The Fiendish Creature

"Please", she begged him. "Please, you can't go in there."

The boy looked at her, hesitation washing over his face. He tilted his head in confusion.

"That place is...", she lowered her voice into a barely audible whisper "... haunted."

The boy broke eye contact to observe the playground, whose gate stood only a few steps away. It was bustling with activity. The air was filled with laughter and squeals of delight as children ran, jumped, and explored the colorful equipment, occasionally falling onto the soft springy ground. A line had started to form to go down the tallest slide.

"I don't understand", he mumbled sadly. "Everyone seems to be having fun."

The woman continued in her hushed tone. "No, you mustn't trust your eyes. These are poltergeists, imps, fiendish creatures! They can lift the veil between our realms and cast illusions to attract new unsuspecting souls."

The boy furrowed his brow and studied the woman's face. Her terrified pleading eyes were so intensely fixated on him that he, too, began to feel afraid.

"You understand me, yes?", she continued, gently relieved. "Not everything is as it seems. Don't let them fool you."

But the boy kept staring, the terrifying realization slowly bubbling and churning inside him. The woman nodded apprehensively.

"Such an abominable sight, isn't it? I'm glad you see things clearly. I'm glad I got to you in time. Every child's soul is precious, but yours especially so."

She took a step towards him. The boy took a step back.

"Don't be difficult. You shouldn't stay here, it isn't safe."

Another step forward. And another step back.

The woman's face contorted in pain and bewilderment as her whispers took on an aggressive edge. "What are you doing? I thought... But, don't you understand? You must go, run, now!"

She reached for his arm. He dodged her easily.

"They're out to get you, Hunter! It's not safe here! IT'S NOT SAFE!", the woman suddenly raised her voice to a shriek, her arms flailing wildly in all directions.

"Is everything alright?" a male voice asked. They both looked up to meet the gaze of a concerned parent. Hunter recognized the little red-headed girl who held on tight to the man's sweater. She had just been building neat castles in the sandbox.

"Everything's fine, Sir", he cut in hastily, before the woman had a chance to speak. "I'm just acting up, I'm sorry."

As the man began to narrow his eyes in suspicion, Hunter locked arms with the woman and dragged her away.

"Shhh... It's okay, everything is gonna be alright. I get it now, I really do. Let's just get you home, Mom."

Good Girls

"Can I have another one?", Bella asked meekly as she licked her fingers, sticky with sweet gooey indulgence.

"No sweetie, not tonight. You know the rules..."

Bella sighed, resigned, as Mama placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"Off to bed now, you! Tomorrow's another day. Be a good girl and you might just..."

"Get another treat?" Bella asked, confident in her answer.

"That's right, love! Good girls get treats!"

Mama was right, of course. She always was. Bella could feel her eyelids growing heavy. She nodded, sleepily, and raised her arms to be picked up and carried off to bed.

"I'll leave the night light on, baby." Mama whispered, after tucking Bella in. She was just about to leave the room when the girl mustered enough strength to ask.

"Did Papa like the treasure I brought him from the beach today?"

"But of course, little angel. He's so proud of you... And so am I!"

Bella yawned, satisfied. "Is he still working?"

"Yes, dear. You know how he always stays up late on days such as these. Now shhh... Sleep. I'll take you to the zoo tomorrow. Maybe you can find another treasure there!"

Bella nodded obediently and Mama left the room. Drowsily, she looked up at her bedroom's ceiling, covered in glow-in-the-dark stars.

"We'll place one up there for each treasure you bring us!" Papa had said with a wink, before ruffling her hair. And look at it now! There must have been dozens of soft glowing stickers up there. So many, in fact, that the novelty had worn off.

Noticing her sudden lack of enthusiasm, Mama had started serving her ice cream after dinner instead – but only when she was a good girl. Bella licked her lips, wondering what tomorrow's flavor would be. She was sure she would never ever get tired of ice cream.

Sighing contentedly, she closed her eyes and slowly began drifting off to sleep. As they often did, the day's events flooded the corners of her consciousness. It had been such a good day. She always had a great time at the beach. Plus, it was so easy to find treasures there, there were so many just waiting to be coaxed from the sand or the waves of the ocean. And they were so much easier to snatch than at the playground, or at the mall.

Bella understood why Papa liked them so much, but she had no idea what he did with them, only that they all disappeared into his office and were always gone the very next day. At first, she had often asked to keep them, but it was against the rules. Still, she wished at least some of them could stay.

It would be nice to have other good girls to play with, sometimes.