes, but her mind was so feverishly racing that she could hardly feel the pain.


    The older boy attempted one last resistance. ¡°She¡¯s crazy, Daan! She hears things from a stupid stuffed animal!¡± he shouted.


    The voice didn¡¯t react, carrying her away as if she weighed nothing.


    Melissa released the tension in her body, allowing the voice to take her. A second passed before her eyes flung open. ¡°Where¡¯s Teddy?¡± She nearly squirmed from the voice¡¯s arms.


    ¡°I brought him, don¡¯t worry.¡± The voice opened the door to the storage closet and laid Melissa onto a foam mat.


    As she basked in the musty air, Melissa could finally relax. The boy who saved her handed her a water bottle from a case on the floor. Before she drank, Melissa glanced around. ¡°Why am I here?¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Why did he bring her to the gym storage closet?


    The boy nodded. It was a reasonable question. ¡°Going to the nurse would complicate things. Won¡¯t your parents get mad?¡±


    Melissa''s eyes flashed with understanding. She knew what he meant. Going to the nurse meant she would only be hurt more. She¡¯d been to the nurse before. Last month, because her father would often drink, she went to the nurse for an ice pack. Her face hurt. The principal got involved. Her father became very angry, so he hit her hard after that.


    Was that what he meant?


    Melissa¡¯s throat seized into a knot as her memories overtook her. She hiccupped, gasping for breath. Teddy¡¯s voice echoed in her mind:


    Deep breaths, honey. Focus on my voice.


    Tears welled in Melissa¡¯s eyes. Her shivers subsided.


    The boy noticed her movements, procuring Teddy from his jacket. ¡°You wanted this thing, right?¡±


    Melissa reached for Teddy, but the boy took his hand away at the last moment. She felt a rush of anxiety as the boy seemed to tease her like the others, until she realized his expression was dead serious.


    ¡°Tell me about him. His name is Teddy, right?¡± he asked. Unlike the other children, his question seemed to come from genuine interest.


    ¡°Her name is Teddy.¡±


    The boy nodded. ¡°Okay. Nice to meet you, Teddy. I¡¯m Daan, in fifth grade this year.¡± He shook the bear¡¯s limp arm. He was some grades older than her, Melissa noticed.


    This kid has manners, Teddy said. The boy seemed nice, so Melissa remembered his name this time.


    After shaking her hand, Daan handed Teddy over. Melissa inspected Teddy¡¯s stained fur, baring her teeth at the conspicuous dirt marks which didn¡¯t rub away no matter how hard she tried. She blinked away her tears. Now Teddy was stained forever.


    Daan comforted her. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad. I think bleach would clean it off.¡±


    ¡°Water won¡¯t work,¡± Melissa replied shortly. The stains in her clothes didn¡¯t wash away with water, so it was silly to think the same could fix Teddy.


    The boy tilted his head. ¡°I said bleach.¡±


    ¡°Bleach?¡±


    Daan nodded emphatically. ¡°I can show you later. It should be able to clean off dirt just fine.¡±


    Melissa felt a thump in her chest. Daan really did care. ¡°So you believe me? You really do?¡± The children who teased her would never shake Teddy¡¯s hand and introduce themselves, much less help Melissa clean her.


    ¡°Uh, yeah,¡± the boy said with a half-smile. ¡°But I want to test something first,¡± the boy said. ¡°Cover your eyes.¡±


    Melissa covered her eyes, shrouding her vision in darkness. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Oh, that¡¯s smart, Teddy said, wiggling in her arms.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Melissa whispered. She couldn¡¯t see anything, so she was forced to relay with Teddy.


    ¡°Did Teddy speak to you just now? I can¡¯t hear her,¡± Daan said. ¡°How many fingers am I holding up?¡±


    Melissa scrunched her face. ¡°What if I peek?¡± Would peeking make Daan believe her?


    Daan and Teddy¡¯s laughter overlapped. ¡°Peeking won¡¯t help.¡±


    He¡¯s right. Tell him there¡¯s twelve fingers.


    Even as young as she was, Melissa knew something was wrong. ¡°Twelve? Aren¡¯t there only ten fingers?¡± Melissa wanted to peek so bad. Did Daan have twelve fingers? Was he borrowing someone else¡¯s fingers?


    ¡°Normally,¡± Daan said. ¡°You can open your eyes now.¡±


    Melissa frowned as she uncovered her eyes. Daan only held out two fingers, so where did Teddy get the other ten from? Though apparently twelve was the answer Daan was looking for, judging by his grin.


    ¡°Teddy¡¯s real,¡± Daan decided. ¡°Have you ever been curious about what she is? Why she can talk?¡±


    He knows the answer. You can ask him if you want.


    Melissa shook her head. As long as Teddy kept talking to her, she didn¡¯t care. Daan shrugged. He popped open a first aid kit from the wall.


    The girl didn¡¯t flinch as Daan poured rubbing alcohol onto her arms. Her skin curled and hissed, but she didn¡¯t cry.


    Daan broke the silence. ¡°I have two of them, just like your Teddy. My mom gave them to me for my birthday. They¡¯re names are Bezel and Irene. Say hi,¡± he said, pointing to her left.


    Wow, Teddy said, unimpressed. What a nice mom he has.


    ¡°Mom?¡± Melissa looked to her left, but nothing was there. Was it her imagination, or was the air colder than normal? ¡°Bezel¡­ Irene. I¡¯m Melissa.¡±


    No one responded.


    With a twist, Daan bound her arms in soft white gauze.


    The recess bell chimed in the distance. Daan finished with her bandages, which were surprisingly snug. ¡°Don¡¯t talk with Teddy in front of those people. They¡¯ll tease you for that.¡±


    Melissa pretended to nod. She couldn¡¯t see herself following Daan¡¯s instructions. Teddy was the only person she could talk to, and she couldn¡¯t imagine spending a whole day without her.


    Daan peeked his head out of the storage closet before opening the door. In the distance, a mass of students filtered away from the playground back to their classes. ¡°My class is right there.¡± He pointed to a box of bricks. ¡°If you wait there after school, I can show you how to clean off those dirt stains.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Melissa said.


    And what do you say to him? Teddy reminded her.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Melissa whispered.


    Her afternoon plans were canceled as the speakers called her to the principal''s office. The older boy whose name she never remembered had gone to the nurse afterwards and told them she started it.


    Melissa sat down in the oppressive atmosphere. The principal glowered behind his desk, and from the corner of her eye, Melissa could see the older boy smirking with righteousness. His neck was lined with dozens of band-aids, and they were a lot uglier than her white gauze.


    The principal sighed. ¡°Why did you scratch him? Noah said he was only playing around.¡± The man seemed to ignore the bandages on her arms.


    Melissa frowned. The older boy got to the principal first, so explaining herself was useless. She tried to explain before, but they never took Teddy seriously. Or her, for that matter. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s been three times this month. Should I call your father again?¡±


    Melissa froze. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The principal heaved a sigh, leaning back in his chair. ¡°Don¡¯t get smart with me. What do you want? Because I¡¯ll call your father right now if you want me to.¡±


    ¡°I-I-¡± she stuttered, hiccupping softly.


    Breathe, honey.


    The principal shooed the older boy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Noah. I¡¯ll take care of this.¡± The boy¡¯s grin widened as he skipped away, the band-aids on his neck rippling like snakes. He slammed the door behind him.


    Melissa stayed silent as the principal rubbed his forehead. The man watched her expression. ¡°Are you sorry for what you did?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Melissa answered.


    The principal rapped his knuckles on the desk. ¡°No, you aren¡¯t.¡± She wasn¡¯t. ¡°I¡¯m calling your father.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Melissa repeated mechanically.


    But it was too late. The principal grabbed his phone. Each click of her father¡¯s number sent shivers down her skin. The man put the phone on speaker, letting Melissa hear the dial tone play. He gave her a meaningful look.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry. I said it.¡±


    The man shushed her with his finger. Melissa¡¯s mouth dried. ¡°Teddy,¡± she mumbled into her arms.


    I¡¯ll protect you.


    The dial tone stopped, and Melissa¡¯s breath froze with it.


    ¡°Good afternoon, Mister Cardoso.¡± The principal¡¯s face split into a smile, nothing like his stony expression earlier. ¡°You are Melissa''s father, correct? I¡¯m here again regarding her classroom activities. She¡¯s caused another situation.¡±


    The silence stretched for what seemed like ages. Melissa knew what would eventually twist from the speaker. The silence would magnify her father¡¯s anger until all he could manage were short hisses, spitting whispers. The bruises that really hurt would come later, when she was alone with him again.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the voice answered. ¡°Melissa Cardoso is my daughter.¡± The voice was monotone.


    Melissa covered her mouth, holding back a scream. Something about the voice terrified her even more than the thought of home.


    Who was speaking?


    The voice was not her father¡¯s.

 Sweet Home

    Melissa listened quietly, dazed by her realization. The principal didn¡¯t seem to notice as he explained Melissa¡¯s feist over the phone, regretfully informing the stranger that she had taken her actions too far yet again. The voice agreed without emotion, never deviating from its monotone script.


    Don¡¯t panic, honey. Tell the principal.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t daddy,¡± Melissa blurted.


    The principal turned off the speakers. ¡°Be quiet!¡± he snapped. He turned on the speakers again. ¡°So, we¡¯ve allowed your daughter to leave early today. When can you pick her up?¡±


    ¡°I''m here,¡± the voice replied. A discordant whistle droned from the speaker. Was she imagining things, or did it also come from the door behind her?


    The whistle, Teddy whispered. Melissa¡¯s stomach churned. Something about the whistle made her nauseous with dread.


    ¡°Great, great! Just enter through the front office and we¡¯ll send her off with you.¡± The principal hung up, turning to Melissa with a solemn expression. ¡°Is this enough for you? When will you learn to not pick fights with others?¡±


    Melissa choked on her breath. ¡°That¡ªthat wasn¡¯t daddy,¡± she repeated.


    The principal rolled his eyes to the ceiling. ¡°Then tell me, who else could it possibly be? In the real world, people won''t be nice to you if you lie to them, you know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Melissa said, holding back her tears. The principal nodded as if he had won some kind of argument.


    They turned to a simple knock on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± the principal called.


    The doorknob jiggled for a few seconds as someone tried to turn it. The door creaked, and, near the ceiling, a wide, glistening eye peeked into the room.


    ¡°Oh, Mister Cardoso!¡± The principal smiled, gesturing to Melissa. ¡°Your daughter was waiting for you.¡±


    As if on cue, the door swished wide, revealing the stranger.


    Melissa clutched Teddy to her chest. Her breath hitched. ¡°Teddy, who is that?¡± The man did not resemble her father. In fact, he barely resembled a human at all. His face was stretched into a wide, rubbery grin, akin to a mask. His teeth were sanded smooth into perfect white rectangles. His head swayed gently, back and forth, looming over them with soulless, pinpoint pupils screwed into his garish white skin. ¡°Teddy!¡±


    Teddy didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Good afternoon. Pretty little rabbit.¡± The voice was identical to the one from the phone, utterly flat. His vacant gaze bore into the principal¡¯s flesh. The man crumpled in his seat, lifeless pale. His eyes were glazed with terror.


    Melissa writhed as the stranger clamped the back of her neck, lifting her into the air with ease. ¡°No!¡± she screamed as she was dragged away. "Help me, Teddy!"


    The teddy bear was limp in her arms.


    The stranger brought her to a bench outside. No one seemed to notice her struggling against the man¡¯s grip. No one spared her a single glance, as if she didn¡¯t exist. Melissa dug her fingers into Teddy¡¯s fur, but the toy still wouldn¡¯t respond.


    Melissa met the man¡¯s blank, fish-eye stare. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I love children like you,¡± he said. ¡°Children like you cry over such small things.¡± A grating melody whistled through his teeth as the air became painfully thin. ¡°That night. Crying in your blanket. Mommy ran away.¡± His rubbery smile swayed gently above her, crooning softly.


    ¡°How do you know mommy?¡± Melissa asked.


    ¡°Did mommy ever love you?¡±


    Melissa felt her breath leave her body. She looked at the teddy bear in her arms, remembering the last time her mother loved her, the lullaby which embraced her. ¡°She left because she doesn¡¯t love me.¡± The words unwillingly wrenched from her lips.


    When Melissa''s breath calmed, the stranger continued. ¡°But I know how to make mommy love you again.¡± His voice dipped into a whisper. ¡°You can sit on her lap, listen to her sweet lullaby forever.¡±


    Melissa¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°How?¡±


    The stranger¡¯s smile grew. ¡°Every decade, a marvelous festival¡ª¡±


    Shut up, Teddy growled.


    The man¡¯s glassy stare switched to Teddy, who convulsed softly under his gaze. ¡°And you are? The festival grants wonderful wishes to those little rabbits who join the amusements. The least I could do is reserve a show for this young lady. Imagine the way she will dance. The stage begs for her. Don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Before the man finished, Teddy let out a terrible shriek. The toy writhed in her arms, and a stream of blood burst from Melissa¡¯s nose. The girl clutched her ears, suddenly struck with a piercing headache. ¡°T-Teddy? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Teddy fell limp once again, and Melissa¡¯s nosebleed trickled to a stop.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± the man said. His smile twisted until his skin began to tremble, straining against his dry, bloodied gums. He leaned closer. ¡°I didn¡¯t recognize you. So be it. Then, little girl, do you want to know the real reason why mommy disappeared?¡± The man was close enough for Melissa to hear his breath, rasping through his teeth. It smelled like dust and blood.


    Teddy whimpered. Please. Don¡¯t bring Melissa into this. She sounded desperate. Exhausted. Melissa comforted her with a squeeze before nodding her head. That day, her mother abandoned her forever. How could she make her come back and love her again?


    The stranger cawed a thin, monotone laugh. ¡°I won¡¯t ruin the moment. Children like you cry over small things, after all. When you return, check the freezer. Check the freezer. Mommy ran away, oh, she ran away, poor rabbit.¡± He stroked Teddy¡¯s forehead.


    With those words, the man left Melissa on the bench. She tried to catch her breath. Talking to the stranger made her stomach itch. He had all the parts to be called human, yet bore no resemblance to one.


    Promise me, Melissa. Do not open the freezer.


    Teddy never called Melissa by her name before, so she shivered as Teddy said it for the first time. ¡°I won¡¯t. I promise.¡±


    Good. If you see him again, run immediately.


    ¡°He could hear your voice just fine. Who is he?¡±


    Teddy paused, like she didn¡¯t know either. The smiling man, she finally said.


    ¡°Can he really make mommy love me again?¡±


    Don¡¯t listen to that monster, Teddy snapped. Her voice softened as the girl trembled. Don¡¯t listen to him. Because mommy already loves you, honey. Nothing can change that.


    ¡°No, she can¡¯t!¡± Melissa snapped. ¡°She can¡¯t because she left me with daddy. How can she still love me?¡±


    Teddy didn¡¯t respond, which Melissa took as her answer. The girl stumbled to her feet, ignoring the looks she got from her wretched outburst.


    Melissa walked to and from school every day, but this time she felt particularly miserable. The scenery blurred around her as she blinked away her tears. She wondered what the smiling man would have said if Teddy didn¡¯t interrupt him. How could he make her mother come back? And, for the first time, Teddy lied to her. If her mother actually loved her, she wouldn¡¯t have ran away. She would have sang to her every night. If nothing else, she would have taken Melissa away with her, away from home and her father.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Mommy¡­¡± Tears dripped down the girl¡¯s face as she walked. For the first time in months, she began to cry in earnest. Why did her mother run away? She wanted to hear her sing again, to hug her tight and never let go.


    I¡¯m sorry, Teddy whispered, but Melissa did not react.


    She crawled up the stairs of her father¡¯s apartment building. She reached for the doorknob. As usual, it was unlocked. Empty bottles of drink littered the entrance, reminding the girl to wipe away her tears. He didn¡¯t like it when she cried. ¡°Daddy?¡±


    No answer. The living room was strewn with broken glass and rotten stains. Searching the house revealed she was alone. Soon, she found herself in her bedroom.


    She crawled into her blankets, drifting into a restless sleep.


    Melissa woke to the growl of her stomach. Her mouth felt like blisters. ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Teddy, are you there?¡±


    Of course, Teddy responded.


    The girl climbed out of bed. Glass crunched beneath her shoes as she walked to the kitchen. She rinsed her mouth, but that only made her appetite worse. After her mother left, Melissa never had the chance for lunch, but today she didn¡¯t have breakfast either.


    She opened the fridge. Aside from black and green bottles, there was a piece of chocolate brownie on the bottom shelf. Her eyes glittered as she took the brownie from the fridge. The crust was too hard to chew, but after leaving it in her mouth for a minute it dissolved into sugary sweetness. She closed her eyes and savored the moment of reprieve.


    Even so, Melissa wasn¡¯t sure if her father would return with anything for dinner. She had tried her father¡¯s drinks before, but she found the taste utterly repulsive, nothing like the bruised sweetness that would linger on his breath after every bottle.


    ¡°Teddy, I¡¯m hungry,¡± she repeated.


    Your father will come home with food. It¡¯s still too early for dinner.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t bring food yesterday,¡± Melissa countered. ¡°I want food now.¡±


    How about doing your homework?


    Melissa thought Teddy¡¯s suggestion made sense. She took out her schoolwork, scribbling away with a bit of Teddy¡¯s guidance. Her stomach protested as she consumed words and numbers to distract herself.


    The last assignment caught her interest. More specifically, a single word.


    Melissa traced the word with her finger. ¡°Marry land. Isn¡¯t marry what mommy and daddy did?¡± The girl scribbled the word ¡®love¡¯ beneath the word ¡®Maryland¡¯. She held the paper in the air, feeling quite proud of the connection she made. ¡°People get married in marry land,¡± she remarked confidently.


    Teddy laughed. No, Maryland is one of the thirteen colonies. It isn¡¯t where mommy and daddy got married. We don¡¯t even live in Maryland, honey.


    ¡°Then, do we live in a thirteen colonies?¡±


    Our state was founded after all that.


    Melissa started to respond, but her face scrunched together as her stomach twisted painfully. ¡°Hungry,¡± she gasped. She looked out the balcony window, watching the sun barely clip into the horizon. Her father wouldn¡¯t come home for a few more hours, and even then, he wouldn''t necessarily come back with food.


    I¡¯m sorry, honey. Just bear with it.


    Melissa pulled Teddy to her chest. ¡°No,¡± she whimpered. She tried to recall the taste of the brownie from earlier, but even that memory tasted sour. Her limbs curled around Teddy¡¯s body.


    The girl first daydreamed about her mother. She dreamt about the lullaby her mother sang to her every night, before she ran away, but when she couldn¡¯t fall asleep she dreamt about food instead. She couldn¡¯t quite remember the food her mother prepared before she ran away. It was something warm. Something like a big slice of pizza, or like tomato soup. Her mother didn¡¯t know how to cook, but she sure knew how to use a microwave.


    With that thought, Melissa dragged a stool to reach the microwave. She pressed some buttons, watching the inside spin and rattle with golden radiance. Her breath quickened as the numbers slowly counted to zero, and a ghost of a smile crossed her lips as she hopped in place.


    Ding!


    The microwave was disappointing, to say the least. Crusty chunks of brown and yellow steamed on the plastic wheel, oozing a stench that nearly erased her appetite. She wondered what the rot on the wheel would taste like, but a visceral nausea rejected that idea for her.


    Melissa frowned. Where was the food?


    The girl searched her memories. She remembered one time when her mother opened the freezer and took out a bag of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. The freezer could have dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.


    She hopped from the microwave, dragging her stool to the fridge.


    What are you doing, honey?


    Her stool screeched to a halt. She pulled herself up. ¡°Chicken nuggets.¡±


    Don¡¯t open the freezer, Melissa. Remember your promise?


    Melissa paused. Right, she promised Teddy she wouldn¡¯t look into the freezer. Her hunger clashed with her promise as she stood still for a few minutes. She reached for the handle before pulling herself back. ¡°Teddy, what¡¯s in the freezer?¡±


    Why would there be anything in the freezer? What would daddy even put in there?


    Melissa wondered if Teddy was lying to her again. She gripped the handle. If there was nothing in the freezer, why wasn¡¯t she allowed to open it? Teddy said it was empty, but the smiling man said it wasn¡¯t and that she should check it. The girl couldn¡¯t tell who was lying, but she knew that one of them had to be.


    ¡°Teddy, are you lying?¡± As Melissa voiced her doubts, her tears threatened to resurface. Her voice trembled with a thin veneer of calm. Today, Teddy lied to her for the first time, lied about her mother''s love. And, depending on how she responded now, Teddy would lie to her once again.


    The toy shivered. I would never lie to you. Just listen to me, honey. Promise me, Melissa.


    A teardrop fell from Melissa¡¯s cheek. ¡°But you would lie to me, Teddy. You lied today.¡± Her mother didn¡¯t love her. Because she left. Nothing could change that, not the dreams she had every night, not even Teddy¡¯s sweetest lies. ¡°So now you lied again.¡±


    When did I¡ª


    Melissa pulled open the freezer.


    A minute passed before she realized what she was looking at.


    Her hand fell to her side. ¡°Mommy?¡±


    The freezer glistened murky brown, assaulting her nose with the stench of rot. Stuffed inside was a corpse, carved into limbs and chunks. Her mother¡¯s face stared at her. Lifeless, frozen eyes. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s this?¡±


    I¡¯m sorry, Melissa. I¡¯m so sorry, Teddy wept.


    ¡°Why is mommy¡­ in the freezer?¡±


    Your father got angry. They had an argument, and daddy made a mistake. He got angry and made a big mistake. I¡¯m so sorry.


    Melissa clutched her head. An animal¡¯s wail twisted past her lips. Her hand shot forward, touching her mother¡¯s cheek, but she recoiled as a rough, icy texture glued onto her skin. ¡°A-ah! Why! M-mommy-!¡±


    Melissa¡¯s hands latched onto the freezer shelves. She tried to pull herself inside, and her forehead touched the corpse as she wept. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry mommy, so please come back to me!¡±


    She pressed herself into her mother¡¯s pieces, rancid blood and sinew, into the rot that was entirely different to the sweetness she knew from her happiest memories. The girl leaned closer, until her tears melted lines into the rotten ice.


    Melissa wanted to hear her mother sing again, to open those blackened lips and her decaying flesh; she wanted to ask why her mother couldn¡¯t instead hold her tight with those brittle, frozen arms. How could the ice make her skin so pale and barren, yet still so enchanting before Melissa¡¯s eyes?


    That lifeless stare, those frozen eyes, why wouldn¡¯t they blink for her, even after her tears stained them warm?


    ¡°I-I love you, mommy.¡± The girl leaned closer, until her lips froze against the life which gave hers.


    The door slammed behind her.


    Melissa pulled her lips away, whirling to face the noise.


    ¡°Just what are you doing?¡±


    A voice hissed from the doorway.


    Melissa gulped as she met her father¡¯s gaze. The room began to reek with the sweetness of drink. The man hissed filthy words beneath his breath, shambling closer until his spit lashed her skin. He drew his hand back, and Melissa hastily covered her face. ¡°Answer me!¡± he screamed.


    The girl trembled. She pointed into the freezer. Tears painted her expression, burning red into her cheeks. ¡°Mommy in the freezer¡ª¡±


    A jagged pain tore through her stomach. A fist. ¡°Who said you could look in there?¡± The girl screeched as she lost her balance on the stool, crashing into the floorboards. She retched.


    I did, dear! I told her to open it, so don¡¯t hit Melissa, please! Teddy begged her father, but the man could not hear her.


    The man stomped on her ribs. ¡°You telling anyone?¡± Melissa felt something shatter, a crunch like three celery sticks. Her vision flickered, off and on again. She felt her father¡¯s shoe against her throat. The stench. Sour asphalt and dirt. ¡°Answer me!¡±


    The girl could vaguely hear Teddy begging her father to lift his foot. If he was going to hit Melissa, at least let her breathe, then he was free to do whatever he wanted, Teddy pleaded. But her father couldn¡¯t hear Teddy¡¯s voice, just like how everyone else couldn¡¯t, so it was pointless all the same.


    Teddy wasn¡¯t protecting her, Melissa realized. Her chest hurt. Her stomach hurt. It hurt. It hurt, and she didn¡¯t like the pain! Why was Teddy telling her father to hit her more? Didn¡¯t Teddy promise she would always protect her?


    Melissa didn¡¯t understand, and that was what hurt the most.


    ¡°No one¡ªnot telling¡­¡± As her breath faded, Melissa could only plead with her eyes, slowly rolling to the back of her head.


    The man squinted at her. ¡°Good,¡± he muttered, releasing his foot. He grabbed a green bottle from the fridge and stumbled away, but the freezer was left open. A putrid stench oozed to the ground, burying the girl¡¯s curled body.


    Melissa gasped for air, squeezing Teddy in her arms. She stared at the ceiling and the open freezer door. Somewhere in the freezer was something she didn¡¯t want to think about. She closed her eyes. ¡°Teddy,¡± she croaked. Her chest hurt with each breath. What just happened? Her thoughts looped over and over, but she couldn¡¯t process a thing . Her mother never ran away. She was in a million pieces. She saw it. ¡°Teddy,¡± she gasped.


    Melissa.


    ¡°So the smiling man lied too.¡±


    Don¡¯t speak, honey. Try to sleep.


    ¡°Because mommy can never sing again. Daddy put her in the freezer.¡±


    I¡¯m sorry, Teddy whispered. I¡¯m so sorry.


    Melissa felt a stone grow in her throat, but she couldn¡¯t make a sound. She had run out of sounds to make.


    Suddenly, Teddy began to sing. She held her first note in a stifled weep before fading into a nostalgic, shivering lullaby. Melissa felt the floorboards soften into her mother¡¯s lap, embracing her in the warmth of her happiest memories.


    Teddy kissed her skin.


    I love you, Melissa. Always.


    But the girl was already asleep.

 Lost Goose

    When Melissa woke up, her mother had vanished from the freezer. The only sign she had ever existed was the rotten brown ice still coating its insides.


    Honey, are you alright?


    Melissa¡¯s breath wheezed from her throat. Something in her chest didn¡¯t feel right, like a bruise that wouldn¡¯t go away. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Her stomach remembered last night as well. Vivid bursts of pain. ¡°Tummy hurts.¡±


    Teddy hugged her. You don¡¯t have to go to school today. Just rest.


    There was breakfast on the table, a can of peaches soaked in fruit syrup. Melissa¡¯s eyes lit up as she snatched the metal can and drank the soft, nectarine juice. Her fingers dipped into the cold, pulling out chunks of bright orange fruit. At that moment, nothing had ever tasted as sweet as the flesh between her fingers.


    After she finished breakfast, the girl licked her hands, basking in the sugary aftertaste. Melissa decided she liked fruit much better than brownies.


    Let¡¯s go to school. Pack your homework.


    Melissa popped her fingers from her mouth. ¡°I have to?¡± She vaguely remembered Teddy saying she could rest today.


    Daddy left a note for us.


    A torn piece of paper lay on the table. It was a note left by her father.


    [Go to school. I didn¡¯t call you out. Tell anyone and I¡¯ll kill you.]


    ¡°Mm,¡± Melissa said. She quietly packed her bag, stumbling out the door. She was glad her father didn¡¯t hit her face so the nurse wouldn''t fuss over her.


    Melissa kept silent as she walked. Last night¡¯s memories still lingered in her mind. She wasn¡¯t sure what to feel about her mother in the freezer, and thinking about it hurt. She knew the true reason now. The reason why her mother left wasn¡¯t because she didn¡¯t love her, but because she was in the freezer.


    Or was it because her mother stopped loving her, so he put her into the freezer?


    Melissa was glad.


    Are you happy? Teddy asked. Her voice cracked with bitterness, dripping through her words. Does breaking promises make you happy? Did seeing your mother¡¯s rotting corpse in that freezer make you happy? Are you fucking stupid, Melissa?


    Melissa froze, standing against the crowded street. She saw patches of her mother¡¯s lifeless gray face sewn onto the concrete beneath her. The taste of peaches rose to her throat. What was she thinking? Daddy put mommy in the freezer. ¡°A-ah¡­¡± But the smiling man said he could have fixed her. Mommy could have sang to her every night, even if she didn¡¯t love her. Not anymore. Now she was chopped in a million pieces.


    If you just kept your promise, your father wouldn¡¯t need to hit you! If only you had listened to me!


    Melissa swallowed back the taste of peaches. Teddy¡¯s screams buzzed in her ears. She didn¡¯t like the voice.


    Teddy¡¯s sharpness softened to a whimper. He could have gotten carried away. He could have made a mistake, just like he did with mommy. And then he could have¡­


    Teddy¡¯s voice crumbled. I just want you to be safe, Melissa.


    ¡°Mm,¡± Melissa said. Someone shoved her from behind, reminding her to keep walking.


    Teddy didn¡¯t speak again. As the minutes passed, Melissa longed for Teddy to break the silence somehow, to talk to her just once, even if it was to scream at her again, but she didn¡¯t. The silence filled Melissa with a dreadful emptiness, far worse than the pain in her chest.


    ¡°You walk to school, too?¡± a voice called behind her. Daan jogged to her side, his breath light and painless. She envied the way he breathed.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    They walked quietly for a few blocks, but the silence wasn¡¯t as stifling as Teddy¡¯s. When Daan finally spoke again, his expression was serious. ¡°You alright?¡±


    Melissa coughed violently, swallowing tangy red spit. It felt like her chest was a tube of yogurt, squeezed and squeezed through her throat, if yogurt had salty bits too and tasted kind of gross. It hurt unlike anything she felt before, but she didn¡¯t know how to answer him. She didn¡¯t know if she was alright, or what that meant in the first place. Luckily, they reached the front gates before Daan could ask any more. She walked with him until they reached his class.


    Daan pointed at Teddy¡¯s stains. ¡°Did you try using water? It didn¡¯t work, right?¡± The other students eyed them with fascination as they walked past. Melissa¡¯s dress was tattered and stained, but Daan didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°If you wait for me after school, I can teach you how to clean those stains off Teddy. It wasn¡¯t fair you got called up yesterday,¡± Daan added.


    With everything that happened last night, Melissa had almost forgotten about Daan¡¯s offer. As the school bells rang, everything had returned to normal, as it always did.


    ¡°He can clean you. Did you hear that?¡± Melissa asked.


    I did, honey. Teddy¡¯s voice returned, sweeter than peach juice. The toy pressed her cheek against Melissa¡¯s chest, and her fur trembled like leaves in the wind. And I love you, Melissa. I will always love you.


    The girl¡¯s lips curled into a faint, vacant smile.


    The morning passed. Melissa wasn¡¯t a bad student¡ªher mother, and later Teddy, made sure of that. The little girl could read and count just fine, and none of her teachers thought particularly negative of her. So, it puzzled them why she always got into fights with the older children.


    The homeroom teacher leaned down, catching a glimpse of Melissa¡¯s drawing. ¡°What do you have there?¡± he asked. The girl drew two rectangles on top of each other. Inside the top box was a tangle of red and black scribbles, covering a happy gray smile. ¡°Is that a shelf? What are the scribbles?¡±


    Melissa looked up. ¡°Mommy.¡± Her lips tilted upward, but her eyes were dreadfully hollow. Mommy in the freezer.


    The teacher felt his hair raise. Something about the girl¡¯s smile, combined with the incomprehensible picture, terrified him. ¡°I-I see,¡± he managed. There was one other impression the teachers had of Melissa, though they didn¡¯t dare say it in front of her: the girl was creepy. She was best left alone.


    The lunch bell rang, and Melissa was forced to follow the other students. The aroma of salt and fat staining the cafeteria tables reminded her that breakfast wasn''t nearly enough. Unfortunately, school lunch needed money she didn¡¯t have. The other students gave her a wide berth, whispering and glancing at her every so often, and Melissa knew a few days would pass before they became brave enough to tease her again with more than just words.


    Someone patted her head. ¡°Can I sit here?¡± Daan asked, sitting before she could respond. Various colors of lunch covered his tray. ¡°You don¡¯t have lunch?¡±


    Melissa shook her head. Her gaze wandered. His lunch was next to her, and it smelled good.


    You could ask him for some, honey.


    Ask him? She wordlessly reached for a carrot. Teddy¡¯s suggestion didn¡¯t make sense. Her father taught her to stop asking for food a long time ago. She grabbed a fistful of white lunch, scooping it into her mouth. She snatched the plate away from Daan, lapping the leftover paste. The girl closed her eyes, realizing what was in her mouth. Mashed potatoes. The salt on her tongue, Melissa decided, was more delicious than anything she had tasted before.


    What are you doing? Stop!


    The lunch monitor¡¯s voice overlapped with Teddy¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s disgusting, girl! Who taught you manners?¡± the woman called from across the room.


    Daan snatched her wrist, calming her down as she struggled against him. ¡°A fork. Use a fork, Melissa.¡± He placed a fork in her hand. ¡°Eat my lunch,¡± he ordered. His expression left no compromise. Not that Melissa wanted one, anyway.


    The giggles around them grew as Melissa ate in starved silence. The older boy from yesterday approached their table with newfound confidence. He glanced at her hunched figure and laughed. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to give her your lunch. You know she eats anything, right?¡± The boy¡¯s grin widened as he reminisced what ¡®anything¡¯ was. ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me you like her or something?¡±


    The students oohed as they waited for Daan¡¯s response. At their age, that was the worst verdict they could imagine.


    Melissa glanced up from her lunch, her eyes darting around the crowd, searching for thieves. Daan replied with a simple frown. ¡°Keep eating, Melissa.¡± The girl lowered her head again. The other students muttered complaints, disinterested by Daan''s lack of reaction.


    Before the older boy could respond, the lunch monitor broke up the crowd. ¡°What are all you crowding around for? Where¡¯s your lunch, boy?¡± Daan shrugged, and the monitor turned to Melissa. ¡°And your hands, girl, don¡¯t eat with your hands again!¡± She pulled Melissa from her seat, dragging her to the bathroom to wash her hands.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    You shouldn¡¯t do that, honey. Ask him politely next time.


    Melissa washed her hands under the lunch monitor¡¯s gaze. Afterwards, she returned to her seat and ate the rest of her apple in silence. The apple core crunched in her mouth, disappearing into her stomach.


    Soon, only the lunch tray remained. The girl rubbed her stomach, caressing her first lunch in a long time. The tight, nauseous feeling, the pain which stretched her skin apart, made her giddy. She felt lightheaded, in a good way. The pain in her stomach distracted her from the pain everywhere else, if only slightly.


    ¡°Tch. Boring,¡± the older bully scoffed. As if on cue, the lunch bell rang, dismissing the students to their classrooms.


    After school, Melissa made her way to Daan¡¯s class. She placed each step in front of the other, following the trail of ants beneath her feet. Ever since yesterday, the girl couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her mother, whose corpse she found in the freezer.


    Melissa thought about Teddy¡¯s first lie, which maybe wasn¡¯t a lie after all. Teddy said her mother always loved her. So if she wasn¡¯t in the freezer, she would have stayed? Because she always loved her? Melissa couldn¡¯t understand. Her head hurt. Then, why did her father put her there? Her father said mommy didn¡¯t love her, but Teddy said she did and always did.


    Daan shook her from behind. ¡°Melissa.¡± He wasn¡¯t smiling, but somehow his expression cared for her.


    Melissa stared at the boy blankly.


    Daan glanced away. ¡°Are you¡­alright? How do you feel?¡± His lips paused with each word, as if he didn¡¯t know what he was saying himself.


    The girl opened her mouth. She felt different. Yesterday, she found her mother in the freezer. Then, her father hit her twice, in her chest and stomach. Now, she realized her mother might have always loved her, but daddy put her in the freezer anyway, and that hurt Melissa the most. ¡°Bad,¡± she finally whispered. Saying it aloud made everything hurt worse.


    Daan pursed his lips. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Don¡¯t tell him. He¡¯ll misunderstand, Teddy said. Then they¡¯ll take daddy away from us.


    ¡°Mm,¡± Melissa said. She felt something in her chest tear apart as she forced her words back down her throat. ¡°Clean Teddy.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I promised I would,¡± Daan said. The boy grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight as he led her away.


    Neither of them spoke as the scenery around her shifted into crowded streets and towering brick apartments. At first Melissa recognized the route Daan took, until they turned left where she would normally keep straight.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Melissa asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± In front of them was a tall building, red and bricky. Across the street, Melissa could pick out her own home, a metal-gated window in the smoky gray distance. They lived a few minutes close. Perhaps they had seen each other before, before Melissa bothered to remember his face.


    Teddy bristled in her arms. This building reeks of misfortune. I can¡¯t imagine living here.


    Melissa sniffed the air. She didn¡¯t smell any misfortune, nor did she know what misfortune smelled like. She imagined herself living here, away from her father, lying flat on the concrete steps. It wasn¡¯t too bad. What was Teddy talking about?


    ¡°My mom does laundry with bleach,¡± Daan said. ¡°She says it cleans off dirt stains like they¡¯re nothing. I¡¯m sure Teddy will appreciate it.¡±


    Melissa nodded. A shiver crossed her neck as they entered the building. She felt the bricks watch her with eyes that didn¡¯t exist. The unsettling sensation grew as they climbed the stairwell, but Melissa didn¡¯t know why. Teddy was quiet. Melissa could feel her stained fur bristling at attention.


    Daan knocked on the door numbered three-nine-five. ¡°Mom?¡±


    Something shuffled behind the door, watching them through the peephole. A few minutes passed before the door swung open, revealing a human smile. ¡°Daan!¡± A tall, tall woman with blond hair like Daan¡¯s pulled the boy into her embrace. Melissa stood still, not sure what to do. The woman hadn¡¯t noticed her yet.


    ¡°Stop it, mama! It¡¯s embarrassing,¡± Daan muttered, his ears turning pink. ¡°Cuz, people are watching.¡±


    The woman opened her eyes. She scanned the hallway with clouded blue pupils, scanning directly past them without a second glance. ¡°It¡¯s not the neighbors, is it?¡±


    You¡¯re blind now, Teddy remarked. Her voice was sad. May I enter?


    The woman¡¯s smile faltered as she looked in Teddy¡¯s direction. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting guests, but of course.¡±


    Melissa was shocked. This woman could also hear Teddy¡¯s voice? Why could some people hear Teddy while others couldn¡¯t?


    She pondered the thought as she sat on the couch. The woman returned from the kitchen with juice boxes, setting them on the table. Her smile was back, though now with a note of confusion. ¡°So,¡± she began. ¡°You know me from somewhere?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Melissa interrupted.


    Bewilderment crossed the woman¡¯s expression. ¡°A girl now? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Clean Teddy,¡± Melissa said.


    Don¡¯t be rude, honey. She¡¯s my friend.


    Melissa blinked. She had never seen this woman in her life, so how could Teddy know her? She was certain that Teddy had never seen the woman before.


    Daan tried to mediate the conversation. He handed Melissa a juice box. ¡°Mom, this is my friend, Melissa. She brought Teddy over because it got dirty. I promised I would help clean Teddy for her.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s nice of you, baby.¡± The woman¡¯s sightless eyes wandered around the room, gazing at nothing in particular.


    I¡¯ll explain everything, Teddy offered.


    The woman nodded enthusiastically. ¡°So, how do you know me?¡±


    Melissa placed Teddy on her lap, letting her presence fade into the background.


    I guess you wouldn¡¯t recognize my voice now. I was the girl you saved ten years ago, in that festival.


    Ten years ago? Melissa didn¡¯t exist ten years ago, much less Teddy. She wanted to ask how Teddy was so old, but she sensed that interrupting now wasn¡¯t a good idea.


    The woman¡¯s face lit up with recognition. ¡°Oh, the festival girl! I thought I¡¯d never see you again. It was a bit chaotic back then, so I didn¡¯t catch your name.¡±


    Me neither, Teddy said with a light giggle. Introductions?


    Daan glanced at Melissa. He was the only one who couldn¡¯t hear Teddy¡¯s voice, so from his perspective, his mother was speaking to nothing. ¡°Teddy¡¯s talking,¡± Melissa explained. ¡°Your mommy can hear her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Charlotte. And you¡¯ve met my son, Daan.¡±


    My name is¡­ Teddy paused. Call me Teddy. I¡¯m looking after Melissa.


    The two of them fell silent as a sense of nostalgia permeated the air. Teddy¡¯s stitched smile seemed to curve higher than usual, but the illusion faded as she spoke again. What happened to your eyes?


    Charlotte sucked out her juicebox before laughing. ¡°Just some genetic thing. My son helps out, so it isn¡¯t all bad. But what are you up to now? Did anything change on your end?¡±


    Teddy didn¡¯t answer. Hand me over, Melissa.


    Melissa complied, placing Teddy into the woman¡¯s arms.


    Charlotte froze. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± She squeezed the doll in her hands, disbelief flashing past her expression. ¡°So you¡ª¡±


    Yeah.


    The woman covered her face, laughing faintly. ¡°So you¡¯re ¡®Teddy¡¯ now? A teddy bear? Seriously?¡± Her voice trembled.


    Mhm.


    ¡°How did it happen? How did you¡­¡±


    I fell down the stairs, Teddy said. That¡¯s it.


    Charlotte narrowed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re lying. That isn¡¯t nearly enough to make a conscious spectre. And we both know people like us don¡¯t get endings like that. Was the smiling man involved? What actually happened?¡±


    He wasn¡¯t. I got into an accident. Her tone didn¡¯t invite further questions.


    ¡°I see,¡± Charlotte said figuratively. She put Teddy back on the table, and Melissa sensed she was allowed to speak again.


    ¡°What¡¯s the festival?¡± Melissa asked. Teddy mentioned a festival, like the smiling man did yesterday.


    ¡°Oh, that?¡± Daan piped up, eager to rejoin the conversation. ¡°My mom said you can wish for anything at the festival. That¡¯s why I¡¯m gonna go there this year to wish for¡ª¡± Daan paled as he met the toy¡¯s stare, beady black buttons. Even without Teddy¡¯s voice, the boy sensed something vicious in the air, a sixth sense. The air shimmered. His mouth closed with a clop.


    Charlotte?


    Charlotte rushed to explain herself. ¡°Those were just random stories of mine. I¡¯ll make sure to knock those silly thoughts out of him, I swear.¡±


    ¡°Wait, mama, didn¡¯t you say¡­¡± Daan began, quieting as Charlotte glared at his direction.


    Teddy¡¯s eyes stopped trembling. Her voice was sugar-sweet. Melissa, honey? Don¡¯t listen to them, alright?


    But Teddy was too late.


    ¡±I can wish for anything?¡± Melissa whispered. If she could wish for anything, what would she wish for? ¡°A-ah¡­¡± If only she could forget everything that hurt, just like mommy did, and put herself in the freezer with mommy too, wrapped in her arms and limbs and flesh again¡­


    Melissa, pull yourself together! Teddy screamed.


    Melissa flinched at the voice¡¯s piercing lash. ¡°Clean Teddy,¡± she mumbled. Teddy¡¯s screams filled her with a wretched sense of warmth.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Daan said, cold sweat beading on his skin. ¡°Some bullies made Teddy dirty. I wanted to help her clean the stains.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°You two wait here. There¡¯s snacks in the fridge.¡± The woman cradled Teddy in her arms, leaving them before Melissa could react.


    Daan disappeared into the kitchen, returning with pretzels and chips all in colorful crunchy bags. As Melissa busied herself with food, the boy sank into the couch cushions. ¡°That was scary,¡± he sighed. ¡°It felt like I was gonna die. Did you feel that pressure? It was from Teddy, right?¡±


    Melissa shrugged. ¡°What¡¯s the festival? Tell me more.¡±


    The boy shook his head rapidly. ¡°No way. Ask your bear.¡±


    With all her strength, Melissa punched Daan in the stomach.


    ¡°Ow! What did I do?¡± Daan curled into a ball. ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡± he groaned.


    Melissa¡¯s expression was blank as she looked at her hands. She wasn¡¯t sure why she hit him, but the way he guarded his stomach reminded the girl of herself and her father. ¡°Okay.¡± She resumed eating.


    Daan settled down, rubbing his stomach. ¡°You said you felt bad today,¡± he remembered. ¡°And I noticed you were coughing weirdly. Is something wrong?¡±


    The girl chewed faster, savoring the taste of salt. She swallowed. Teddy wasn¡¯t here to stop her from saying what happened yesterday, so she told him.


    ¡°Daddy hit my tummy and stomped me,¡± Melissa said. She licked delicious flavors from her fingers. ¡°Now tummy and breathing hurts.¡± The girl scooped more pretzels into her mouth, closing her eyes in satisfaction. ¡°And mommy won¡¯t ever come back again.¡±


    Melissa poured the crumbs into her mouth. Her gaze wandered to Daan¡¯s pretzels. For some reason, his eyes were wide like coins, and he didn¡¯t say anything when she took his pretzels.


    Soon, the girl finished the meal, which she counted as yesterday¡¯s dinner. ¡±Is your mommy done yet?¡± she asked.


    Daan stared at her plain expression, utterly lost for words.

 Hate

    Daan handed the grocery bags to Melissa. He frowned as the girl hugged them close to her chest. Inside the big bags were dozens of smaller bags, colorful and crunchy plastic that he gathered from the cupboard. He didn¡¯t particularly like snacks, and Melissa could use them a lot more than him.


    The girl stood outside the doorway, clutching Teddy in her hand. Despite her ratty brown hair and gaunt, muted expression, she could still be considered cute.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Melissa repeated. One of the chip bags popped as she pressed them onto her clothes.


    A knot formed in Daan¡¯s chest. It hurt him to look at Melissa¡¯s face, ever since he walked with her to school this morning. Now he knew why. Her hollow expression, those words she said to him earlier¡­


    ¡°No problem, dear,¡± Charlotte grasped the air, eventually finding Melissa¡¯s arm. ¡°You¡¯re Daan¡¯s friend, after all. Feel free to come back any time.¡±


    A weak smile crossed the girl¡¯s face. She walked away, clutching Teddy securely in her hand.


    Charlotte¡¯s smile faded. ¡°That girl,¡± she whispered. ¡°Daan, what do you think about that poor girl?¡± The air around her flickered and darkened, churning with countless silhouettes.


    Daan clasped Charlotte¡¯s hand, thin and frigid. ¡°She talked about her parents while you were cleaning Teddy. She said her father hit her. And her mother is gone. She can¡¯t¡ªMelissa can¡¯t live like this.¡±


    He glanced at Charlotte for confirmation, but the woman¡¯s eyes were shut tight. ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that,¡± his mother sighed. ¡°Teddy explained everything quite thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we help her?¡±


    Charlotte pursed her lips, and a furrow formed on her brows. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want us to help.¡±


    Daan squeezed his mother¡¯s hand. ¡°But we don¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about Melissa,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°It¡¯s Teddy. Teddy doesn¡¯t want us to interfere. She says she can handle it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Daan raised his voice. ¡°How could she say that?¡± The boy suddenly remembered the terrifying pressure that came from Teddy when he mentioned the festival. He shivered. What was that spectre? She could even hold a normal conversation¡ªnone of the ones surrounding his mother could do that. And she said such a terrible thing, too. He couldn¡¯t imagine the kind of life Melissa had with her parents, but Teddy said they shouldn¡¯t even help her?


    Charlotte clutched her face. Her voice wavered. ¡°You don¡¯t understand, dear. Teddy made a wish at the festival ten years ago, just like mama did.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Daan asked. ¡°What does that have to do with Melissa?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what she wished for?¡± The air grew a stench of mildew, filled with the uncomfortable nostalgia that oozed from bad memories.


    ¡°No, mama.¡±


    ¡°A soulmate.¡± Charlotte¡¯s voice scrunched into a pained whisper. ¡°She wished for someone she could finally love, with everything she had. And this is what she¡¯s become. She still can¡¯t accept what happened to her. We were only kids back then, so none of us knew¡­¡±


    An uncomfortable silence filled the air. Daan sensed he was missing something important, because he didn¡¯t understand what his mother was talking about. Even so, he hugged her waist, ignoring the shadows that clung to her skin. He felt his mother smile a little as she bent down and rubbed her cheek on his head.


    ¡°But aren¡¯t we going to help her?¡± Daan asked.


    ¡°You already did.¡± Charlotte smirked. Her eye bags painted her with exhaustion. ¡°Don¡¯t think I can¡¯t hear you rummaging in the cupboards, baby.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be all we can do,¡± Daan said.


    Charlotte set her clouded gaze into the distance. ¡°We¡¯ve both grown up now. I¡¯m sure Teddy won¡¯t let Melissa get hurt. She was that kind of girl, back in the festival.¡±


    Daan frowned. Melissa¡¯s dispassionate words repeated in his mind. Her father hit her until even breathing hurt. Teddy did let Melissa get hurt. Charlotte was wrong, but Daan couldn¡¯t tell her yet, while the woman was still basking in older, fonder memories.


    ¡°But you lied.¡± Daan interrupted his mother¡¯s reminiscence. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell them it was the smiling man who took your eyes. Why?¡±


    Charlotte paused. ¡°Because mama was scared,¡± she whispered.


    Melissa ate from the bag of chips that burst open earlier. She ran forward with tiny skips and hops, breathlessly chirping her mother¡¯s lullaby. She could make up a lot of missed meals with the food in her arms. Not only that, but Teddy was clean again. Today was the best day ever.


    We don¡¯t need those greasy chips, Teddy said. Your father will bring dinner, so throw that away. Teddy hadn¡¯t spoken much after Charlotte cleaned her, so Melissa was happy to hear her voice again.


    Then, she frowned. ¡°He will?¡± How did Teddy know that?


    He will. He loves you, too.


    ¡°Like mommy did?¡±


    Of course, just like mommy. So we don¡¯t need the chips. They¡¯re unhealthy. Throw them away.


    Melissa liked Teddy¡¯s voice a bit less now, but she didn¡¯t know why. Her eyes widened as she remembered the countless times Teddy promised that her father would bring dinner with him, the countless times that promise never worked, and suddenly Teddy¡¯s voice felt like bruises. She hugged the bags tighter. Daan gave these to her. She felt the plastic crunch against her skin. The colorful bags in her arms were more real than anything else in the world. ¡°No.¡±


    Teddy fell silent. This time, Melissa didn¡¯t mind. She ate chips until she felt sick, and then she kept eating anyway. By the time she reached home, she had finished three more bags of chips. She opened the door, and, as usual, no one was home but her.


    Does it still hurt, honey? Teddy asked softly. Her voice was hesitant, as if voicing her concern made Melissa¡¯s wounds more real.


    Melissa relaxed her body. She laid down without a noise, breathing the scent of floorboards. ¡°Hurts.¡± Pain tore through her chest as she whispered. Everything hurt. She pretended it didn''t when she was in front of Daan, but she didn''t have the strength to pretend anymore.


    Teddy hugged her. It¡¯s okay, honey. Everything will be alright.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Your father didn¡¯t mean to hit you. He only got angry after you opened the freezer. He wouldn¡¯t have hit you if you hadn¡¯t opened the freezer, don¡¯t you understand? From now on, just follow what I say. I¡¯ll protect you.


    Teddy was stupid today, Melissa decided. Even if everything else she said was true, her father definitely meant to hit her when he hit her. It was so obvious to Melissa that Teddy could only be stupid today. ¡°Mm.¡±


    Since it was Friday, Melissa decided not to do her homework. Unfortunately, other than homework, there was nothing else to do. The girl spent a few minutes sitting around, wishing she had stayed at Daan¡¯s home longer. She hugged Teddy close. Strangely, at that moment, she wanted to talk with Daan more than Teddy.


    Melissa grabbed a crunchy yellow bag among the others. The label read ¡®Classic¡¯. None of the chips tasted like mashed potatoes as much as the ones in the crunchy yellow bags, she learned. Her fingers tugged against the plastic seal, revealing a draft of salty air.


    As the smell of salt smothered her nose, the girl flinched. The bag slipped from her fingers, scattering chips onto the ground. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not hungry.¡± Her stomach wanted to pop like the bag of chips from earlier, and Melissa finally realized she wasn¡¯t hungry at all. And she didn¡¯t have to eat if she wasn¡¯t hungry.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry!¡± Her expression glowed with ecstasy. ¡°Look, Teddy! I¡¯m not hungry, Teddy, I¡¯m not hungry!¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Today really was the best day ever.


    Melissa flashed a brilliant smile.


    But, for some reason, Teddy began to weep.


    Melissa¡¯s grin faltered. ¡°Teddy?¡±


    Oh god. Oh god, Teddy sobbed. What have I done? At what point did everything become so cruel? How could I let this happen to you? This was never what I wanted. I never wanted this for you, Melissa.


    Tears pricked Melissa¡¯s eyes. ¡°But I don¡¯t wanna be hungry, Teddy.¡± She knew that wasn¡¯t what Teddy meant, but she had to say it again to make sure the fullness in her stomach was real. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t cry, Teddy. Because I¡¯ve always been hungry before. Even with¡­ Mommy.¡± Her breath shivered.


    Teddy wept louder. Melissa crawled to Teddy, cuddling her deep in her arms. She hummed her mother¡¯s lullaby, trying to comfort Teddy the only way she knew how. As the song ended, Teddy¡¯s cries softened into sniffles, and her fluffy limbs hugged Melissa¡¯s waist with tight desperation.


    The girl remembered what her mother did after every lullaby. She pressed her lips onto Teddy¡¯s forehead. ¡°Feeling better?¡± Saying the phrase aloud made Melissa giddy with warmth, and she had to do it again. ¡°Feeling better, honey?¡± She grinned. ¡°Teddy, did you know? That¡¯s what mommy used to say.¡±


    Teddy froze in her arms. You remember so much. She trembled. I don¡¯t deserve you, Melissa. I don¡¯t deserve to be your mother.


    Melissa flinched. ¡°But you aren¡¯t. You aren¡¯t mommy,¡± she said tersely. Mommy was chopped into a billion pieces.


    You¡¯re right. Teddy hesitated. I¡¯m not mommy anymore.


    ¡°Anymore?¡± Melissa clenched her fists. ¡°You¡¯re stupid, Teddy. You were never mommy, never in my entire life.¡±


    You¡¯re right, Teddy whispered. I was never your mother.


    A few hours passed, and Melissa wondered if she said something wrong. Teddy wouldn¡¯t stop crying. ¡°Teddy? Why are you crying?¡±


    Melissa copied her mother¡¯s lullaby a dozen times now, but it didn¡¯t work anymore. The way Teddy wept reminded Melissa of the first night her mother disappeared, and the girl realized that now she was the ¡®Teddy¡¯ comforting ¡®Melissa¡¯. It was an odd realization.


    After everything Teddy did for her, Melissa wanted to help, too.


    She tried to recall how Teddy calmed her countless times before. ¡°Um, I¡¯m here, so don¡¯t cry?¡± She patted Teddy¡¯s fluffy forehead, and the toy whimpered in her arms.


    A minute ticked by, and Melissa realized she failed. Teddy was still crying.


    The girl was confused. Those words worked for her, so why didn¡¯t they with Teddy?


    ¡°Did I do something wrong, Teddy? Is that why you won¡¯t talk to me?¡±


    Teddy squeezed her waist silently.


    Suddenly, Melissa was struck by the sheer magnitude of her loss. ¡°Then, are you never going to talk with me again?¡± Tears welled in her eyes. ¡°Teddy, please say something!¡±


    Just as the silence hurt bad, Teddy finally spoke.


    Sorry, honey. I¡¯m tired.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Melissa said, but her smile claimed otherwise. ¡°You¡¯ll keep talking with me, right?¡±


    Of course. And I love you.


    Melissa giggled, mushing Teddy¡¯s fluffy face in her hands.


    The door slammed shut behind her, sending tremors in the floor and walls. Melissa froze. With the slightest creak of her head, from the corner of her eye, the girl met her father¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Who are you talking with?¡± Her father stared at her. His face wasn¡¯t red with drink. How long had he watched her?


    ¡°Teddy,¡± Melissa said, her smile crumbling. She stumbled backward as her father stepped closer. Her ribs throbbed. Her breath seized in her throat. The man snatched Teddy from her arms. He glanced at it once. Then, he tossed it back to her.


    Her father was different today. He wasn¡¯t angry, but that only frightened Melissa more. His expression wasn¡¯t something she was used to. He was going to hurt her again, she knew it.


    The man held out the box in his hand. ¡°I bought cake.¡±


    ¡°Cake?¡± Melissa¡¯s eyes glimmered. ¡°Why?¡±


    Her father set the box on the table. He opened the box, and Melissa leaned forward to see what was inside.


    ¡°Woah!¡± she cheered. A plain white cake stared back at her, perfectly round and delicious. Her father stared at her quietly as she bounced in her seat. He handed her a spoon, which Melissa immediately stabbed into the frosting.


    The girl carved out a chunk of cake. Three layers of frosting and three layers of sponge bread basked in the scarlet sunset. ¡°Daddy, you aren¡¯t eating?¡±


    Her father didn¡¯t respond.


    Melissa ate a quarter of the cake before she slowed down. The sweetness became hard to swallow. Her chest hurt. The cake tasted like blood, and she didn¡¯t have any water. Swallowing hurt. It always did since yesterday, but now it hurt a lot more. After eating another spoonful, she finally stopped, feeling quite sick of cake. ¡°I¡¯m full.¡±


    Her father stared at her.


    Dear, Teddy whispered hopefully. You didn¡¯t mean to hit Melissa yesterday, didn¡¯t you? You¡¯re trying to apologize to her, isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re doing, dear? Her voice wavered.


    ¡°You love me.¡± The man petted the girl¡¯s hair, softly, slowly. ¡°You love me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I-I love you, Teddy whimpered. Please, Melissa. Say it too.


    The cake churned in Melissa¡¯s stomach, rising to her throat. She didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°More than your mother, right? She ran away, didn¡¯t I tell you? I can¡¯t believe she abandoned us, Melissa. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d just¡ªrun away like that. But I¡¯ve always been here for you. I¡¯m here for you because I love you. You love me more, too.¡± Her father took her spoon out of her hands, cutting out his own chunk of cake. His hands trembled as he gazed at each of his fingers. As he ate, his shivers subsided, and his expression slowly darkened. ¡°Ah¡ªthat¡ªfucking bitch.¡± He made a strange sound, a mix between a growl and a whisper. Melissa focused hard, but she couldn¡¯t quite understand what his words meant.


    Say it, Melissa. You love daddy more, don¡¯t you? He was really sad after mommy left, so you have to say it, Teddy pleaded.


    The taste of cake and chips bubbled to Melissa¡¯s tongue. It wasn¡¯t only that she didn¡¯t want to say it, but she physically couldn¡¯t. Melissa felt like if she agreed with her father, all the food in her stomach would splatter onto the table. Why did she feel so sick?


    Melissa knew why. Because she hated lies. Because mommy didn¡¯t run away, it was daddy who put her in the freezer. She just saw it yesterday, but now he was trying to lie to her again.


    ¡°Why is mommy in the freezer?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°What did she do?¡±


    Her father¡¯s face twisted into something ugly. His nails clawed into the table, and his beady stare latched onto her skin. Here he was. He was going to hit her now. Teddy whimpered, shrinking away, but this time Melissa stared back. She was scared, but she felt something else, too. Her voice didn¡¯t waver. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You and your stupid questions,¡± the man hissed. His spit smelled like bruises. He muttered filthier words beneath his breath, and Melissa¡¯s hands rose to guard her face.


    Even so, she stared back at him, unblinking.


    The longer she stared, the more vicious his face became. His hands grew green-blue veins as he gripped them into fists. ¡°You like to ask questions, don¡¯t you? Then I¡¯ll tell you why,¡± he snarled. ¡°Because Audrey never loved you. Ever since you were born, she hated everything about you. Don¡¯t you get it? Because Audrey never wanted you, and that¡¯s why I killed her, Melissa! I killed her for you, you worthless bitch!¡±


    The man¡¯s screams echoed across the room, settling into an eerie calm.


    ¡°Understand?¡± he asked quietly.


    Melissa hiccupped.


    No no no, Teddy sobbed. That¡¯s not true, you know that isn¡¯t true! Mommy loved you so much, Melissa. You were the world to her. She never wanted to leave you behind!


    Melissa clutched her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. The voices hurt. Everything spun in her head, and she didn¡¯t want to think anymore. She rocked in her seat, pressing her palms to her skull as if to hold her brain in place.


    Even after he explained why he killed mommy, Melissa couldn¡¯t understand. Wasn¡¯t he wrong? It didn¡¯t matter if mommy never loved her or if she never wanted her to ever exist. Wasn¡¯t it only his fault that she was in the freezer?


    Her mother didn¡¯t run away.


    She was murdered. Killed. Chopped into so many pieces she couldn¡¯t even count anymore.


    By who?


    The girl¡¯s eyes widened, and, for the first time, she felt the same rage that filled her father¡¯s eyes whenever he hit her.


    ¡°Then I hate you,¡± she spat.


    The man¡¯s expression froze.


    A searing pain.


    Melissa¡¯s vision flashed gray-pink as her father slapped her face. Her teeth burst with salty red. She tumbled off the seat. When she blinked the spots away, her father had raised the chair above his head, above her body. Teddy was screaming something, hugging her waist, but Melissa couldn¡¯t focus on her words.


    And then she felt her father screaming something too, beating her with the chair; and the chair legs, stabbing into her body, shattered her, bone by bone. Her head hurt so bad she could hardly feel it.


    Instead, the girl felt an exhilaration, a terribly liberating sensation deep within her chest that washed away all the pain in her body.


    ¡®I hate you.¡¯


    Hate. It was a word she had never considered, especially toward her father. It felt strange on her tongue, awfully purple and gray. And it felt good. Hate.


    As her thoughts began to fade, Melissa realized she was dying. She wondered if she would be put in the freezer now, just like her mother. She imagined the frozen chunks of her own body, mixed up and mashed together with her mother¡¯s corpse. Mommy was dead, and now she¡¯d be dead with her. What did ¡®dead¡¯ mean? A whimper escaped Melissa¡¯s lips. The memory of her mother¡¯s lifeless eyes flashed in her mind. Mommy was dead, she was dead, and that¡¯s what being dead meant, cut into a million pieces that could never sing for her again.


    The girl wished she would die sooner, so she wouldn¡¯t have to cry anymore.

 Pretty Little Rabbit

    Melissa was dying. A rising shriek grew in her chest as she watched the chair rise, her husband¡¯s screams, the sickening crack below. Melissa¡¯s eyes, glazing over into fragile glass beads.


    This wasn¡¯t what she wished for. Ten years ago, when she finally wished for her perfect love, she never imagined something like this. When she met him, when they married, and when she finally became pregnant with Melissa, she never imagined watching her perfect love beat their daughter to death in front of her.


    Just¡­ stop already. She barely mustered her voice. Her throat, if she had one, was shattered from screaming. And even if he could hear her, he never listened, anyway. Ever since Melissa was born, he became someone different. That had to be the moment he changed. Or maybe he never changed at all. Audrey couldn¡¯t remember.


    She embraced Melissa¡¯s body, hiding her from the worst blows. The man kicked her off, sending her sprawling to the floorboards. If someone, anyone, could stop that man right now¡­


    Audrey prayed for a miracle.


    A discordant whistle pierced through the door.


    For an instant, the entire room froze. This, Audrey thought, was also not what she wished for. That smiling monster was outside the door. A hollow melody. She knew its smile. Oh, she could picture its rubbery grin, its glassy, lifeless stare. Why was he here, now of all times? Or did he respond to her prayer?


    ¡°What the hell?¡± the man whispered. ¡°Who¡¯s outside! Go away!¡±


    The doorknob jiggled.


    Her husband faced the door. ¡°It¡¯s locked! I¡¯ll call the police!¡± He raised his chair higher.


    Audrey inched to her daughter¡¯s side. If she didn¡¯t know better, it almost looked like Melissa was sleeping. But the woman knew that underneath her clothes were blood-swollen bruises, torn skin, and she could already see the stains seeping into the girl¡¯s dress. Could a hospital fix something like this? Was it already too late?


    Oh god, Melissa, Audrey whispered. Please stay with mommy now. Don¡¯t leave me here. I love you.


    Melissa¡¯s expression scrunched. Her body convulsed as she coughed a pool of bloody spit. Her breaths sounded like gurgles, straining past her throat.


    Someone knocked on the door before shaking the doorknob again. Despite being locked, the door creaked open. A single glazed eye peeked from the slit, and before her husband could react, the door swung wide, revealing a perfectly inhuman smile.


    ¡°Good evening, Mister and Missus,¡± the smiling man¡¯s voice was completely flat. ¡°And Melissa Cardoso, pretty little rabbit.¡±


    The chair in her husband¡¯s hands clattered to the floor. The smiling man grew taller as he approached, until his head dragged against the ceiling. His rubbery smile swayed gently above them, back and forth.


    Why are you here? Audrey asked shortly.


    ¡°She will die,¡± the smiling man said. Audrey glanced at Melissa, and her hair bristled with shock. Even under the glowing sunset, Melissa¡¯s face was lifeless pale, almost gray. Her gasps for breath had turned into choked whispers.


    Can you¡ª Audrey¡¯s voice caught in her chest. She knew better than to ask the smiling man for help, but she couldn¡¯t think straight. Please, help me. Save Melissa.


    The man grabbed her husband¡¯s shoulders, turning him to face her. ¡°I will help you. May I kill him? It will help you.¡± Her husband¡¯s eyes widened as the smiling man¡¯s voice hummed above him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me!¡± her husband screamed, craning his head to meet the smiling man¡¯s eyes. His expression paled as the man¡¯s rubbery smile only grew wider, stretching and straining until he could see every perfect-white tooth, down to the bloodstained molars.


    Why? Isn¡¯t there any other way?


    The smiling man paused. For a moment, his smile abated. ¡°I pity you, truly. You weren¡¯t meant to be a mother. Your daughter surely agrees. Poor little thing. What made you think you could finally be happy? When you found ¡®love¡¯ again, why did you think this time would be any different? Should I leave? Should I leave the girl to bleed away? Tell me, little rabbit; tell me who should die.¡±


    Audrey fell silent. Why, why did everything have to become so cruel? She had to save them both. Who could support Melissa if he died too? Where could she go? And Melissa couldn¡¯t work. Only he worked, made money, bought food. He worked so Melissa could live, otherwise she would have died a long time ago.


    Save him. She had to save him. Then he could support Melissa. Save her husband and leave Melissa to die¡ª


    What the hell was she thinking?


    The smiling man looked at her husband, then looked at her with his fixed glassy stare. His smile stretched taut. ¡°He can hear you now.¡±


    Audrey froze. Dear?


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Her husband¡¯s eyes darted across the room. His voice trembled.


    It¡¯s me, dear. It¡¯s Audrey! She tried to lift her arm, but it only flopped to her side.


    His eyes widened. The man hid his face, instantly bursting into tears. Apologies streamed from his lips, countless ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯s and ¡®I didn¡¯t mean to¡¯s that melded into one incoherent whimper. ¡°Please. I don¡¯t want to die. Don¡¯t let me die, Audrey.¡±


    Audrey paused. I didn¡¯t want to die either, she said slowly, tasting each word. Her voice shivered. I didn¡¯t want to die. Don¡¯t you remember? When I had Melissa, I was so happy. I always wanted her. I-I always loved her. You lied. You lied to hurt her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to kill you,¡± her husband whispered. ¡°It was only an accident.¡±


    Audrey trembled. She believed him. No, it wasn¡¯t that. She really, really wanted to believe him, but now, with Melissa on the floor, she simply couldn¡¯t anymore. Then this was an accident, too?


    Melissa coughed more blood behind them.


    ¡°Yes,¡± her husband mumbled. ¡°Please, believe me.¡±


    She¡¯s dying. Our daughter. Audrey felt her voice rise until she began to scream, louder than she ever had at him when she was alive.


    You said¡ªyou promised!


    You promised you would never hurt her again! You promised the day you killed me! What was the point of it all? When you never try? When you never change?


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    She paused, breath hitching. When she spoke again, her words were barely a whisper. I can''t even recognize you anymore. But maybe he never changed, and she was just making things up. Maybe he never changed but she didn''t notice and didn''t care. Now Melissa was dying on the floor, her eyes fading glass beads.


    Audrey¡¯s voice broke into a weeping sob. In that moment, she remembered everything that led to the scene before her. All her husband¡¯s promises and all the times he broke them. A sickening self-hatred grew in her chest, twisting so painfully in her heart. What illusion did she see back then? If only she never met him, never loved him, never married him¡ª


    If only she never brought Melissa into a world like this.


    That monster was right. She didn¡¯t deserve to be a mother. Because a real mother would have never given birth to Melissa, into a world where her only choice was to suffer.


    Melissa was right. She was never her mother, never in her entire life.


    ¡°I did! I tried, I swear!¡± the man gasped for breath. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry!¡±


    Audrey fell silent. She turned to the smiling man. Her voice wavered. I-I just¡ª Her husband clasped his hands together, praying. He looked so sad. He looked like he would never do it again, even more than when he said it last time. Will he do it again? If you leave? It was hardly a question worth asking. She knew the answer, but her mind couldn¡¯t bear its weight.


    ¡°Do what again?¡± the smiling man asked innocently. ¡°Will you choose to find out? Poor little thing. If I leave, the girl dies. If I stay, the girl lives. Those are the two options, little rabbit. Those are the only two outcomes. Don¡¯t think about anything else.¡±


    Audrey gulped. She looked at her husband, that wretched expression and the man she fell in love with. Even before she spoke, thoughts of shame filled her mind. The words she wanted to say utterly disgusted her. Who was she kidding? She wished for all of this. She wished for a soulmate. Who was she to decide to take that back? This was the man she had Melissa with. Her soulmate, who had always hurt her. She didn¡¯t deserve anyone different. Her punishment.


    But for some reason, she also felt a wave of relief. Something gravitated her to take the smiling man¡¯s offer, to finally set herself free from the wish she made what seemed like a lifetime ago.


    Then¡­


    Audrey looked away from her praying husband. The smiling man stared back at her, and his emotionless grin twisted with a hint of glee.


    Then save Melissa, you devil.


    In the end, she made her decision.


    Her husband opened his mouth, but he couldn¡¯t even scream before his body began to twist, arms and legs folding upon themselves, wringing dry like a filthy dishrag. The corpse splattered onto the floorboards. Remnants of flesh sank into the ground, and the pools of blood dissolved into nothing.


    In an instant, her husband was gone, as if he never existed.


    The smiling man clapped twice. ¡°Congratulations. Do you remember who you are now? The flower has wilted, but the roots remain. You are still a killer, little rabbit. Our little killer.¡±


    Audrey caught her breath. I didn¡¯t want to. He¡¯s dead. Oh god. I-I killed him.


    The man laughed flatly. ¡°You¡¯ve done worse, little rabbit. What¡¯s changed? Or were the others justified to you? Oh, you¡¯ve done far too much to feel pity for yourself here.¡±


    Audrey shivered. Save Melissa. The woman clutched Melissa¡¯s hand, ignoring the smiling man¡¯s taunts. There was no time for conversation, not when the girl¡¯s skin was ash gray. Melissa wasn¡¯t struggling for breath anymore. She wasn¡¯t breathing.


    ¡°It is you who will save her. I shall gift you an ability. You needn''t return it.¡± The smiling man¡¯s expression was as unreadable as ever. He shrunk to a more human height, leaning above Melissa¡¯s body.


    Just save her¡ª!


    The smiling man¡¯s fingers wrapped around Audrey¡¯s neck. He clenched his hand, and a wave of cold seared into her mind, choking her thoughts. She felt something enter her brain, burning her insides like a molten brand.


    In the back of her mind, amid her screams, she heard a faint voice.


    ¡°Prepare her well,¡± the smiling man whispered. ¡°She will dance on the stage.¡±


    Melissa opened her eyes.


    Her body felt light and strange. Nothing hurt as she lay on the ground, contemplating the midnight ceiling above her. She felt paralyzed. Yet, she felt relieved, too. She wasn¡¯t inside the freezer, and she realized how good that was. She didn¡¯t want to die, especially because mommy wasn¡¯t in the freezer anymore.


    The girl clenched both hands, then unclenched them. She squeezed her eyes shut and wiggled on the ground. She shuddered with delight and sat up.


    The room was dark. Moonlight peeked from the window, washing the leftover cake with a coat of ash-blue. Melissa reached forward and ate another piece. She tried to think, but the only thought she had was to bask in her painlessness for one more second.


    Something knocked on the balcony door. From behind the glass, a very tall man gestured at her to come closer.


    The girl walked forward, opening the door. As the man¡¯s face contorted before her eyes, Melissa realized it was the smiling man.


    ¡°Good midnight,¡± he said. Melissa had never heard of such a phrase, but the man continued. ¡°Daddy is gone now.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I killed him.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Melissa said.


    ¡°If you could wish for anything,¡± the smiling man said, leaning onto the balcony rails, ¡°what would you wish for?¡±


    Melissa propped her chin with her hand, copying the smiling man. They stared at each other. A long time ago, Melissa wished to be in the freezer with mommy, but that was far from what she wanted now. Anything. ¡°I¡¯d wish for mommy back.¡± That much was obvious, even for her. She stared at the full moon, and it stared back at her, reminding her of potato chips. ¡°And talk with Daan more,¡± she added as a faint afterthought.


    ¡°Those are wonderful wishes,¡± the smiling man said. ¡°Do you remember the festival? I told you yesterday.¡±


    Melissa nodded. ¡°The festival to wish for anything?¡±


    ¡°You can make any wish you want there. Even wish for mommy to come back from the freezer, and listen to that sweet melody once again. My master can make any wish come true.¡± He looked at the moon. ¡°I discussed matters with your¡­ friend. She will prepare you nicely. Struggle well, little rabbit. Give me a show.¡±


    The man¡¯s smile creased higher.


    Before Melissa could process those words, the smiling man was gone.


    Under the silence of night, Melissa held her breath. Any wish. She didn¡¯t quite understand before, but didn¡¯t anything mean¡­?


    The girl watched the bright blue moon and the stars painting the sky. Her hand reached upward, reaching for the cusp of its pale glow. She climbed onto the railing, balancing delicately on the metal bar. She touched the moon, and it hummed in her palm. Somewhere above, Melissa could see heaven where the good people went when they died and mommy was there because she was dead too. With one wish, she could bring her back. The smiling man said so, because he said anything.


    She looked down, flinched at the forty-foot drop in front of her, and climbed off the railing. Even then, the brightness in her eyes remained, as if a fragment of the stars had descended to live in her pupils.


    Returning inside, Melissa saw Teddy lying flat on the floorboards. ¡°Teddy? Are you sleeping?¡± She prodded the bear with her finger.


    Teddy moaned. Hurts, she mumbled. Tears of blood leaked from her buttoned eyes, gliding off her fur and dripping onto the floorboards. Oh god, Melissa. It hurts.


    Melissa clutched Teddy to her chest. She noticed that her own dress was soaked with drying blood. ¡°Daddy hit me with the chair, but I don¡¯t hurt. Why?¡± she wondered.


    Teddy could barely speak. Good, she said with a gasp of pain. Do you love me?


    ¡°I love you,¡± Melissa said easily. She repeated it twice more, and Teddy¡¯s pain seemed to lessen. Her body relaxed, and after a while, Melissa realized Teddy had fallen asleep, nestled in her arms. Was this how her mother felt back when she hugged her? It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling, the girl decided.


    Melissa set Teddy beside the leftover cake. She laid her head on the table, staring into the toy¡¯s buttoned eyes. Her conversation with the smiling man floated to her mind. She could wish for anything. Even for her mother to be alive again. Her excitement edged into nausea, twisting drums inside her chest. The exhilaration in her stomach was different from not feeling hungry, she realized. It permeated through her entire body, that blissful feeling, resting on her palish lips and filling her eyes with hues of starlight.


    For the first time since her mother died, Melissa¡¯s dreams were filled with hope.

 Are you happy?

    Melissa woke to the chirps of birdsong and the tang of dried blood. She peeled away her clothes, scratching at the red flakes that stuck to her skin. Itchy. For the past few days, she didn¡¯t have the will to wash herself. Now it sounded like a good idea.


    Usually, when Teddy forced her to wash, Melissa had to make sure her father wasn¡¯t home before using his bathroom. He said she was supposed to use the restrooms at school, because she wasn¡¯t allowed to use his.


    Well, she didn¡¯t have to worry about that anymore.


    Melissa turned on the shower. As she waited for the water to warm, she grabbed a towel from her room. Teddy was still sleeping, and the girl didn¡¯t feel like waking her.


    Pleasantly warm water pitter-pattered on her skin, pooling down the drain with rust-colored runoff. Her fingers fashioned themselves into claws and gouged at her tangled brown hair. She scrubbed her body for dried blood, cleaning everywhere except the small part of her back she couldn¡¯t reach well.


    The shower turned off with a soft click. The curtains swished. Her hair was almost black now, glossed dark with water, and her eyes glimmered with the same light from yesterday. Melissa smiled, and the yellow-stained reflection in the mirror did the same. It was a bright, vibrant tilt, one that she wasn¡¯t used to.


    Then, she frowned. The image of Teddy crying tears of blood resurfaced to her mind.


    ¡°¡®Hurts¡¯...¡± the girl whispered, remembering what Teddy whimpered in her arms yesterday. Melissa was struck with a sense of unease. What happened while she was asleep? Teddy was hurt, while her own body was fixed. It didn¡¯t make sense.


    After she dressed, Melissa returned to the living room. Teddy had fallen from the table. The stuffed toy sprawled on the floor, giving off an impression of helplessness. ¡°You¡¯re awake now,¡± Melissa noted.


    Are you happy? Teddy''s voice wasn¡¯t bitter like the last time she asked that question, the morning after Melissa opened the freezer. It was tentative this time, like her feelings actually mattered.


    Melissa tilted her head, but it didn¡¯t take long to place her feelings into words. ¡°Mm. Nothing hurts. Daddy is gone.¡±


    Good, Teddy said. She trembled in her arms. You don¡¯t have to say you love him anymore. I¡¯m sorry for trying to force you yesterday. I was so selfish. Do you forgive me?


    ¡°M¡¯kay.¡± Melissa never understood why Teddy kept apologizing to her. In fact, she didn¡¯t understand apologies in general. She only knew that ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ was an important phrase she could use to lighten her punishments sometimes. It was apparent to her that adults often gave meaning to meaningless things.


    But maybe she was the same as them. When Melissa first opened the freezer, she apologized too, just like Teddy did. For months, Melissa believed her mother abandoned her because her father said so. She didn¡¯t know the truth. She hated her mother for running away.


    That day, she found the corpse in the freezer, cut into chunks and frozen in ice.


    The corpse abandoned her. Her father said so.


    She believed his lies so easily.


    Melissa hated her mother so much. She hated her own mother, who was already dead.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯


    The girl wondered why she said those words back then, bursting past her lips with uncontrollable tears.


    Why did she apologize? What was she apologizing for? Her throat prickled. She knew the answer, the reason far too painful to place into words. Melissa squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm her breath.


    Melissa breathed slowly. The air was gloomy with mildew.


    Is something wrong, honey?


    ¡°The festival,¡± she mumbled. It seemed the wish was the only thought keeping her alive. The girl visualized everything about her mother she had buried inside her mind, carving them back into her memories. The times they held each together, the sound of her laugh, the toys, smiles, and her mother¡¯s scent buzzed in her head.


    Audrey Cardoso. That was her mother¡¯s name, Melissa remembered.


    The festival, Teddy echoed. Her voice shifted to anger, then grief. That damned monster. I can¡¯t let you go, Melissa. I love you. I-I can¡¯t have you go. She mourned as if the girl was already dead.


    ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± Melissa said quickly. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m alive, right? Mommy can come back. I can wish for anything.¡±


    Teddy hesitated. She buried her face into the girl¡¯s stomach. Mommy doesn¡¯t care about that. Honey. Please. Don¡¯t go. You won¡¯t come back.


    Melissa shook her head. Nothing could change her mind. Teddy shivered, wrapping her arms around Melissa¡¯s waist.


    You won¡¯t come back, Teddy repeated softly.


    Melissa ignored the voice, grabbing several bags of potato chips from the floor. She opened two blackish bags and ate breakfast, but her mind couldn¡¯t focus on the delicious flavors. She needed to wish for her mother back, because that was the only thought keeping her alive. Otherwise, what else was she alive for? She didn¡¯t have anything else. The orange dust on her fingers tasted like smoke and sugar, dissolving on her tongue.


    Teddy said she wouldn¡¯t come back. Melissa tried to imagine what that meant. If she went to the festival, then she could never go back home.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Home? As in the empty drink bottles littering the ground, the glass shards beneath her feet, the stench of filth?


    She would never return home again.


    So what? Melissa didn¡¯t care if she never returned. There was nothing, no one, waiting for her. Only rotten ice.


    The pale walls began to morph into gaunt, frozen skin. A familiar face, coated with a sheen of ice. Melissa clutched her head, holding back a whimper. ¡°But the smiling man said you would prepare me, Teddy. Liar. Liar.¡± Her expression was glazed, unreadable. The glimmer in her eyes faded into a familiar dullness.


    ¡­Prepare you? What are you thinking! I only accepted his conditions to save you, Melissa. Taking you to that festival is nothing more than suicide!


    The girl chewed slower, chips crunching in her mouth until they turned into mush. She swallowed the last of her breakfast. She stood up, clutching Teddy in her arms.


    Honey? Teddy asked as the girl walked outside. The faintest hint of dawn peeked from the horizon. The streetlamps buzzed and glowed, still orbited by moths and other night insects. Where are you going?


    The girl clambered down the stairs, ignoring the voice in her head. She reached the traffic intersection.


    The speaker buzzed. ¡°Wait¡ª Wait¡ª Wait. Please wait for the crosswalk.¡± The girl pressed the button a fourth time, and the command replayed with the same monotone. ¡°Wait. Please wait for the crosswalk.¡±


    Did I say something that upset you? Honey? You can talk to me. Where are we going? Be careful! Teddy¡¯s voice crept with panic.


    Melissa looked right, then left, searching for oncoming cars. A red palm glared at her from the other side of the street. She scampered across the striped white lines, squeezing Teddy to her chest as she ran. A truck whizzed inches behind her. Her clothes thrashed in the wind. Teddy shrieked.


    She ran until she reached a building, red and tall, and she climbed until she reached a door numbered three-nine-five. The girl¡¯s breath wheezed and hitched. Her lips shivered pale. She pounded on the door. The doorknob jiggled as she tried to turn it.


    Something shifted behind the door. ¡°What do you want?¡± Charlotte¡¯s voice whispered, faint with exhaustion, and the woman wept as Melissa jiggled the doorknob again. ¡°Go away.¡± It sounded like she was pressing against the door, using her body to jam it shut.


    ¡°Help me,¡± Melissa said.


    The weeping noise halted. A minute passed before the door swept open. Charlotte¡¯s cheeks were inflamed with red, highlighting the paths of her tears. ¡°Is that you, Melissa? What are you doing here so early? Daan¡¯s still in bed, but come in, come in!¡± It reminded Melissa of her mother¡¯s smile, how it forced itself wider with each bruise bled onto her skin. Charlotte¡¯s grin was more nostalgic than beautiful, the girl realized. The more Melissa looked, the more pitiful it became, until she had to stop looking because she didn¡¯t want to cry again.


    Melissa stepped inside. The air was freezing. Her breaths blew snow into the air, and something was watching her, something she couldn¡¯t see. Frigid hands caressed her body, feeling her skin.


    Melissa shivered. A second passed before the sensation dissipated. The unknown presence¡¯s attention flicked away, and the cold abated slightly.


    Charlotte coughed. Her skin was almost ice. ¡°So Melissa, is Teddy with you? Is something wrong?¡±


    I¡¯m here, Teddy replied. A lot has happened since yesterday.


    Teddy explained what Melissa¡¯s father did to her last night, and how the smiling man offered a choice between two lives. Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened as Teddy confessed to accepting the smiling man¡¯s offer, killing one to save the other. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t blame yourself for what happened,¡± Charlotte mumbled. ¡°You made the right choice. But¡­ well, I¡¯m sorry you had to decide between them.¡±


    Another apology. What was Charlotte apologizing for?


    Thank you, Teddy said thinly. That monster said the condition for saving her was to bring her to the festival. He¡¯s playing some sick joke on me, Charlotte. So I save Melissa, just to see her leave me again? You know what it¡¯s like there. She won¡¯t survive. You barely did.


    ¡°The smiling man said you¡¯d prepare me,¡± Melissa interrupted. ¡°What does that mean?¡± Frankly, Melissa wasn¡¯t even sure what the festival was, only that it could fulfill her reason for living.


    Charlotte pursed her lips. Melissa¡¯s question was promptly ignored. ¡°A sick joke¡­ That¡¯s what it seemed like to me, too.¡± Her hands rose to her clouded eyes. ¡°I lied before. That monster took my eyes. He knocks on my door every night to remind us what he took from me.¡± Her voice cracked.


    Teddy bristled with anger. What? That bastard¡­


    The woman hugged her legs. Her clouded stare dimmed even further, lingering on a patch of floor. Melissa could barely hear the woman¡¯s voice. ¡°I used to tell stories to Daan. About spectres. The festival. I-I left out the worst parts, but he never wanted to go. I taught him that much.¡±


    Charlotte took a shuddering breath. Her expression twisted. When she spoke again, her whisper turned into shrieks. ¡°But that monster convinced my son by taking my eyes! He said the wish would bring my eyes back! But I don¡¯t care about my eyes, Daan¡ªI don¡¯t care, don¡¯t you understand? Why can¡¯t you just stay with me?¡± Charlotte sobbed, clutching her face.


    Melissa recognized those words. Teddy said something similar, too, how mommy didn¡¯t care about that. Still, nothing could dissuade Melissa from her decision. That wish was the reason she existed in this world.


    He wants the children, Teddy said slowly. They¡¯re, children of past winners. Do you remember that cult freak? He was one of them. The winners can¡¯t go again, so he wants the next alternative. Melissa. Daan.


    Melissa frowned. If she understood Teddy correctly, then she was ¡®legacies¡¯. That meant her father won the festival. Or was it her mother? She found it strange how Teddy would know something like that. Actually, Teddy knew a lot of stuff she didn¡¯t know, and even seemed older than her. For the first time, Melissa was curious who Teddy was. She decided to ask Daan later.


    The boy in question burst into the living room, panting. ¡°Mama, are you okay? I heard screaming.¡± He looked at Charlotte, then Melissa, then Teddy. ¡°Uh, did I interrupt something? Morning, Melissa.¡±


    ¡°Morning,¡± Melissa said. She stared at him. Now that Daan was here, the previous conversation was conveniently forgotten.


    Charlotte hid her face from Daan, wiping away her tears with her sleeve. ¡°No, baby. You came just in time.¡± Daan gave her a look that said ¡®for what?¡¯, but Charlotte was blind. ¡°If her father¡¯s gone now, that means she¡¯s living alone, right?¡±


    Yes, Teddy admitted. But¡ª


    ¡°Then let¡¯s help you move out, Melly! Aww~¡± Charlotte pinched Melly¡¯s cheeks, giggling as she doggedly squirmed away from her. There was no time for Melly to react as Charlotte ushered her out the door.


    Then, Charlotte turned to Daan, holding out her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    Daan took his mother¡¯s hand, and a hint of grief touched his expression. Only he knew how fake his mother¡¯s smile was, the mask she wore to hide her pain. ¡°Careful, mama.¡± He sighed, gently guiding her forward.


    With one wish, he could make her smile real again.

 Returning Home

    ¡°...Melly?¡± Melly asked. She was Melly now? The girl hadn¡¯t noticed her new name until they reached the crosswalk. As they waited for the red hand to turn into a walking guy, she pondered which name was better. Next to her, Daan led Charlotte by the hand. They were pressed to each other like melted gummy bears. Melly was a bad name, Melissa decided. She didn¡¯t like it.


    Her expression must¡¯ve been funny, because Daan laughed. ¡°She gives nicknames to everyone. Well, she just shortened your name this time, so it isn¡¯t too bad. Could¡¯ve been a lot worse. She always calls me ¡®baby¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± Melissa frowned, but she wasn¡¯t really mad. Melly sounded too much like jelly. ¡°I hate jelly.¡± She tried it once when her mother was still alive and threw up real bad.


    Before Daan could respond, the red hand turned into a walking guy. Cars parted along their path, emptying the crosswalks. Melissa trembled as she stepped along the white lines. Cars growled quietly as she passed them, ready to pounce at a moment¡¯s notice. She didn¡¯t understand why Daan was smiling, staring straight into their maws, much less the look of unconcern on Charlotte¡¯s face, who couldn¡¯t even react if they decided to ambush.


    She squeezed Teddy, who squeezed her in return. Once they were below the walking guy again, Melissa finally remembered to breathe.


    The rest of the trip was much simpler. Melissa led the way, clambering up the corrugated metal stairs. Their steps bounced metallic echoes along the alleyway below them. She pushed open the apartment door, revealing the sight of home.


    Instantly, Charlotte pinched her nose. ¡°Baby, how bad is it?¡±


    ¡°Bad,¡± Daan answered. His eyes widened as he comprehended the sight before him. He glanced at Melissa and wordlessly took her hand. ¡°It¡¯s worse than you thought.¡± He went on to describe the most notable aspects out loud so Charlotte could ¡®see¡¯ as well. Piles of beer bottles spread into carpets of broken glass, scattered mounds of filth, mulch, and other rotting trash. Splintered furniture, torn pillows, cushions vomiting old foam stuffing. Suspicious stains of all sorts of colors. And, oddly enough, a single half-eaten cake on the only unbroken table, placed in the center of the room.


    Charlotte pursed her lips. ¡°Teddy?¡±


    I didn¡¯t notice¡­ I-it wasn¡¯t this dirty before, I swear! It wasn¡¯t like this before!


    ¡°Teddy?¡± Charlotte repeated. Her voice was dangerously light.


    I¡¯m sorry, Teddy whispered.


    An apology. Melissa set Teddy on the table, distancing herself.


    ¡°Not to me!¡± Charlotte exclaimed. ¡°Who should you say that to? Don¡¯t you know? To your own goddamn-!¡±


    Shut up, Teddy growled. I¡¯m sorry, Melissa.


    Another apology. ¡°Why do you always say sorry to me, Teddy?¡± Melissa wondered. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. I don¡¯t want it.¡±


    See? Teddy remarked pointedly. I¡¯ve said enough to her. She¡¯s fine.


    Daan nudged Melissa, raising his eyebrow. She tried her best to explain the conversation. ¡°Um, your mommy is angry,¡± she said. ¡°Teddy is angry too and says sorry again. I don¡¯t like sorries.¡±


    The boy gave her a strange look. ¡°Mom, what¡¯s going on?¡± Melissa felt a stab of betrayal as he turned to Charlotte for a better answer.


    ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± the woman muttered as she covered her eyes. ¡°I was just confused how Teddy could let this happen, especially to her own dau¡ª¡±


    SHUT THE FUCK UP! Teddy screamed. Her fur writhed and shivered. Melissa leapt back. For a moment, Teddy reminded Melissa of her father.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you let her know?¡± Charlotte asked softly. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt to stay away from her, knowing she¡¯s right next to you? Doesn¡¯t it hurt? How can you bear the pain?¡± Melissa squeezed close to Daan, utterly confused and quite scared of Teddy. Now, she felt, would be the worst time to interrupt them. But she wanted to so badly. Who was right next to Teddy, and why would it hurt? Melissa sensed that she had missed something really important.


    Teddy was silent.


    Charlotte scooped Teddy from the table. ¡°Daan, could you go with Melissa and buy some treats from the store? Teddy and I have things to discuss. Woman to woman.¡± She handed Daan a pale-pink wallet, and her attention barely shifted from Teddy as she shooed them away.


    Daan led Melissa away, closing the door behind them. ¡°That was weird,¡± he remarked. ¡°My mom was really angry. She was talking to Teddy, right?¡± As Melissa nodded, his expression turned pensive. ¡°Then, was the ¡®her¡¯ she said, referring to you, Melissa?¡±


    The girl tilted her head. That was the most confusing sentence she had ever heard.


    Daan explained further. ¡°Because the person right next to Teddy is Melissa. If Teddy was ¡®you¡¯ and Melissa was ¡®her¡¯, then my mom meant that it hurt Teddy to stay away from Melissa, which is you. But that doesn¡¯t make sense, because you two are always together, like she just said,¡± Daan muttered, stumped by his own ramblings. ¡°Right?¡±


    Melissa nodded dutifully. She only understood ¡®that doesn¡¯t make sense¡¯ and figured the rest wasn¡¯t supposed to make sense as well.


    Daan squinted at her. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t get it either.¡± He lifted the wallet in his hands. ¡°Do you want to buy anything? I''ve been in charge of groceries ever since that monster took my mom¡¯s eyes.¡± At the mention of the smiling man, the boy scrunched his expression.


    They were down the stairs now, but Melissa didn¡¯t know what she could buy from stores, nor what groceries were.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Teddy?¡± Melissa asked, remembering what she wanted to ask him. How was Teddy so old, and how did she know so many things?


    ¡°What¡¯s Teddy? She¡¯s a spectre,¡± Daan replied, changing her question into something he could answer. ¡°A pretty weird one too, stuck in a teddy bear. And she¡¯s fully conscious, judging from how you guys talk to her. Do you know what spectres are?¡± Melissa shook her head. ¡°Spectres are basically ghosts. If you die in really bad circumstances, or under really high emotions, you can turn into one. Like making diamonds from pressure. My mom says high emotions are key.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Melissa said. She blinked as she processed the new information. ¡°So, like mommy? Was mommy in a bad stance? Or high emotions?¡±


    Daan squeezed her hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t she run away? She¡¯s probably out there living her own life¡ªOw!¡± The boy bent over as Melissa suddenly punched him in the stomach. ¡°Again? Did I say something wrong?¡±


    ¡°M-mommy didn¡¯t run away!¡± The girl¡¯s voice trembled with tears. Her father said the same thing, and she would never fall for his lies again.


    ¡°She died then?¡± Daan glanced at her, but he froze as she stared blankly at him. ¡°Wait, what? I thought she ran away. You said she wouldn¡¯t come back¡­¡± His voice faded as he realized his mistake.


    ¡°Mommy was put in the freezer,¡± Melissa said. ¡°Is that a really high emotion?¡±


    Daan¡¯s expression dropped. He covered his mouth. ¡°...Freezer?¡± His throat swallowed and shivered. The boy yanked her away, sprinting back to the apartment. They moved so fast that Melissa didn¡¯t even have the chance to ask what was wrong.


    ¡°A-ah, that hurts!¡± Melissa complained as Daan sped up the stairs, leading the girl to stumble and trip. He didn¡¯t seem to hear her.


    When they reached the fourth floor, Daan abruptly froze. He hid her body behind him. Melissa peeked around. Her eyes widened.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± the smiling man said. He stood in front of the door, his knuckles cocked back in the perfect position to knock. ¡°Did you sleep well? I was about to check up on mama. You came just in time.¡± He looked at Daan. Charlotte¡¯s laughter giggled through his teeth, shrill and joyful.


    Daan clenched his fists. ¡°I already said I¡¯d go. Stop messing with her. When I get her eyes back, and if I see you again after that¡­¡± Melissa stepped away as two silhouettes flickered beside Daan. Shadows crept along the walls like ropes and vines. She blinked, and the illusion disappeared.


    However, the smiling man had already vanished. Daan furrowed his brows. ¡°Was that just my imagination?¡± the boy whispered to himself. Before Melissa could say ¡®no¡¯, he pursed his lips. ¡°Forget it.¡±


    Daan pounded on the door. ¡°Mama, can I come in?¡±


    A second passed before Charlotte assented. Daan burst through the entrance, tugging Melissa behind him. ¡°Her mom is dead! She didn¡¯t run away!¡±


    Charlotte looked at him, then at Teddy. For some reason, she simply laughed. She laughed for a while before she realized she shouldn¡¯t be laughing. ¡°Oh, sure. I mean¡ªwhat a surprise! Aren¡¯t you surprised, too?¡± She looked at Teddy, who was nestled in her arms.


    Can you stop already? Teddy asked. She didn¡¯t sound angry anymore.


    The boy stepped forward, ignoring his mother¡¯s outburst. ¡°Just now, Melissa told me her mother was put in the freezer.¡± He walked to the fridge, reaching for the top handle. ¡°Then¡ª¡± He paled as a wall of rotten ice greeted him. A second passed before he slammed the freezer shut. Daan turned around, frantically gesturing for the witnesses to confirm his evidence. Melissa nodded silently. Teddy flopped in Charlotte¡¯s arms, and Charlotte was too blind to see. Watching their lackluster reactions, Daan felt like he had wasted his energy. However, his embarrassment wasn¡¯t enough to extinguish his dread. ¡°It¡¯s obviously a murder! Then, who killed her? It had to be¡­¡±


    Charlotte reached forward. She mushed Daan¡¯s face into her arms, silencing him instantly. ¡°Shh. Mama will explain later. No need to waste your energy, baby.¡±


    Daan popped his head out. ¡°Stop calling me ¡®baby¡¯,¡± he muttered, but Charlotte only responded by cooing at him. The boy turned pink, burying his face back inside.


    By the time Charlotte released her embrace, Daan had forgotten what he wanted to say. The woman pushed him forward. ¡°Now you can help her pack! Melly¡¯s going to live with us, so help her gather what she wants. Oh, and gimme back my wallet,¡± she added as an afterthought.


    Daan grumbled as he handed off the wallet. Melissa was already on the ground, collecting the chip bags on the floor. Whenever he glanced at her muted expression, he was reminded that her mother didn¡¯t run away like he originally thought. She was murdered. With a bit of logic, he deduced who committed it, and now he could barely meet Melissa¡¯s eyes. Her father was definitely the murderer. Daan sighed, kneeling to stuff the chip bags into the bigger grocery bags. Speaking of, where was her father, anyway?


    Melissa stared at him. ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered, but she didn¡¯t know why. She understood that she wasn¡¯t only thanking him for helping her collect chip bags. Maybe it was also because he opened the freezer and did his speech, and because he sounded like he actually cared about her. Sometimes Teddy also sounded like that, but sometimes she screamed at her instead. Melissa wished she could care about herself like Daan did.


    ¡°What else do you need?¡± the boy asked. He looked uncomfortable being next to her.


    ¡°Clothes and towel.¡± She stepped into her room, grabbing the damp towel she used to dry herself in the morning. Digging through the mounds of dirty clothes, she picked out a few more wearable outfits. Daan stared at the tattered dresses, shirts, pants, and socks she piled in his arms. From the mounds of clothes, vermin skittered away into holes in the bed frame, hiding their reddish-brown shells and tiny, tiny legs.


    Melissa dusted her hands. She waved her room goodbye. ¡°Bye! I¡¯m moving!¡± As she returned to the living room, she snatched the spoon on the table, crusted with old sponge bread and frosting. ¡°Wanna eat cake?¡± she asked Daan, holding out the spoon.


    We can take it with us, honey, Teddy said from within Charlotte¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Cake?¡± Charlotte looked around before realizing she couldn¡¯t see. ¡°Right, we can take the cake with us.¡±


    ¡°Aww.¡± Melissa set the spoon down. She really wanted to thank Daan by giving him cake. The boy helped her fit the cake into its box, packing it in another bag. Carrying the clothes, towel, chips, and now cake, Daan appeared to be struggling for his life.


    ¡°That¡¯s everything?¡± Charlotte asked, hearing Daan stagger to the doorway.


    ¡°Yup,¡± Melissa chirped.


    Charlotte squeezed Teddy in her arms. She faced the stuffed bear toward the living room one last time. ¡°Say what you want. We aren¡¯t coming back to this hellhole.¡± Melissa sensed that Charlotte wasn¡¯t talking to her.


    Teddy held a quiet vigil. For an instant, Melissa could see a silhouette of her father, transparent like glass, kneeling in prayer. Horror painted his expression. Sparkling tears stained his cheeks, filled with the instinctive desire to live.


    Was this his last moment before he died?


    For the first time, Melissa was not afraid of her father. Instead, her blood chilled with pure disgust. After everything her father did, now he dared to look human. The girl closed her eyes as a faint knot grew in her throat. Her father didn¡¯t deserve to make her cry. He was completely different from her mother. But even now, even now, there was still a part of her that wanted to weep and break free of this nightmare, and she didn¡¯t know why.


    Teddy trembled. She concluded the vigil by breaking the silence.


    I wanted to love you. Even when... Teddy paused. If Teddy had eyes, Melissa figured they¡¯d be closed real tight by now, because her voice sounded like it.


    Goodbye.


    The illusion shattered, bursting into shards of light.

 Because I was never your mother.

    Melissa laid on the couch, staring at the ceiling above her. Her new home. She wasn¡¯t sure how she felt about it. Even now, she didn¡¯t quite believe her father was dead, and she was afraid that if she blinked, he would appear beside her and hurt her again.


    Daan and Charlotte bickered in the other room, arguing about where she would sleep at night. The clothes Daan brought from her old home churned in the washer. The ambient noises gave Melissa a fleeting sense of peace.


    She was¡­ safe.


    The girl shot to her feet. Her heart pounded in her chest. Safe? That couldn''t be true. Where was her father? Melissa moaned with pain. A word twisted from her lips. ¡°Daddy¡­¡±


    Teddy nuzzled her arm. Even without words, Melissa knew Teddy understood her perfectly.


    ¡°Teddy,¡± Melissa sniffled. ¡°I don¡¯t wanna live here. I don¡¯t like it. Where¡¯s daddy? He¡­ He should be home now.¡±


    Nothing hurt, she wasn¡¯t hungry, and her father was gone forever. Melissa never imagined any one of them becoming real, much less all three at once. It was too good to be true, wasn¡¯t it? Because how could the pain she was so familiar with vanish, just like that? Tears pricked her eyes. Ever since morning, Melissa felt like if she breathed too loudly, everything would crumble before her eyes.


    It¡¯s okay, Melissa. Daddy doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Can¡¯t you feel it, honey? We¡¯re surrounded by spectres. If you cry too much, they might get excited.


    Melissa raised her head, taken aback. ¡°Spectres? Like you, Teddy?¡± She looked around. Chills crept along her skin, seeping into her flesh the more she focused. She could feel something staring at her. Something not human, watching her with eyes that weren¡¯t there. The unsettling sensation distracted her from her thoughts.


    Focus on the cold and forget about daddy. I¡¯ll help you acclimate.


    Melissa squinted her eyes, searching for the gaze¡¯s source. Her vision swirled. A hazy black form surfaced in front of her, wiggling like caterpillars. Even when she blinked, the blurry fog remained in her vision, watching her. ¡°Blobby,¡± Melissa said. She pointed at the blob. It inched closer to her, extending a shadowy limb.


    Good job, Teddy praised. But don¡¯t point at it. Leave it alone.


    Melissa lowered her hand, and the blob drifted away. ¡°That¡¯s a spectre? Blobby?¡±


    It won¡¯t be a blob by the time you acclimate properly. And who told you about spectres? Was it Daan?


    Melissa nodded. She strained her eyes, but the blob was still hazy, like a raincloud. Compared to the smiling man and mommy¡¯s corpse, Blobby wasn¡¯t nearly as scary.


    It was almost cute.


    Melissa¡¯s new home only had one bedroom, and in that bedroom were two beds. Daan¡¯s bed, the one on the left, had pastel cake blankets and gentle pink pillows. Melissa¡¯s bed was plain white.


    Charlotte didn¡¯t have a bed. Daan explained that ever since the smiling man took her eyes, she didn¡¯t sleep at night. Instead, she stood guard at the door. Whenever his mother napped during the day, she used the previously empty bed, which was now Melissa¡¯s.


    One thing Melissa found fascinating was the number of Blobbies in her new home. After focusing her gaze for a dozen more minutes, she counted at least ten of them clinging to Charlotte¡¯s body and two which strayed near Daan. The biggest Blobby by far was the one she spotted first, who patrolled aimlessly around the living room.


    Melissa called them Blobbies because they were blobs, because they did not look like the dead people Daan said they were. They did not look like her mother, whose corpse she found in the freezer.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Do you like it here, Melissa?¡± Charlotte asked, plopping onto the couch beside her. Daan left an hour ago for soccer practice, so now there was one less Daan to talk to. Melissa shifted away from the woman, who was nice but almost too nice. She didn¡¯t understand why Charlotte wanted to help her so much.


    It¡¯s lovely, Charlotte, Teddy answered for Melissa, who kept her own thoughts quiet. Her words were minced, cut thin, as if she didn¡¯t mean them at all. Even though Teddy wasn¡¯t speaking to her, Melissa shivered. You really didn¡¯t have to go out of your way like this. Really.


    ¡°Actually, I did. You think I wouldn¡¯t help you and Melissa? You think I''d let you two stay in that dump?¡± Charlotte teased. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll make sure she doesn''t go hungry here. I''ll take care of her. She didn''t get much food over there, right?"


    Teddy didn''t respond. The silence festered before Charlotte''s expression flashed with realization.


    "Not that it was your fault she was hungry!¡± the woman blurted, wringing her hands together. "And I''m sure you took care of her over there, too. I just meant... giving her a better place than before, you know."


    ¡®You know¡¯? What do you know? That I¡¯ve only made her suffer; is that what you know? Teddy asked quietly.


    Charlotte¡¯s expression faltered. ¡°No, I¡ª¡±


    I get it now. You just think I¡¯m pathetic. Teddy¡¯s voice turned sharp and snippy, trembling with barely contained tears. I don¡¯t need your pity. Just say it already. Say I¡¯m pathetic. Say I never deserved her. Isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re thinking? Look at me and say it!


    Teddy panted, waiting for a response.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Charlotte muttered. The woman glanced away from Teddy. ¡°Um, Melissa, you¡¯ve been quiet for a while. What¡¯s on your mind?¡± Charlotte grasped the air until she found Melissa¡¯s hand. The woman¡¯s touch was frigid, almost colder than the freezer.


    The freezer.


    ¡°Daan said spectres are dead people,¡± Melissa whispered numbly. The words slipped out automatically, and the color drained from her face as she realized the implication behind her words.


    Charlotte frowned.


    ¡°Then¡­ Could mommy¡­?¡± The girl sniffled as a knot grew in her throat. ¡°Couldn¡¯t mommy be one too? Wasn¡¯t mommy in bad emotions? And she¡¯s dead, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    A dreadful silence filled the air.


    Charlotte pulled Melissa close, gently wiping away her tears. Melissa choked for breath, but Charlotte only embraced her tighter. A warm, nostalgic embrace. Melissa buried her face into the woman¡¯s shirt, comforted by the familiar warmth.


    ¡°Your mother was terrified of leaving you. That emotion kept her attached to you, always by your side,¡± Charlotte murmured. She glanced at Teddy, and a glint of sharpness touched her expression. ¡°Because Teddy is your mother.¡±


    Melissa¡¯s eyes slowly widened. She hiccupped. A wave of nausea squeezed her stomach. An ugly taste hit the back of her throat. Charlotte¡¯s words buzzed in her ears, and, with a heaving retch, Melissa vomited onto the woman¡¯s arms.


    She reeled away. ¡°M-mommy? That¡¯s¡­?¡±


    Teddy was limp.


    Melissa reached forward, grasping Teddy¡¯s arm.


    Get away from me, Teddy muttered. Her voice was faint with shock.


    Melissa leapt forward, pressing Teddy to her chest. ¡°Oh, Teddy! I love you, I love you,¡± she sobbed. ¡°Mommy¡ª¡±


    Don¡¯t touch me! Teddy screamed. Her breaths were harsh, infected with a desperate fury. You said! You already said! That I am not your mother! Because I was never your mother!


    Every time Teddy screamed, Melissa flinched back. Her hands fell limply to her side, but Teddy had more to say.


    Your ¡®mommy¡¯ failed. She was a useless, pathetic wreck! She failed to feed you, failed to protect you, failed to love you! She only hurt you, and you still love her? Are you stupid?


    If your mother ever loved you, she¡ªshe would¡¯ve never had you!


    Teddy¡¯s voice hitched as she panted. Melissa stopped breathing. Her face was lifeless pale, but before she could think, Teddy¡¯s voice returned, twisting into a horrible, vulturous shriek.


    So you love ¡®mommy¡¯ so much? Then how much did you love getting beat by your father? Oh, but you hated that, didn¡¯t you? So what did she do when your father beat you? Nothing, was it? Then tell me, Melissa, in your entire fucking life, what exactly has she done for your sake? And now you want to wish her back? Now you think she¡¯ll love you? Love you when she¡¯s never loved you before? Stop being delusional¡ªand grow the fuck up!


    Teddy wrenched out the last of her screams, and all that was left of her was a hollow whisper, filled with dreadful certainty.


    Because I was never your mother.


    Because your mother never loved you, won¡¯t ever love you, and that¡¯s why she deserved to die.


    That was what Teddy said.

 Please dont hurt me.

    Daan huffed as he crawled up the stairs. His shirt clung damply to his skin. Ever since the smiling man took his mother¡¯s eyes, he hated soccer practice. The only reason he still went every week was because of the wish. Soon, he could make his wish. He didn¡¯t want to be kicked off of the team before then.


    The boy knocked on the apartment numbered three-nine-five, and a second passed before the door creaked open by itself. The living room was completely empty, and even the giant spectre who usually patrolled was missing. Churning wails seeped from the bedroom, and, with a shiver, Daan realized he couldn¡¯t hear his mother¡¯s voice among them. The boy grit his teeth, rushing to the bedroom. ¡°Mom!¡±


    The woman sat quietly on Melissa¡¯s bed. Her shirt was stained with vomit. Her stare extended far beyond the bedroom walls, and watery blood pooled in the corners of her eyes, threatening to cascade into crimson teardrops.


    Daan focused his gaze onto the shadowy wisps surrounding her, revealing the spectres¡¯ true forms. He paled. They had fused onto every inch of his mother¡¯s skin, enveloping everything but her face. The mass of limbs and flesh wept, mirroring the emotions hidden within Charlotte¡¯s gaunt expression.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Clearly, she wasn¡¯t. Daan snapped his fingers to draw her attention. Once upon a time, his mother claimed she had miraculously tamed all the spectres at home, whatever that meant. She told him those words after she gave those spectres to him as a birthday gift last spring, and he remembered how little that eased his doubts. Now, Daan wasn¡¯t sure if the ¡®tamed¡¯ spectres were tame anymore.


    Above her, the giant who usually patrolled the living room gurgled violently. The man¡¯s bloated purple skin cracked like sun-baked mud, releasing a dizzily potent scent of rose. Because of the smell, Charlotte called him the rose man. It was by far the most grotesque of the bunch, and even now he couldn¡¯t help but squint a little. Luckily, it didn¡¯t seem aggressive now, which was a relief. Last time that happened, Charlotte practically dragged him out the door.


    Charlotte turned to him, her eyes swollen with tears. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said that to her. I made a mistake. Now she¡¯s gone.¡± As she spoke, the spectres around her clawed deeper into her skin. He recognized how they writhed with self-hatred. Another way his mother was different from him, or from anyone else he knew, was her high affinity to the dead. Her emotions affected spectres to a level that normal people couldn¡¯t imagine, so when she got mad, really mad, like when the smiling man showed up to their house to take her eyes¡­ Even though she didn¡¯t look angry back then, the air shimmered.


    Daan wasn¡¯t used to seeing Charlotte so upset. She wasn¡¯t quite angry, just upset, aimed solely toward herself. That¡¯s why the spectres clung to her skin instead of lashing out around her. The stench of rose made his vision swirl, and the sweetness soon morphed into rot. ¡°Mom, calm down! The rose¡ª¡± he coughed, his eyes watering uncontrollably. The rose man¡¯s skin split further, blooming into virulent pink flesh underneath. The stench soon grew unbearable. Daan tapped the wall, trying to warn his mother he was about to faint.


    Charlotte¡¯s lips trembled, lowering into the faintest frown. Her gaze refocused. She brushed away the hazy flesh on her arm. ¡°I¡¯m fine now, everyone. Thanks for worrying about me.¡± She wrinkled her nose in distaste. ¡°Shoo.¡± The air lightened as shadows shed from her body like snakeskin. The rose man let out an unintelligible moan as he shambled back into the living room, and Daan panted for breath as the air around them turned clear again. The reason why he wasn¡¯t too afraid of spectres was because of his mother. With a single word, she had somehow forced them to obey her, even the rose man. Despite everything she taught him, she never explained how she could do that.


    Charlotte spent a moment wiping away her tears. ¡°Thanks, baby. Something bad happened. She ran away.¡±


    Daan glanced around him. ¡°Melissa,¡± he realized. Teddy was limp on the other bed, lifeless, but Melissa was nowhere to be found. ¡°Where did Melissa go?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°She ran away. I couldn¡¯t stop her.¡± Her hands rose to her clouded blue eyes. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t your fault,¡± Daan reassured her. He didn¡¯t know if it was his mother¡¯s fault or not, but he knew not to ask right now. The boy leaned over to hug her, but the vomit on her shirt decided against that. He patted her back instead. He was used to the rose man, so the stench didn¡¯t phase him much.


    They sat there in silence, as if waiting for something to happen. The more time Daan had to think, the more he worried about Melissa. What exactly made her run away? He imagined the girl sprinting down the road, her eyes darting across the unfamiliar streets. For an instant, Daan was angry at his mother. How could she let Melissa run away like that? Then he realized how stupid his thoughts were. There was nothing his mother could have done if Melissa decided to run away.


    Charlotte froze. ¡°She might¡¯ve gone back,¡± she blurted. The woman pointed at Teddy. ¡°This idiot just said so.¡± Teddy was sprawled on his bed sheets, utterly limp. ¡°Why are you crying now?¡± Charlotte snapped. ¡°Be quiet already. Wailing on and on! You¡¯re an idiot, you know. Seriously, what made you say that to her?¡±


    Daan stood up, ignoring whatever feud his mother had with Teddy, whose voice he couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°You mean Melissa went back to her old apartment? I¡¯ll see if she¡¯s there.¡±


    Charlotte turned toward him. Part of his chest stung as she forced another smile. ¡°Thanks, baby. I don¡¯t know what I would do without you.¡± The woman paused, as if she wanted to add something else. ¡°So stay safe.¡±


    Melissa basked in the familiar, stuffy air, wheezing for breath underneath her blankets. For some reason, she was here again. Her old home, laid in her old bed. She liked it here. The air in Daan¡¯s home was clean, and it didn¡¯t smell weird. It wasn¡¯t bad, but she didn¡¯t like it, either.


    The girl wondered why she wasn¡¯t crying. Her throat felt like it was stuffed with gravel, but her breaths shivered in silence. She had run away from Charlotte and crawled into her old bed, but, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn¡¯t run away from Teddy¡¯s screams. She could still hear those shrieks, lashing into her skin. Teddy¡¯s voice became her father, and she didn¡¯t know if Teddy was lying or not.


    Her mother failed to feed her. Teddy was right. Melissa had never felt full a day in her life, not until Daan gave her potato chips. Looking back, there was always that hunger she hated, and mommy never could do anything about it.


    Her mother failed to protect her. Teddy was right. Melissa remembered when her father pinned her wrists with his hand one day and slapped her until she couldn¡¯t see. That was a long time ago. She forgot what exactly she did, but by the second slap, her mother was screaming something, pulling his arm away. Then he broke mommy¡¯s face, and she never pulled his arm again.


    Her mother never loved her, Teddy said. But that wasn¡¯t true. It was one thing to say her mother didn¡¯t feed her and never did a thing to protect her, but Melissa just couldn¡¯t accept that her mother never loved her. If her mother never loved her, what was the point of existing in this world? And wasn¡¯t it Teddy who used to say her mother always loved her so much and never wanted to leave her behind?


    For some reason, Teddy was lying this time. Teddy had to be lying. Melissa didn¡¯t have a reason for it; she just knew she was right.


    A warmth spread through the girl¡¯s body as she realized her newfound freedom. She didn¡¯t have to think so hard anymore about who was lying and who wasn¡¯t. She could just believe in anything she wanted to. So since she wanted her father to be dead, it was true, just like all her hunger and pain, all gone, just like that. And when she wished for her mother back, everything would be happy again because her mother always loved her, because it had to be true. She didn¡¯t have to listen to anything Teddy said ever again, or anyone else she didn¡¯t like listening to, because all of them would be lying.


    The girl imagined a letter in her hands, like the one she wrote for her pen pal assignment in class a week ago. The letter was filled with all the words Teddy screamed at her earlier. Most of the words were big and grown up because Teddy was screaming.


    Ka-chunk. Her stamp made the same noise as the teacher¡¯s.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    LIAR, printed in bold, block red.


    Melissa knew what she would do when she got back. When she returned, she¡¯d hand the paper back to Teddy. The homework was to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Redo it, she¡¯d say, and Teddy would cry because she tried really hard to lie, but she got caught. ¡®Don¡¯t you know lying is bad?¡¯ and then she¡¯d stomp Teddy in the throat to teach her a lesson.


    Melissa curled into her blanket. Her breath raced into a whirl, and she felt a burst of something she had never felt before. Something more than happy. She had just realized the truth. She sheared off her covers, tumbling off her ragged mattress. The wooden floorboards cracked hello, and she hello-ed back.


    Her footsteps tap-tapped for the door. She wanted to share everything she had learned, and she especially wanted to call Teddy stupid for lying all the time. Melissa loved Teddy, but boy, Teddy sure was a bad egg. Teddy was so bad that Melissa wasn¡¯t even sure why she loved her anymore.


    She barely reached the doorknob before the door swung open. Daan crashed into her hard, and they both hurt for a second.


    The girl backed away, stared at Daan, then tumbled forward into his arms. She hugged him tight, and Daan tensed up.


    Daan opened his mouth, but he couldn¡¯t speak. The boy was completely lost for words. He had prepared an entire speech to convince Melissa to return, accounting for every response under the sun. Crying, screaming, punching and kicking, even quiet sleeping. Everything except for this. The girl butted his chest, pressing her smile onto his shirt. He had never seen her so happy before.


    Daan¡¯s lips twitched. Slowly, his hand reached to pat her head. He felt her breath through his shirt, and the patch of heat grew like sunlight. ¡°You¡¯re good now?¡±


    ¡°All good,¡± Melissa replied.


    The bad egg didn¡¯t speak for the entire day, probably because it lied. Melissa couldn¡¯t punish her until later. Charlotte was nice, but she lied too¡ªshe lied about Teddy being mommy.


    Charlotte was lying because Melissa said so.


    See? How easy was that?


    After Melissa came back, Charlotte needed to pass out on the bed. Daan stayed with her in the living room. Teddy, whose new name was now Bad Egg, was dead on the couch and didn¡¯t speak to her no matter what. The only way Melissa knew Bad Egg wasn¡¯t actually dead was every five seconds, when she sniffled and sobbed again. Bad Egg was a bad name. Teddy sure liked to cry.


    Daan looked at her. She smiled, but he didn¡¯t. ¡°What happened?¡± he asked. He kept asking her that question, like he needed to know everything that happened in her life. Honestly, Melissa was bored of it.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said. She wiggled on the couch, finding herself buried comfortably inside the cushions.


    Daan watched her warily. Some time passed before the topic of what happened faded from the conversation. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go, Melissa. The festival. Do you even know when it is?¡±


    Melissa sat up. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Daan poked her forehead. ¡°You aren¡¯t prepared. I thought so the moment you said you wanted to go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± she said.


    Daan stared at her, mystified. Teddy trembled. She was still crying, and maybe she was crying louder now. Melissa couldn¡¯t tell.


    ¡°It¡¯s tomorrow, Melissa. No one¡¯s told you? I¡¯ve been preparing for months, but you¡­¡± His voice trailed away as Melissa began to count on her fingers. The girl debated how many fingers to raise. What counted as preparing?


    ¡°One day,¡± Melissa concluded. She had prepared for one hour of one day. She could see the blobs now, but that was it.


    Daan frowned, and he almost looked angry. ¡°Then you can¡¯t go. You¡¯ll die. Look around, can¡¯t you see them?¡± He pointed at the giant blob next to them, a hazy black fog. ¡°There¡¯s a billion more of them over there. The only reason we¡¯re safe here is because of my mom.¡±


    Melissa nodded.


    ¡°So you shouldn¡¯t go. You¡¯ll die.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t die,¡± Melissa replied. That was her truth, and she believed in it with all her heart. She couldn¡¯t die. Not before she made her wish. She believed it, so it was true.


    Daan closed his mouth with a clop. He patted the girl¡¯s head, and he didn¡¯t speak again for a while. Melissa used the silence to stare at the biggest blob again. Was it her imagination, or did the fog turn a shade of purple? A scent of sick sweetness tingled her nose.


    The boy stood from the couch. ¡°You¡¯re looking at him, right? If you want to prepare, keep staring until you can see his face,¡± Daan said, getting up to leave.


    The bedroom door shut behind him, leaving Melissa alone with Teddy and the blobs.


    Melissa turned to Teddy. ¡°Festival is tomorrow,¡± she said. She relished the sound of the words on her tongue, gloating their punctuality.


    Teddy jolted, struck by lightning. Don¡¯t go, Melissa. You can¡¯t wish for your mother back. It¡¯s impossible, Melissa. That monster was lying! Will you still go if the wish doesn¡¯t work? Please Melissa, use some common sense!


    Melissa stared at Teddy. A half smile crossed her lips as she imagined a stamp in her hand. Ka-chunk. ¡°Liar.¡± She looked at Teddy the way the principal looked at her whenever she was in his office. Her lips pulled taut into a smirk, but her eyes were ice. Teddy was lying because Melissa said so.


    Teddy paused, instantly changing her approach. Okay, then your mother doesn¡¯t care about being brought back. She just wants you to be safe, Melissa. Don¡¯t you think so too? She doesn¡¯t want you to go. She wants you to stay with Charlotte and be happy. Don¡¯t you like talking with Daan? And don¡¯t you want a new family? A new family and a better mommy? Teddy¡¯s voice was barely a whisper.


    New family? Melissa wanted to laugh, or maybe cry. Teddy thought she wanted a new family?


    Teddy couldn¡¯t be more wrong. ¡°I¡¯m going. I¡¯m going and I don¡¯t want a new family. I want mommy back.¡± Melissa squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°I want mommy to sing again. I want mommy to hug me but she can¡¯t. Mommy¡¯s dead because daddy killed her.¡± Her lip trembled. She didn¡¯t cry this time, because all her tears were already gone.


    Teddy¡¯s breath shuddered.


    Oh god. I¡¯m so sorry, honey. You only wanted her back, but I was always with you. Don¡¯t you remember the first time Teddy spoke to you? Mommy went away that day because daddy hurt her, but she wanted to stay with you forever and that¡¯s why she became Teddy. I¡¯m sorry for screaming. I¡¯ll never scream at you again. I thought¡ªI thought maybe you¡¯d change your mind and you wouldn¡¯t go anymore. I don¡¯t want you to go. I love you. I¡¯m sorry for hurting you. For everything. Don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t go. I¡¯m still here. I was always here for you. Mommy loves you.


    ¡°Liar.¡± Ka-chunk. Then, the girl blinked. ¡°Well, mommy did always love me. But you can¡¯t be mommy.¡±


    Why?


    Teddy¡¯s voice was brittle black. The sound of a soul, cracking into pieces.


    ¡°Because I said so,¡± Melissa replied airily.


    Why? Teddy repeated. Whatever life remaining in her voice slowly drained away, leaving behind an empty husk. I told you everything this time. Melissa. Please. I¡¯m sorry. I love you.


    Melissa pursed her lips. ¡°But you hate mommy. You said mommy deserved to die. That¡¯s why you aren¡¯t.¡±


    I wish I never said that. I was so stupid. I promise I¡¯ll never hurt you again.


    Melissa mulled over what Teddy said about her mother back then. All those screams amounted to something, Melissa was sure of it. Something was wrong, bubbling in her stomach. ¡°But Teddy¡ª¡± Her mother deserved to die? A current of red rushed in her ears, drumming in her chest. ¡°You said mommy deserved to die,¡± Melissa whispered. Her mind couldn¡¯t move past those words, echoing in her mind, over and over again. That meant Teddy was happy her mother was in the freezer. Happy she was dead. Frozen in a million pieces. Ka-chunk.


    I love you.


    ¡°Mommy didn¡¯t deserve to die. You just wanted mommy to die. You just wanted to kill her like daddy.¡± Melissa realized the truth.


    I didn¡¯t! Teddy''s voice was a strange mix of a whimper and a scream.


    Melissa snatched Teddy¡¯s arm. She stood from the couch, weighing the toy in her arms. She raised it above her head. The stench of rose and rot bloomed in front of her, but she didn¡¯t notice. ¡°Then you can go die, Teddy.¡±


    Teddy hiccuped.


    Melissa flung the toy onto the floor. It bounced once before rolling on the ground. The girl raised her foot. ¡°Don¡¯t you know! Lying is bad!¡± She emphasized each word with a stomp on Teddy¡¯s neck, just like her imagination said she would.


    A sick satisfaction filled her chest like glue as Teddy lay helpless beneath her feet. The girl pressed her weight down, grinding her shoe against its stuffing. Teddy was pleading like she always did to protect Melissa when her father was mad, though it never worked, not even now, now that she was the one getting hit. Teddy said ¡®Please don¡¯t hurt her,¡¯ but this time it was ¡®me¡¯ instead of ¡®her¡¯ and Teddy was screaming and sobbing terribly. Because this time it was please don¡¯t hurt me with so many exclamation points, shrieked over and over like her mind was being torn apart from its seams. But Melissa pretended she couldn¡¯t hear anything and kept hurting her anyway.


    The girl backed away. Without realizing it, her skin was covered in hazy black fog, writhing to the tune of her rage.


    And Teddy''s stitched smile stared back at her, stained forever again.

 But I dont care.

    Dimly, Melissa heard another voice behind her. It called her name, then said something else. What was it saying? The girl could barely hear; everything sounded like fuzzy static.


    Charlotte wrapped her arms around Melissa, gently pulling her away. ¡°Melissa,¡± she whispered. ¡°Please. Teddy is crying.¡±


    Teddy was crying, Melissa realized. She grit her teeth. Why was Teddy crying, when she deserved to cry more? All Teddy wanted was to kill her mother, and now she wanted to cry about it? The girl strained against Charlotte¡¯s arms, trying to stomp Teddy one last time.


    Charlotte tore her away. ¡°I¡¯m here now,¡± the woman growled softly. ¡°So don¡¯t crowd around her.¡± Melissa flinched as the static in her ears faded to nothing. Her body suddenly felt lighter, and the fuzzy clouds in her head were gone. She noticed Daan was by her side too, holding her hand tight.


    Melissa took a sharp breath of air. ¡°Teddy,¡± she whispered. She let herself sink into Charlotte¡¯s arms, but she didn¡¯t apologize. Melissa couldn¡¯t say sorry because Teddy deserved it. Had it coming. Taught a lesson. That¡¯s what daddy used to say. Teddy was sobbing because she learned it good this time.


    Daan picked up Teddy from the floor. He looked at Melissa like it was her fault, or something worse. For a moment, his eyes were different than before, and Melissa¡¯s vision instantly blurred with tears. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± she stuttered. Everyone was looking at her like it was her fault, and she didn¡¯t know why. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she repeated, hoping it would change the shocked glint in Daan¡¯s eyes. But his expression just became worse.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to force yourself, Melissa.¡± Charlotte turned her around, facing her. She brushed the girl¡¯s hair aside and kissed her forehead. ¡°Let¡¯s sit down, alright?¡± The woman signaled Daan with a flick of her head. Daan left with Teddy in his arms, disappearing into the bedroom again. Melissa could still hear Teddy weeping behind the bedroom door, filling her with a sense of unease. She did something wrong, surely, but she didn¡¯t know what.


    Charlotte¡¯s hands were cold, but the rest of her body was warm and soft. Melissa yawned, sinking into the woman¡¯s arms. Her skin smelled like sweet milk, but there was also some fuzzy black fog around her. Those were Blobbies, which Daan said were dead people. Why were they on Charlotte¡¯s skin?


    The woman ignored the haze gathering on her body. ¡°Teddy made you mad,¡± Charlotte said. Her voice didn¡¯t judge her. ¡°You were angry because of something she said.¡±


    ¡°Mommy didn¡¯t deserve to die,¡± Melissa mumbled. ¡°Teddy¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s face scrunched in a weird way. ¡°She didn¡¯t mean it like that,¡± she said. ¡°Teddy is your mother, after all. She regrets not protecting you more when she was still alive. For staying with your father until it was too late. Teddy didn¡¯t mean to hurt you. She loves you so much. You really are the world to her.¡±


    Melissa didn¡¯t hear anything. ¡°The festival is tomorrow. Teddy didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s expression darkened. Both Daan and Melissa were so determined to leave, and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Teddy tried to stop Melissa, Charlotte realized. Teddy lied and said she never loved Melissa so she wouldn¡¯t want to wish her back, but she failed. ¡°She probably didn¡¯t know when it was. Daan told you, right?¡±


    The girl nodded. ¡°He said I shouldn¡¯t go. Are you going to say I shouldn¡¯t go, too?¡± She stared at Charlotte, challenging her.


    Charlotte pinched Melissa¡¯s cheeks, feeling her face squirm between her fingers. Anything she said would only make the girl more determined to go. A thin smile stretched across her lips, wilting into something pitiful. Her smile was so fake that even Melissa frowned.


    ¡°What¡¯s your face?¡± Melissa asked, staring at her strange, painful expression.


    Charlotte opened her mouth, trembling. ¡°Melissa. Listen to me. You and Daan have to live, okay? Daan will protect you. When you get there, find him first. Protect him¡ª¡± She paled. ¡°No, he¡¯ll protect you. What am I thinking? You can¡¯t protect him. But then he won¡¯t even be able to protect himself¡­¡± Charlotte mumbled incoherently. Her clouded pupils darted around like flies in a jar. She shook Melissa hard enough to hurt, and her eyes suddenly regained their clarity. ¡°Live,¡± she commanded. ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Melissa reassured. ¡°¡®Cause I can¡¯t die, anyway.¡±


    Charlotte sank into the couch, covering her eyes with her hand. She sighed with exhaustion as her breaths slowly deepened. Melissa cuddled in her arms some more before breaking free.


    Suddenly, Charlotte¡¯s skin began to shed blobs. Most of the black fog floated aimlessly in the air, but some of them started to pulse toward Melissa, as if attracted to her awake-ness. She backed away, but they kept following her. As she squinted her eyes, some of the haze in front of her condensed into tiny, squirming arms, grasping for her warmth. She shivered.


    Before Melissa could take a closer look, Daan opened the door again. He glanced at Charlotte, then at the spectres floating above her. ¡°She¡¯s tired,¡± he said. ¡°Let her sleep.¡±


    Melissa pointed to the smaller blobs drifting in the air. ¡°These are also dead people? Why are they so small?¡±


    Daan¡¯s eyes softened as one of the blobs mushed onto his chest. Its hazy arms wrapped around his skin, barely able to hold on. ¡°My mom was a delivery nurse.¡±


    Melissa didn¡¯t know what a delivery nurse was.


    She hushed her voice. ¡°So, I need to look at them to prepare?¡± Melissa asked. Even though she knew she couldn¡¯t die, the girl sensed that not preparing for the festival would be bad, somehow. She squinted at the large blob approaching them. Its head was a bit more purple now.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Daan nodded. ¡°Once you can see the rose man, you need to listen for the voices too. My mom told me that a bunch of things in the festival will try to hurt us, so we need to be careful.¡± He pointed to a white plastic case across the room. ¡°I¡¯ll bring that with me tomorrow. It¡¯s got things like bandages.¡±


    Melissa wasn¡¯t paying too much attention to him. Instead, she focused her gaze onto the huge ¡®rose man¡¯, as Daan said its name was. The scent of bloom tickled her nose, growing stronger with every second. Something about the sweetness filled her with dread, almost like the smiling man.


    The girl didn¡¯t remember how much time passed, but when she looked beside her, Daan was gone. No one was awake except for her, and she could see it clearly now. The rose man.


    It wasn¡¯t a blob anymore; it was a huge man with a puffy purple face. The man wore white buttoned clothes that were stained yellow-brown, and his neck was bleeding bad because of the spiky wire around his neck. He kept scratching his throat, trying to get rid of the wire, but he could only claw out red-black chunks of flesh. Once he collected enough, he shoveled them back into his mouth, and the missing chunks regrew themselves. Melissa found it more gross than scary. A sad, dead man.


    Rose perfume masked the undercurrent of rot, though with little success. The spectre shambled aimlessly around the living room, mouthing words she couldn¡¯t hear. When it neared her, the sweet-rotten stench grew unbearable. She plugged her nose, but it didn¡¯t help. She could taste the stench on her tongue, soured blood, red-black jelly.


    ¡°Stop smelling bad,¡± Melissa said nasally. The rose man didn¡¯t react to her in the slightest. As she retracted her focus, the man became hazier, and the smell abated. The purple-faced shadow floated about aimlessly in the corner of her vision. She unplugged her nose.


    Blobby wasn¡¯t so cute anymore. Teddy was right.


    Looking beside her, Melissa also noticed the spectres who shed from Charlotte¡¯s skin, now floating in the air. Delivery nurses probably delivered babies, Melissa realized, because the small blobs were blue-faced babies now. Their cries creaked with fizz and crackles, television static. If she didn¡¯t focus hard she could barely hear them, buzzing faintly in her ears.


    Melissa stretched her arms as her stomach growled. ¡°I can see them,¡± she called. She stood up and looked for Daan, but he didn¡¯t exist anymore, or he went outside. As she searched the bedroom closet (he wasn¡¯t there either), Melissa spotted Teddy on the bed.


    ¡°Hey, Teddy.¡±


    Teddy wasn¡¯t crying anymore. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m so sorry. I was¡ª Her hollowed voice cracked from the weight of her words. I was wrong. So wrong.


    Melissa nodded. ¡°M¡¯kay.¡± She liked this apology. This was what a sorry should be like, especially because it made Melissa feel better about what she did. But a lump formed in her throat as she realized Teddy was even more stained than before. Maybe she didn¡¯t need to hurt Teddy, and she wondered why she did so in the first place.


    Teddy¡¯s shrieks echoed in her ears. ¡®Please don¡¯t hurt me.¡¯


    Melissa couldn¡¯t look at Teddy anymore. ¡°Well, I dunno. I guess maybe I¡¯m sorry, too.¡± Why was she apologizing? What was she apologizing for? She held Teddy closer, brushing away the biggest clumps of grime. After she was done, she placed the toy next to her, close to her, yet also at arm''s length. They stared at the wall together, unsure how to break the silence.


    You¡¯re still going? Teddy asked softly. She already knew the answer.


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Teddy didn¡¯t argue anymore. Okay. We¡¯ll have to go, anyway. The smiling man wouldn¡¯t let us stay, even if we wanted to.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to stay,¡± Melissa responded. ¡°I need to wish for mommy back. I need to.¡±


    Why? Teddy asked softly. Your mother didn¡¯t do anything for you. You were always hungry. Don¡¯t you remember? You¡¯d always cry that you wanted more, and when you cried, your father¡ªhe¡¯d hit you. She looked away when that happened. Your mother couldn¡¯t protect you. She did nothing right. Why do you still love her?


    Melissa closed her eyes. It seemed Teddy would hate her mother no matter what.


    A few seconds passed before she realized Teddy was waiting for her answer. ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Mommy did everything right.¡±


    How did she do everything right?


    Melissa¡¯s expression scrunched as her mind was filled with her happiest memories. Even when her mother was alive, Melissa was always hungry, and her father still hit her bad sometimes. Her skin remembered.


    Why was she so happy back then?


    ¡°Because,¡± Melissa said shortly.


    How, honey?


    Melissa clawed at the blankets, forming tight, balled fists. ¡°Shut up!¡± she snapped. ¡°Shut up, Teddy. Don¡¯t ever talk about mommy again. Why¡ªwhy do you hate her so much? You¡¯re hurting me.¡± Tears welled in her eyes, but they couldn¡¯t fall. The girl''s hand hovered in the air, over Teddy¡¯s skin. She imagined wringing Teddy¡¯s neck like a dirty rag so she could never hate her mother again. But what was this pain in her chest? Her heart ached as she felt the faux white fur on her fingertips. She didn¡¯t dare hurt Teddy again.


    The stuffed toy stared back at her, utterly silent. What was Teddy thinking beneath her stitched smile, those buttoned eyes?


    Melissa tried to ignore the knot building in her throat. After her mother died, she had no one else but Teddy. Remembering those shrieks when she stomped her, the girl felt like she was breaking, too. She would give anything to forget that horrible pleasure she felt when Teddy was underneath her foot, begging her to stop, but she didn¡¯t. Melissa thought Teddy deserved it before, but now she wished someone would have hit her instead, if it meant she wouldn¡¯t have heard those screams.


    The girl¡¯s lip trembled. A faint sob whimpered in her throat. If she hurt Teddy any more, she was afraid her heart would tear into pieces and she would die just like mommy did. ¡°Don¡¯t ever talk about her again. You hate her. You hate her a lot. You hate mommy so much you won¡¯t ever let me wish her back. But I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m going anyway because I said so.¡±


    Teddy shivered. I don¡¯t hate her. Melissa, I just¡ª


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    And the conversation was over.


    Melissa laid on the bed, staring at the egg-cream ceiling. Her thoughts raced, faster and faster until she didn¡¯t know who she was anymore. Teddy wiggled into her arms, but Melissa didn¡¯t push her away. Despite everything they said to hurt each other, she found her arms tightening, hugging the toy close to her heart.


    They laid like that, silently glued together, for a very long time.

 Teddy

    After eating dinner with Daan and Charlotte yesterday, Melissa went to sleep early to prepare for the big day. The big day! She woke up with a huge smile on her face, wiping clean all of yesterday¡¯s pains and sorrows. Today she was going to the festival to wish for everything back. Her mother was coming home again. ¡°Morning, Teddy.¡±


    I love you. I want you to know I always love you. Ever since Melissa beat her yesterday, Teddy said ¡®I love you¡¯ a lot more. The girl thought it was a bit strange, because she never found herself loving her father more after he hit her. But Teddy was strange like that, and Melissa didn¡¯t mind.


    Despite herself and what happened yesterday, Melissa felt a warm buzz in her chest as Teddy snuggled in her arms, desperately clinging to her skin. She couldn¡¯t hate Teddy forever. And Teddy¡¯s feelings toward her mother didn¡¯t matter anyway, because Melissa was the one going to the festival and wishing for everything back. ¡°Mhm.¡±


    The girl curled in her blankets, reserving a few more moments to clutch Teddy close to her heart. The stuffed bear grasped at her, searching for her warmth. They laid there until Melissa¡¯s stomach growled, which meant it was time to eat.


    Melissa sheared off her blankets, shivering at the unnatural cold which hung heavy in the air. Daan wasn¡¯t in bed, probably because he woke up earlier and was eating breakfast now.


    The girl stepped into the living room. Daan and Charlotte were sitting near the dining table, conversing in hushed whispers. Melissa wanted to say hello, but she stopped herself just in time. Daan was facing away from her, and Charlotte¡¯s clouded eyes couldn¡¯t see her, either.


    Melissa crept forward, shushing Teddy with her finger. Her heart raced with a strange excitement. Daan was whispering because he didn¡¯t want her to hear, but here she was and hear she would.


    ¡°Soon,¡± Charlotte said. ¡°I don¡¯t remember exactly when, but it should be soon.¡±


    Daan nodded. His voice hushed. ¡°If Melissa doesn¡¯t wake up in time, she can help you out while I¡¯m gone. I¡¯ll leave her here. Once the door opens, I¡¯m leaving her behind.¡±


    Melissa held her breath, resisting the urge to run behind him and yell ¡®no way¡¯, because she was going with him no matter what.


    ¡°But why do you need to go? I¡¯ve already told you I don¡¯t need that wish.¡± Charlotte gripped the boy¡¯s arm with both hands.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be happy again, mom.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t make me happy. Why can¡¯t you understand? Just stay. That wish won¡¯t change anything.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was wrought with pain.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Daan snapped. Charlotte let go of his arm, and he continued. ¡°We¡¯ve already talked about this. I¡¯m going.¡± However, his expression quickly softened. ¡°Haven¡¯t I prepared enough for this? You also went there and made your wish¡ªthere¡¯s no reason to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°That place doesn¡¯t have reason,¡± Charlotte whimpered. As she spoke, her entire body began to shiver. Her breath quickened as she curled in her seat, sinking into her worst memories. Daan reached over the table, clutching her hand to calm her down. They held hands for so long Melissa started to get bored.


    The girl tiptoed to Daan¡¯s side. ¡°Hey!¡± she shouted, giggling as Daan and Charlotte nearly fell out of their seats. She spread her hands, revealing a childish grin. Today, Melissa was happier than anyone else in the world.


    Morning, Charlotte, Teddy said, holding back a laugh. Her voice was tinged sweet from Melissa¡¯s sudden prank.


    Daan frowned. ¡°What¡¯s up,¡± he said, and Melissa frowned along with him. How dull¡ªhe couldn¡¯t muster up a fraction of the excitement she had for this day. She furrowed her brows as she realized just how much he wanted to leave her behind and stop her from being happy, and that made her really mad.


    Melissa took a seat in front of her breakfast: leftover cake, fruit, a hard-boiled egg. ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± she remarked to no one in particular. She looked around for confirmation, but they were all staring at their breakfast. ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± she repeated. Charlotte stabbed her cake.


    They ate in silence. Every few seconds Melissa looked up to see if anyone wanted to comfort her, to congratulate her, or anything, but they were all robots. Her lip trembled. Even though she was surrounded by people, she was completely alone. She thought Daan and Charlotte might be different from the kids at school, but they weren¡¯t after all. The girl focused all her thoughts on her mother and how the wish would bring her back. She rubbed her eyes, pretending the tears were dust.


    As everyone finished breakfast, Charlotte finally broke the silence. ¡°So,¡± she began. She opened her mouth, but her words stuck to her throat.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Is there anything she should bring? Teddy interrupted. I don¡¯t remember many people bringing things over back then.


    ¡°A gun would be nice,¡± Charlotte said darkly. No one laughed, and the woman sighed. ¡°Bringing stuff over will just draw attention. I didn¡¯t bring anything with me. I was lucky¡ªthe ones who did were picked off first.¡±


    ¡°Picked off?¡± Melissa asked. ¡°They were fruit?¡±


    The woman gave her an exhausted glance. ¡°They died.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t die,¡± Melissa said.


    Charlotte huffed, refusing to debate her warped logic. Melissa felt a twinge of anger in her chest as it seemed no one was taking her seriously.


    Before Melissa could complain, her blood chilled. Goosebumps pricked her skin as a cold crimson glow pulsed behind her, washing her vision with a sickening red. The girl tried to turn around, but her body couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°...It¡¯s here,¡± Charlotte murmured. Her words melted the worst of the cold, just enough for Melissa to turn her head. On the center of the door to the outside was a dark red splotch. The mark looked eerily similar to frozen blood, pulsing with rotten crimson glow as it expanded across the door. Seared onto the wood were dark burnt marks, forming strange letters and words that Melissa couldn¡¯t recognize.


    The door swung open. Instead of outside, all that awaited them was a black, swirling void.


    Charlotte stumbled to her feet. ¡°The door,¡± she muttered. She staggered sideways, pressing against the wall as she slid to her knees.


    Melissa gulped. Her goosebumps weren¡¯t calming down. She was scared. The door was the color of frozen blood. The freezer. ¡°Mommy,¡± she whispered. Teddy buried her head into Melissa¡¯s chest, and the girl began to breathe again.


    Daan grit his teeth, psyching himself up by clenching his fists tight. He stepped with deliberate, heavy strides, eventually reaching his mother¡¯s side. ¡°Mom, calm down. So this is the door?¡±


    Charlotte¡¯s gaze snapped onto his voice. Her expression was painted with terror. ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°The door,¡± Daan said louder, almost shouting. ¡°The door to the festival!¡±


    ¡°Who¡ªwho are you?¡± Charlotte babbled. Her voice rose to a scream. ¡°My eyes! I can¡¯t see! What did you do!¡± The woman began to shriek, pushing and clawing against the boy¡¯s chest.


    Her screams cut away as Daan hugged her tight. ¡°Mom,¡± he pleaded.


    A minute passed before the manic glint in Charlotte¡¯s eyes faded. She patted Daan¡¯s back and took a deep, shuddering breath. ¡°Baby.¡± Daan nodded, burying himself in her arms.


    Charlotte took a few minutes to collect herself.


    The vortex in the doorway churned with indiscernible darkness. Charlotte reached forward, plunging her arm into the doorway. ¡°See?¡± Her hand was stopped by what seemed like a brick wall. ¡°Only you two can go.¡±


    What? I can¡¯t go with her? Teddy asked. She muttered to herself, her voice hushed with despair. Of course I can¡¯t go. Because I already made my wish. I-I thought if Melissa went I could just go with her. Am I stupid? She¡¯ll be alone.


    ¡°You can go,¡± Charlotte reassured. ¡°Because you aren¡¯t human anymore, remember?¡±


    Teddy froze. That¡¯s right, she remarked with what sounded like relief.


    Daan held tight onto Charlotte¡¯s arm. Only now could Melissa see the fear in his expression. Deep down, he didn¡¯t want to leave Charlotte behind. Melissa couldn¡¯t quite relate to him, because she wanted to leave. No one was waiting for her, and she didn¡¯t have a home. She was jealous of Daan, because his mommy was alive, even if she couldn¡¯t see a thing.


    The boy finally spoke. ¡°Wait for me.¡± His words were wet with tears. ¡°Stay safe while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    Charlotte nodded gently. There was no reason to try to convince him to stay now. ¡°You two can¡¯t die, okay?¡±


    That¡¯s right, Melissa realized.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± she suddenly shouted. Daan and Charlotte flinched. ¡°We can¡¯t die, ¡®cause I¡¯m gonna bring back mommy, and¡ªand Daan¡¯s gonna wish your eyes back!¡± Her overwhelming optimism cut through the oppressive atmosphere, and even Daan couldn¡¯t help but smile at her logic. In Melissa¡¯s eyes, it was soundless proof. They couldn¡¯t make a wish if they were dead, so they couldn¡¯t die.


    Charlotte blinked away her tears. ¡°Of course.¡± She pulled them both into her arms, hugging them tight enough to hurt. ¡°Everything will be alright.¡±


    A nostalgic embrace. Melissa closed her eyes, and Charlotte turned into someone else. The girl felt her mother¡¯s skin, that nostalgic warmth, holding her so tight and so close to her heart that they could feel each other breathe and their hearts beat together.


    She sighed, allowing all the tension in her body to melt away.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the girl whimpered. ¡°Everything¡¯s alright.¡±


    Melissa realized why she was always so happy when her mother was alive, even though she was always hungry, even though her father still hit her.


    This warmth.


    For a single moment, Melissa didn¡¯t mind staying here, if it meant she could stay in her mother¡¯s arms forever. This was her home, more than that filthy apartment, more than anything else¡ªher home was inside her mother¡¯s arms, cuddled so close they could breathe as one.


    But then Charlotte let go, and the girl opened her eyes.


    Her mother wasn¡¯t here, and neither was home.


    Charlotte. Thank you. This time Teddy meant it.


    Charlotte nodded, gently pushing them toward the void. Daan took a deep breath, giving his mother what might have been a happy smile, though her clouded eyes couldn¡¯t see it. The woman squeezed Melissa¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Protect them, Teddy. Promise me. Make sure you protect them.¡±


    I will, Teddy promised.


    Before they touched the swirling darkness, Melissa glanced behind her one last time. Charlotte had fallen to her knees, her expression draining pale.


    Before Melissa could say a word to comfort her, the world faded away.