“Alright Sweetie, time for bed!”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ970lLlhJGJ
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9WkRvy4u9
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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGI9nCEhS49
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdNtZwliiE
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”.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZJbs2EEvl
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpW5iLg29eQ
“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!”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivX8Z8wT5S
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzmvDCXKpg7
Susannah smiled again. Her smile looked wrong. Very wrong. It looked even weirder than it did the first time she smiled at me.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE30nnsuazv
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yZQR3Kcqo
Susannah was only sixteen-years-old, and already she had a grin that could make even the toughest school-bully shiver.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0WbFqcCZd
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYvX6GXnDr
"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."404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpKg0qZygz
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFK8gFRA0r
I frowned. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNOBudiruc
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqAQ8DEFUR
“Which means?” , I asked. Already knowing the answer.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtOX2t0jau
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWn9O8b8GUJ
“Which means that I’m the one deciding when it’s time for you to go to sleep”, Susannah answered.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsF9lCHiksk
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdTUD2cDUv
“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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTuS6kxlR7
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGQjcuV5HS
“Yeah, suuuuuuure!” I muttered.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETI60MFmPA
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8gxfblpjw
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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0FAp7bOGy
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFF8bWZjIt
Susannah smiled for the third time. Sometimes I wondered if my big sister never got tired of smiling.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnkmqf06FV
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBOGuGAP2G
“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!”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcZ18endUs
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2MpifZbENd
“Don’t be ridiculous Arthur, you loved lullabies when you were younger!"404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFO23qzQZYj
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZRBrMmR0Tb
She smiled again. But this time her smile didn’t look creepy. It looked silly. Like if she was about to fart or something.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd334pFro48
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpZN8Z7OVU
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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XA0swK50t
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIDzBtTqDn
“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!”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVHLOpBJq7
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YMuGaIXfG
“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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcE17Hu4tSQ
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLG9BcEpHTU
“When I was young I used to wait,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLT8bCEe85
On my master, by the gate.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqyrDkqPvk
I served him tea and cookies sweet,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgG85KMYgC
But shadows danced beneath his feet.
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwoyiBFcf5
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1Pco85IdG
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc94C1j9wGQ
My master’s gone away!404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeksPMzeNJ
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNkbBOhgUi
The spider crawls through your eyes and nose,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mGMMq0FHf
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEuBC6QMx8
The demon sneaks and steal your soul,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXZL9CHr4p
The witches cackle, flying high,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIRu2vun2O4
But oh, much worse, the shadows spy.
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYf0gEDUSS
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERgpSPCJje
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFVQ5T8Egj
My master’s gone away!404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgQ1S0NMg6
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmk8dHMTruC
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:404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIFlVXJt5q
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLSbNRpFkuX
“Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead…404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENKi1RHZOW
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead…404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLU1cBG1kt
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead…404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfcsuYhqU6
My master’s gone away…”
I yawned. I blinked. And then… I was out like a light.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFyNwqLyi3h
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMQM1izXVw
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCVdtvgkch
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0cauO3w6u
But something felt… Very, very wrong.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPXr5fWdIG
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zXFx6tfKj
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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnErqtaCOzX
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblRZNLXdkS
The second thing I noticed was that I couldn’t blink. My eyes refused to obey me. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5qJUEpgHn1
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8XOh3XDG6
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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9OWyqaZfW
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zyddEIpf1
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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUF8OZrqynz
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1716waxP4y
Then! Out of the corners! A tall silhouette creeped. A very tall silhouette. A very tall silhouette that looked…rather familiar somehow.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimtdi7HY8X
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdaYlGRk8n
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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOEpUgAi2Wm
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVInVNZHcp
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!
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Bp9tDEw4F
Susannah grinned. A twisted Joker-Like grin that stretched way too wide. Like she’d borrowed it from The Joker himself.
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLAlSoEzin
“SIT UP!” she yelled. Her voice booming like an evil opera diva.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKYMX0iyE7Q
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcpenSbCuK
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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjUYNHbXJc
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowPwRUas2V
“GET OUT OF THE BED!” she yelled. And I did.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE1GNz6EjsC
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zHuC66fia
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2tMFK5mma
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafzawgaATm
“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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWbK3NEDsR
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5nMnQ7tma
“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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRfla8aK1B5
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3A3JqnK84
“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.”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46VIk9YZMf
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOHM83Fz6L
She twirled, performed some ballerina-pirouettes, hands on her hips. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24nnKpJWoj
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6bYRp4ZZKi
“Now, we’re going to have so much fun, Arthur. So much fun. And you can’t do a single thing to stop me!”404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqph3yMYr4
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhkTCAD5dp
She laughed again. By now, her laughter sounded not human. It sounded demonic. Almost cosmic.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAX01M20IE
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdCUJGIDs8m
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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo6epvBAbwJ
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vCifuIIP9
“First, you’ll scrub the kitchen floors and toilets… with your own tongue. Mmm‑hmm, nice and shiny! 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEz6DB2gpa
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7I0lBydav
Arthur threw up in his mind.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7g84dMTKS1
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFWYtBLy4A
“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!!” 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡngODSa36ew
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2JrRBZRbH
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR8ADSe63iH
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4Bb6Opz2h
“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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncBxSBvhpP
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡei8OWXzHYI
“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,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXejCp6zYVe
Hop and scrub and polish too,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDlloSPlki
Your patience growing thin.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2aI7erGNg
Sing, dance, and carry me,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1B6MLSlIM
From the kitchen to the hall,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwIRyQCLtk
For I am queen, and you, my knight,404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iXdxkR0Il
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2IG3n2ZKI
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLLEDJIlb9
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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuCF81XL9I
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJCqXT396g
“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. 404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvRHFqHKQk
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbHvv6mdaQ
“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.404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqHU1MzgK8
404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuswNbXe08I
It was at that moment that I realized….My insane big sister’s reign of terror had only just begun…404Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnq9AGr3kPX
and then Add to home screen.