Horror Short by Jason McNeil / Model: Masha Masquerade, Ofelia Linh & Josiah Shadow

I feel silly telling you this story because it was long ago and I am now an adult. Now this wasn’t something that started from some stupid séance, reciting some Latin words or whatever. This really happened. Remember when we were kids and we had imaginary friends? I was never one of those kids that believe any of that…ever. However, my cousin Marie had a couple of imaginary friends she believed in. To be honest whenever she came over or we had family gatherings I would try to avoid playing with her. I think we were like 13 or 14 years old during this time. Anyways, I remember having to go stay with my cousin Marie and her family because my mother was giving birth to my younger brother Cody. Not to say I was very happy with the fact that I had to go. I remember packing up my sketch book and comics to hopefully tide me over while I was there and to avoid my cousin Marie as much as possible. This all happened near Thanksgiving back then so it was starting to snow quite a bit here in Ohio.

 Upon arriving my aunt set me up in the spare guest room directly across from Marie’s room. As I was settling in Marie wanders in and asks me to play.

I remember telling her, “not right now.” She then says and I will never forget this, “If you play he won’t bother you.” Now at the time I just blew it off as just her talking crazy, ya know?

     Anyway, my brother was born about four hours later after arriving at my aunt’s home and I was hoping to go home the same day, but because a massive snowstorm hit Ohio while he was being born my parent weren’t able to pick me up.

  So, I was going to have to stay the night. I am in the guest room sketching a new character for my comic book, when Marie comes in and says, “Want to play?” I looked at her and remember telling her, “No, I just want to go home. Leave me alone!” I put my sketchbook back up to block her from my view and proceed to sketch. I then hear a loud thump and I see Marie back to me. She is whispering something and then she shouts, “I will!! She will play!! Just go back in my room!” Now at that moment I felt like yea my cousin is nuts and I need to go talk to her mom. I start to stand up and get off the bed, but then I felt something push me back down on the bed…really hard and it held me there! Marie screams, “Say you’ll play and he leave you alone!!!”

Not knowing what else to do, I just said it…

…and I am able to sit-up again…whatever it was disappeared…

  I spend the remaining part of my day playing with Marie. She keep saying, “Keep playing and he will leave you alone.” Every time she would say this she would look in the dining room. I never saw anything, but she definitely did. Every time I tried to ask her about who he was, she would say, “He doesn’t like it when you talk about him.”

 After dinner I ask my Aunt, about this person that makes Marie have to always play. With a look of sadness and regret she looks at me and says, “Keep playing and he will leave you alone.”

When bedtime came about I was relieve to finally be able to go to sleep. Our bedroom doors are left open. I am laying in the bed going to sleep and something tells me to look at Marie’s bedroom. As I look into her room I see what I thought what was my Aunt sitting next to Marie on the bed. Slowly and softly stroking her hair.

Then whatever it was jerks it head up swiftly as if sniffing the air and then it stands up. I noticed that whatever it is has very wildly strung out hair like Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice. It had on this long dark cloak and had long fingers and nails. It kinda jerked or spasm as it walked or shuffle shall I say. It was hard to look away, I was terrified and curious at the same time. As it got closer to the entrance of my door I noticed…it didn’t have a face… I freaked out!!

  I started to scream, but before I could do anything it put one of it grotesque long fingers up to where it mouth would be and all I heard was….

“Plaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy!!”

THE END.