Applesauce nosleep

The prize was just sitting there. James could almost feel them in his hands. It wasn't what another 7 year old might want like a toy or candy or anything even remotely close to that. It was the papers his Mom read every week. She called them trash papers but to James they were forbidden fruit. He'd been able to read pretty well for a while now and devoured everything his small fingers could reach. Mom spent a lot of time reading these hints so they had to be good. She wouldn't read them if they weren't right? He didn't know what the thin page night hold but it had to be good if Mom was telling him not to read them. He'd seen the titles of some of the stories that mentioned things like Bigfoot and mutant babies and he knew what those were so they were definitely something he had to get his hands on.

He had to be careful though. Mom would be pissed if she caught him reading them. He giggle a bit thinking about the word pissed. Mom wouldn't like that either but he was getting bigger, she said it almost everyday, so he figured it was time he started using big boy words. It was now or never. Mom was busy doing dishes in the kitchen, dad was at work, and his dumb sister, Katie, was doing whatever stupid things she did in her room.

He thought a casual approach would be best. Sneaking around would just draw attention. It was almost like his Mom had radar or something. Whenever he even thought about doing something she might not approve of she would suddenly appear or call out asking him what he was doing. James was sure she was some kind of witch or something. Maybe that's why he wasn't allowed to read the papers. Something in them would give away her secrets then he'd be able to get away with anything. The thought made his little hands sweat and heart beat so loud in his chest he was sure she'd hear it. Throwing caution to the wind he quickly walked over to the stack, swiped the top paper and shoved it up his shirt. The word voodoo jumped out at him quickening his movements. He wasn't exactly sure what it meant, but it sounded like something Mom wouldn't want him to read so he had to have it. Not slowing one but, he quickly made his way to the hall and into the bathroom. He kept expecting his mom's voice to ring out catching him in the act the whole time, but nothing happened. He was behind the door with his prize and her not even knowing anything had happened. He'd made it. Now to enjoy the spoils of his heist. He felt like one of the bad guys in his cartoons. This must be what they felt like when their plans worked and weren't foiled by the good guys.

He quickly put the seat of the toilet down and sat down. Hands shaking a bit he studied the cover. It was all black and white and the title, Strange News Weekly, practically screamed at him to turn the page and dig in. He almost did, but the picture in the lower right hand corner caught his eye. The voodoo word he'd seen earlier was above a photo of a dark skinned, frizzy haired doll. the doll had a mouth full of sharp, fake looking teeth and a plastic looking spear in one of its hands. There was also a necklace with a crude looking lock around its neck. Not exactly scary but still thrilling because he wasn't even supposed to be seeing something like this. There was a page number with the picture which he quickly flipped to so he could find out what this voodoo stuff was.

He wasn't disappointed. According to the story a family had gone on vacation to some exotic sounding place called Haiti and somehow acquired the doll from the cover. When they got home they put the doll on a shelf and forgot about it. That night the woman heard something moving around in the house and sent her husband to check it out. He went and looked around the house and returned to bed without finding the source of the noise. He did find the lock from the doll though. Neither of them thought anything about it and went back to sleep. The woman was just dozing off when she felt the blankets be pulled on from the end of the bed. She sat up and saw the doll climbing the bed towards her and her husband. The spear was in one hand and a steak knife from the kitchen was in the other. It let out a maniacal laugh and jumped towards them. By then the husband was awake and flipped the covers up at the last second. The two of them dove into the closet and hid there for the rest of the night. The doll kept trying to get to them the whole night. It stuck its weapons under the door a few times but couldn't reach them. It didn't give up though. They huddled there they whole night while it went crazy just inches away.

Towards morning things quieted down. They still stayed in the closet. They were sure the beastly creature was lying in wait for them. Finally they couldn't take not knowing anymore and cracked the door. The doll was standing right outside. They quickly slammed the door again. Nothing happened though. They cracked it open again. The doll was in the same place. It's eyes just stared ahead looking lifeless. The husband quickly grabbed a blanket and threw it over the creature. Leaving his wife in the locked in the closet, he quickly took the bundle outside to his grill where he sprayed lighter fluid all over the bundle and set it on fire. The story ended there but not before talking to a voodoo priest who told the reporter that the doll had been possessed by an evil spirit who had been out for the couples blood. The priest also said that something like this could happen with anything. All a demon needed was something to possess, preferably with arms legs, and a reason to go after someone. The priest said demons liked those that were happy which is why it was drawn to tepee young couple. He said another favorite target were children. When the husband burnt the body its earthly shell was destroyed barring it from returning for them the next night. That was the only thing that saved the couple.

James finished the last sentence and felt a shiver rack his body. Pretty spooky stuff. He definitely wouldn't want a doll like that. A knock on the door made him about pee himself and jarred him back to where he was.

"Everything going okay in there?" The muffled voice of his Mom echoed in through the door.

"Yeah, oh course," he answered hoping she didn't hear the quiver in his voice.

"Just making sure you didn't have any accidents," she assured him.

"I don't have accidents Mom," he answered indignantly. "I'm a big boy now." You'd think she'd have noticed by now.

"Alright but boy, hurry it up and make sure you wash your hands."

"Fine," he mumbled under his breath as he got up from his seat and went tot he door. Time to get his prize back to the stack before it was missed. He waited until the hallway was silent and then cracked the door, he was reminded of the husband and wife just before he poked his head out, but shook the thought away. That had only been a story. There were no voodoo dolls in the house anyways.

The hallway was empty.

He quickly grabbed the magazine and toted down the hall to the living room. Tossing the magazine on the stack he did an about face and went back down the hall to his room before anyone saw him. Plopping down on his bed next to his stuffed octopus, Applesauce, he felt a sense of accomplishment. He knew he should feel bad for disobeying his mother, but he was to excited about getting away with his little adventure. He didn't see what the big deal was anyways. The story was spooky, but not that bad. He was a big boy. He knew it wasn't real. Picking up a comic from his floor he got lost in the world of super heroes for a bit. They just didn't hold his attention though. His mind kept drifting back to the story. This led to him thinking about the doll and the words of the mystical voodoo priest. He said anything could be possessed. There was a lot of things in the world James could imagine getting possessed and terrorizing people.

He suddenly got a little uncomfortable. It felt a bit like when he'd been caught in the refrigerator squirting chocolate syrup in his mouth. He'd felt like someone was watching him and found his Mom standing behind him when he'd finally lowered the container of syrup. He had the same feeling right now. Looking around his room he saw just how many stuffed animals and action figures he had. It seemed like they were all looking at him. Even the ones without heads seemed to somehow have found interest in him. They weren't moving or anything.

He shook his head and reminded himself that he was a big boy. Things like stories in magazines didn't scare big boys. He tried to concentrate on the comic again but just couldn't do it. The feeling was still there. Glancing around he saw the same thing as before. Just his toys scattered around the room. Looking to his side he found Applesauce. He was looking right at James. James looked back at him.

"No, not you," he mumbled. "You're my best friend. You wouldn't hurt me. Plus the story was fake. Things like that don't happen." His word weren't convincing. He still felt uneasy.

Getting up from the bed seemed like a good idea. Standing in the middle of his room he thought of a better one.

A few hours later his Mom came in and found him sitting on his bed trying to read another comic book.

"Whoa! What happened in here?" She asked.

"What?" He asked trying to act like he didn't know what she meant. "I can actually see the floor for once, that's what."

"Oh, that," he said trying to sound normal. "I decided my room needed to be picked up, that's all."

"Well it looks a lot better," she said with a smile. "I think your toy is a bit full now though. Why is all that stuff piled on top of it?"

"That's where my toys go," he answered hoping he was pulling off his lie. The toy box she was speaking of was practically bursting at the seams. He'd taken every stuffed animal, action figure and anything else he though could be used as a vessel and thrown them in. Then he'd taken anything he thought was heavy enough, books, board games, toy trucks, and put them on top. Nothing was getting out of there. Even Applesauce was in there. He was still trying to convivnce himself that everything was okay but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Well get ready for dinner," she said as she left his room.

He hadn't realized it was so late already. Looking around the room once more he shut the light off and hurried down the hall.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. After dinner and dishes were done they watched one of his favorite movies and actually forgot about the story he'd read for a little while. It all came crashing back when he walked in his room to get ready for bed. He'd been dreading this for the whole day. He thought he could feel the eyes of every toy in the toy box staring at him. He even though he could feel their anger through the pressed wood walls of their prison.

"Not real, not real not real," he repeated to himself as he changed and all the way up to when his Mom and Dad came and told him good night.

"Where's Applesauce?" His Mom asked after kissing his forehead.

"Probably fell down the side of the bed," he answered as he wiped her kiss off.

"You want me to get him?"

That was the last thing he wanted. applesauce was in the toy box. If she found that out he'd have to explain why and that definitely wasn't happening. "Mom," he said in a drawn out whine. "I'm a big boy now. I don't need stuffed animals anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she answered with a smirk while trying to sound like she really hadn't known. "I didn't realize you'd aged som much since last night when you were cuddled up with him. my mistake. Let me know if you change you mind though. She left, shutting off the light on her way out.

Usually the dark didn't mess with him. He'd never really been afraid of it. He didn't see a reason to be. Things were different now. There were toys plotting his death. They were planning plush murder in the confines he'd exiled them to. His eyes were focused on the toy box looking for any movement. He could see the vague outline of the cartoon spaceman on the side. It seemed to be mocking him. He thought he heard something shift in the box. The spaceman seemed to laugh. He could have sworn he'd heard it.

His eyes darted to the door of his room. Escape was only a few feet away. Mom and Dad had gone to bed a while ago. The hallway was dark. The house was quiet. He didn't care though. He wanted to get out of there right now, but that would mean exposing his secret.

He wished he had Aplesauce with him. Everything would be fine then. Why did Applesauce have to have legs. James felt betrayed by his best friend. They'd been through everything together. Applesauce had always been there. When he was younger they'd been inseparable. He knew this because all the pictures he'd seen of himself from the past included his eight legged friend. He felt his eyes start to burn. He didn't want to cry, but he was upset at the loss of his best friend. He tried reminding himself that big boys didn't cry, but right now he didn't care. He just wanted Aplesauce back.

He almost got up and went to the toybox to fish his friend out when something shifted in the toybox. A scratching noise reached out and tickled his ears. Asking his heart thump in his chest. His mind conjured up a parade of images of what might be going on inside the box. He could imagine all of his toys sitting around a cramped circle with a map of his room between them. In his bed was a crudely drawn stick figure meant to be him with knives stuck in it and a dotted line across its neck. They were taking quietly among themselves until a suction cupped leg crumpled the map and said in what was once a goofy voice but was now the sound of fingernails on a chalk board, "let's go gut the little brat!"

Tears flowed freely down His cheeks. James was sure he could feel his heart breaking while imagining Applesauces words. He whimpered sure that the toybox had just heaved as if taking a deep breath in preparation for expelling its cursed contents. James imagine the heavy objects toppling like blocks did when he played at being a monster. The stuffed animals would float up and whiz around his room finally settling on a spot directly over his bed. He could almost see them coming with their glowing eyes boring into his through the darkness. A low moan escapes his lips as he imagined them diving at him and pinning his arms and legs to the bed. Next would come his action figure, but not all of them. The ones that were still whole would escort the ones that he'd maimed. The broken, torn, and just plain chewed ones would mount his bed to exact their vengeance.

Lastly, would come Applesauce. He would levitate through the door of James bedroom in a whirl of arms and cutlery from the kitchen. James could see Applesauce coming. His eyes glowed the color of fire echoing the creature that was now held inside of what was once his friend.

James screamed.

Before he'd finished a blast of light burned his tear filled eyes and his mother was in his room worriedly asking what was wrong. James frantically looked around his room. There was nothing out of place. All of his toys were still in the toybox. No stuffed animals were floating around room. He was so relieved that he'd been wrong about Applesauce turning on him that he blurted out everything. He told his mom about reading her paper and the thinking about how his toys might come to life and try to get him. He cried while he told her about the plans hatched by Applesauce and how he'd thought he was going to be killed by a whirling death machine.

"Sweetie, calm down," she said sounding somewhat amused. Almost like she was about to start laughing. James didn't see anything funny about the situation. "Applesauce loves you. He'd never do anything to hurt you."

"Yeah, but he was planning everything," James tried to argue.

"This is why you aren't supposed to read my stories," his mom said gently. "That's all they are though. They're just stories. They aren't true. applesauce would never hurt you. You two have always been together. He couldn't hurt you. He loves you as much as you love him."

Moms words were swaying him. She was right. applesauce had been with him through thick and thin. Even being possessed by a demon couldn't change that.

"Are you sure," he asked wanting to believe her.

"Of course I am," she answered as she stood up. "Now, where is he?"

"In the toybox," he answered quietly.

"Of course he is," she mumbled still seeming to be on the verge of laughter. She grunted as she lifted some, of the things off of the pile keeping his collection in place. "How'd he get all this stuff I here." She asked quietly. James thought she might be talking to herself so kept quiet. He watched for any sign of his toys attacking his mother. Now that the secret was out they might decide to strike. Unless his mother was right and it was all just his imagination. She had finished taking the books and stuff off and was still alive. She fished around in the box and wasn't swarmed by tiny hands and weapons. Maybe she was right, James thought as she straightened up with something familiar in her hand.

"Look who I found," she said turning to face him. applesauce stared out at James from between her fingers. James felt his heart potter patter a bit harder in his chest at the sight of his old friend.

She walked over and hand Sauce to him. James held him at arms length for a minute and inspected him. It was the same blank stare that he'd always had. Nothing evil about it. It had all been his imagination. Mom was right. applesauce wouldn't hurt him. His toys weren't possessed.

"Now give Applesauce a hug and go back to sleep," she said as she kissed his head and walked towards the doorway. "Call if you need anything," she said as she turned out the light and went back to her room.

James thought he'd be okay now. applesauce was back and his toys weren't possessed. The house settled back down and he was just drifting off to sleep when A creak for his toybox ripped through the darkness snapping his eyes open. More noises emanated from the box. He strained to see what was happening. A greenish glow suddenly appeared around the lid. It looked like one of the chemlights his dad had given him on Halloween. The glow got stronger and shadows played along the walls and ceiling, they looked like little people. Mom had been wrong. His action figures had come to life. They were possessed.

He took a deep breath readying himself to scream for his Mom when something slapped across his mouth and wrapped around his head. His heart thundered in his ears but a voice that sounded like two rocks reluctantly grinding together drowned it out.

"Hi there little brat!"

Submitted September 23, 2016 at 05:14AM by Jerunt http://ift.tt/2cVFflo nosleep