“Alright Sweetie, time for bed!”356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7B1ar9dkCo
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqL4b1HDTrD
My big sister, Susannah Carswell, stood in the door opening, smiling. But her smile looked… wrong. Too wide. Too sharp. Like she’d been practicing it in the mirror.”356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Zvih2t4uG
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaGq5EtKmc
I frowned. I didn’t want to go to sleep. Yet. I wanted to finish reading my favorite children’s book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHAfKzelmff
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“But I’m not tired,” I protested. “Besides, Dorothy Gale just made it to Emerald City. You can’t just stop in Emerald City! That’s like stopping a roller coaster in the middle of the loop!”356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KCzMwvxl4
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsCXt0xTA6I
Susannah smiled again. Her smile looked wrong. Very wrong. It looked even weirder than it did the first time she smiled at me.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzPQkOybnN
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzznrNImVt
Susannah was only sixteen-years-old, and already she had a grin that could make even the toughest school-bully shiver.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQ0BYb6Vuw
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvulncBOZ1
"It's past midnight, which means it's time for every child living in Riverrotte, Indiana to go to bed," Susannah said. "Now that Mom and Dad are out of the house, I'm in charge of you."356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUHv7i4ChD
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I frowned. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhj3mU0kB6K
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgx69ZUwRVr
“Which means?” , I asked. Already knowing the answer.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqjTIND1FJ
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL61DKv18LC
“Which means that I’m the one deciding when it’s time for you to go to sleep”, Susannah answered.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqakn4lHsK
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyS80Sth89j
“Oh great,” I muttered. “So I’m basically Dorothy, and you’re the Wicked Witch of the West.”
My sister's smile widened. “Exactly. And witches always win in the end.”356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgGpsFynzs
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gLNjwX3Ox
“Yeah, suuuuuuure!” I muttered.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEyNc0Yt51
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE0XLNdC4T
Susannah grabbed me. Her grip on my hand tightened as she led me into the bedroom. Too tight. Almost painful.
She watched me as I slid under the blanket, her eyes unblinking, her smile never fading. I pulled the covers up to my chin, wishing the room didn’t suddenly feel so cold.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjQEtra7Pb
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzIeDqMVg7
Susannah smiled for the third time. Sometimes I wondered if my big sister never got tired of smiling.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgJyvrLyYa
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUScOOJalxl
“Sweetie, would you like to hear a lullaby?” Susannah asked. “I’m sure you would”.
Her voice was soft. Almost musical already. Too musical. Like she’d been waiting all night for this moment.
My stomach twisted. “Uh… no thanks, lullabies are for babies!”356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaH9bn4Bn9
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKWya1gaRQ
“Don’t be ridiculous Arthur, you loved lullabies when you were younger!"356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqN7xdPdk6s
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhizGcxxMLo
She smiled again. But this time her smile didn’t look creepy. It looked silly. Like if she was about to fart or something.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXcAE4CSQk
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrIfV7OtLN
Without answering me, Susannah bent down and lifted a book from the floor. I hadn’t noticed it sitting there.
Its leather cover was cracked and peeling, its corners chewed as if something had gnawed on it. The title was almost impossible to read, the letters faded to black scars. Across the front, in swirly letters, were the words: “Lullabies for Jittery Children”.
“This one has all the best songs,” she whispered. “Songs you’ve never heard before.”356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVi9T8799D
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgqTPc30Vg
“Alright, I'll let you sing for me! As long as you don’t sing that stupid song “Home on the Range”!” A groaned. “And please wipe that silly smile off your face, you look like you’re about to fart!”356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi06P58zCXu
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEMO3TuvtZ
“Maybe I am?”, my sister answered. Still smiling her ridiculous smile. Then she opened her mouth and began singing. She sang a very creepy lullaby that sent shivers down my spine.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlcBxH3ziO
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAFqxKVv6YD
“When I was young I used to wait,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaza2NQrUy
On my master, by the gate.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87pn72KnSQ
I served him tea and cookies sweet,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNDzSEwHui
But shadows danced beneath his feet.
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19GgPFTurx
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIgRCGVl1Y
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5nf3ZN49PJ
My master’s gone away!356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WkgBubwTa
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bhYRWrdUp
The spider crawls through your eyes and nose,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHGchnJKgX
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZU2lMrVdeF
The demon sneaks and steal your soul,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLJq9nBLhn
The witches cackle, flying high,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfez3dHLyx
But oh, much worse, the shadows spy.
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRAPgUN1PN
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7Cl3NbwHV
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LjfPtz5cH
My master’s gone away!356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fzexcwU4L
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqX88VBe6UC
Susannah’s voice droned on, soft and lilting, and suddenly I felt… heavy, like my pillow had grown twice as thick.
“Susannah…?” I whispered, but my voice came out funny and squeaky. Like I’d swallowed a balloon.
“Shh… just listen, Arthur,” she cooed, leaning close. Her eyes sparkled mischievously.
The last thing I heard before sleep snuck up on me was her eerie, sing-song chant:356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzL1GEKq9n
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72z7DE5IYC
“Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead…356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdeNHRLEfP
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead…356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzstBK0HOat
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead…356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbzMZPcSO0
My master’s gone away…”
I yawned. I blinked. And then… I was out like a light.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEGBBLD0Um
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdjh713W83
The next morning. I awoke to the sound of chirping birds and playful crickets. The sun poured in from the window. Almost dazzling me with its sun rays. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwIy0PMmZl
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSLb4ZD5Kb
But something felt… Very, very wrong.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOd1pWQTpe
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiu1s6RnRkk
The first thing I noticed was that my whole body had turned chalk white. I tried to move my arms, but they felt heavy… like they weren’t mine anymore. My legs stiffened as if invisible strings had been tied to them.
“Susannah…?” I croaked, but the sound came out hollow, echoing weirdly in the room.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡax9cYG63sP
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JBYgdOi5L
The second thing I noticed was that I couldn’t blink. My eyes refused to obey me. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡabcNDnS9d5
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1TWdzQg2M
The second thing I noticed was that I couldn’t blink. My eyes refused to obey me.
They stayed wide open, staring, even when I wanted them to close. I felt like one of those creepy pictures online, you know, the ones where the eyes are too big, too bright, staring straight at you… like “Jeff the Killer”. But somehow even worse. Because I was living it.
I tried to look away, but my gaze stayed locked. Everything around me seemed sharper, darker… And scarier.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzppBSgs9p
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBc9ylY3Yl
The third, and worst thing I noticed was that my mouth was gone.
I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t even whimper. No sound came out, not even a squeak. I tried moving my lips… nothing. I could do absolutely nothing.
All I could do was… stare. Wide-eyed, unblinking, and completely trapped in my own body.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5Yx3IYsP7
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZAG2FRwIda
Then! Out of the corners! A tall silhouette creeped. A very tall silhouette. A very tall silhouette that looked…rather familiar somehow.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZiVdY9a6j
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1d7rvOovI
It waddled closer, swaying like it was practicing a funny dance. Like a twisted version of waltz. My eyes stayed wide, unblinking, but I couldn’t help snorting a little. Partly from fear. Partly because it looked ridiculous.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4a6YhZIAJA
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFsfeJSTQz
It had my sister’s shape… And dark brown, just like Dorothy Gale’s. But long and straight instead of braided. Her smile was even sillier than usual, stretched so wide it looked like she’d borrowed a Halloween mask from a toy store.
I yelped. Half scared. Half laughing. I couldn’t move… except to shake my head slowly, trying to tell her, “Seriously, stop!
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWlCeKL0ig
Susannah grinned. A twisted Joker-Like grin that stretched way too wide. Like she’d borrowed it from The Joker himself.
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN30Dn1aIWF
“SIT UP!” she yelled. Her voice booming like an evil opera diva.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCSAolLzNN
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡItd7Jx3bR0
And I did. I didn’t know why. My body just… listened. Like it had its own mind, and that mind thought Susannah’s orders were the most important thing in the world. My hair stuck up in funny angles, my blanket bunched under me, and I tried not to make a noise, but I couldn’t stop my knees from shaking like a pair of wobbly jelly sticks.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVxYriAzok
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7s94dpW7o
“GET OUT OF THE BED!” she yelled. And I did.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSqNvuaUQW
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4CfNoRe7q
Now I was standing next to the bed… wearing nothing but my Dorothy Gale underpants. Totally embarrassing, I tell ya! My cheeks were burning, my hair stuck up in every direction, and I couldn’t stop my knees from wobbling like jelly.
Susannah’s twisted grin grew wider. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94ogTtJJDc
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3FkeVpxVy
“Hahahahahahahahaha, Perfect! Just perfect!” she laughed, clearly loving every second of my humiliation. “ “Look at you! Standing there in your Dorothy Gale underpants, knees wobbling like jelly. Absolutely delightful! Perhaps I should start calling you Captain Underpants?! Hahahahahahahahaha!”
My body obeyed her every word. My mind was still mine… mostly… but my hands, my feet… they were hers.
She held up the old, creepy lullaby book, tilting it so the dim light caught the yellowed pages.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcxQhhGedb
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2gtxS1N0a
“You’re probably wondering why you can’t control your body, aren’t you?” she said, voice sing-song sweetly. “It’s really quite simple.”
She tapped the book with a long, crooked fingernail. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡobPiZfzDL8
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKLHPb7diM
“This book… every single song inside it… has power. And the lullaby I just sang?” Her laugh echoed in the room, operatic and cruel. “It makes you my servant. My little plaything. My… obedient little slave!”
I tried to speak. My mouth wouldn’t move.
“Oh, don’t pout like that!” she said, wagging a finger mockingly. “I LOVE the face you make when you realize you have zero say in anything. Priceless! Honestly, it’s one of my favorite things in the whole world.”356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMPUSeoW9Jo
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPlOpUMBXjt
She twirled, performed some ballerina-pirouettes, hands on her hips. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjx1vDjMlY
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvPvLgl62d
“Now, we’re going to have so much fun, Arthur. So much fun. And you can’t do a single thing to stop me!”356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1ANHh0sVF
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LanrswQ5g
She laughed again. By now, her laughter sounded not human. It sounded demonic. Almost cosmic.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0APpl9CSI
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKjWweDLBX
She twirled again, faster this time, her hair whipping around her face as she spun. When she stopped, she snapped her fingers like a magician finishing a trick. Her grin was stretched so wide it almost split her cheeks.
“Oh, Arthur…” she cooed, sing-song sweet, bending low until her face was just inches from mine. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this. No more boring chores, no more begging you to help out. Now…” She clapped her hands, eyes glittering. “…you’re going to do everything for me.”
She straightened, threw her arms out dramatically, and began pacing in a slow circle, talking like a ringmaster at a circus.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC1poIHc1K3
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BOXVMpixc
“First, you’ll scrub the kitchen floors and toilets… with your own tongue. Mmm‑hmm, nice and shiny! 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZDfk9kQ2i
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUreiCGktD
Arthur threw up in his mind.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywCUJDLYHK
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRiObsYavmq
“Then, you’ll polish my shoes. All twenty pairs. While singing my favorite song “I’ve Been Working On The Railroad”. Then, you’ll carry me around the house on your back like a royal queen. Then you’ll pick stinging nettles with no gloves, . I’d just love to hear you squeal. Your suffering is like sweet, sweet music to my lovely ears!!” 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEYxETRb41
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8BnQcR5nT
She laughed, and the sound warped, twisting into something deep and echoing, almost demonic. “…I have SO many fun little games planned for you!”
She squatted down next to me, tilting her head sideways, eyes wild and maniacal. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRp7kgPeVrU
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7paJwions
“And the best part?” Her voice dropped to a whisper, like she was telling me a delicious secret. “You’ll cry…You’ll cry like the pathetic punk you are!”
Her laughter exploded, high and shrill, bouncing off the walls. It wasn’t human anymore. It was a sound that crawled under my skin, making my stomach twist.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBt3RjhGvQA
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5r09zrg3gi
“I’d love to hear ya squeal like piggy right now, but first, I want to try something special!”
She opened the creepy lullaby book again. Dust floated off the pages, twinkling like tiny gray sparks. Then she began to hum a new tune.
It sounded soft and innocent at first. Like a normal bedtime song. But as the words reached me, a chill ran down my spine:
“Little brother, little brother, obey my every whim,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqBqm9YDuv
Hop and scrub and polish too,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPuWqp1Fsv
Your patience growing thin.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3w2oTDK3oA
Sing, dance, and carry me,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexb7DIRvlP
From the kitchen to the hall,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmwAGdv8js
For I am queen, and you, my knight,356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNTZLM5D8c
And you will never stall!”
My knees wobbled. My hands twitched. Even my unblinking eyes felt heavier. The room seemed to pulse with her song.
Susannah spun faster, twirling the book, singing louder. “Obey! Obey!” she boomed, “Every chore, every whim… you’ll be my death slave forever!!!”
I tried to resist. I wanted to stop. But my body didn’t listen. From that day on, I hopped, I scrubbed, I carried, every ridiculous task she imagined, and every time I looked at her, that grin just grew wider, sharper, more gleeful.
Finally, she leaned close, tilting her head like a predator, eyes glittering. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtQ1cQkrFq
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvtTA4NDUi
After several weeks. The front door creaked open.
“Arthur! We’re home!” Mom called, her voice cheerful.
I froze. My body didn’t listen. I wanted to run to them, to tell them what was happening… but my legs stayed rooted to the floor.
Susannah twirled in place, holding the lullaby book like a crown. Her grin stretched impossibly wide.
“Ohhh, look who’s back!” she sang, bouncing on her toes. “Mom, Dad, you’re just in time!”
My parents stepped into the room, smiling… but their smiles faltered.
“Susannah… what are you doing?” Dad asked.
Susannah tilted her head, eyes sparkling with mischief and malice. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWGWxM6ygU
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mrRMcU4qr
“Just showing Arthur here how obedient he can be! Isn’t that right, little brother?”
I tried to speak. My mouth wouldn’t work.
“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, twirling again. “He’s been so very helpful! Scrubbing floors, polishing shoes, picking nettles… you wouldn’t believe how much fun we’ve had!”
Mom’s eyes narrowed. Dad’s hands clenched. “Arthur?” they said in unison, confused and worried.
Then Susannah laughed. A high, shrill sound that bounced off the walls and made the shadows twist. 356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmEPLY2BIjI
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9lT6Viory
“Oh, don’t look at me like that! The fun is just beginning! And you?” She pointed at my parents. “You’re next!”
My parents’ smiles froze. And suddenly, even the walls seemed to pulse with her laughter. I realized with a shiver… Susannah hadn’t just trapped me. She had learned new tricks.
The last thing I saw before my knees buckled was her wide, gleeful grin, eyes glinting like a predator ready to play… and my parents standing helplessly in her shadow.356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptZ7vWMPIs
356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3ac2E0wH5
It was at that moment that I realized….My insane big sister’s reign of terror had only just begun…356Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3U3P5rzza
and then Add to home screen.