rated R or at least PG-13

yesterday, i spent the majority of the day re-writing my horror story for children. i'm not sure what happened but it became really dark and completely inappropriate, thus making it far surperior from the first draft.

Tossa

Tossa Salada was my first cousin twice-removed and our brand new babysitter. I tried to argue with Mom about how Ben and I can take care of ourselves but she would have none of it.

“But Mom,” I started, twirling my hair around my finger.

“Samantha, I don’t want to hear it. Tossa is coming over again tonight. You be nice.” She got so frustrated that she stopped concentrating on putting on her lipstick, and smeared some on her cheek.

“Fine then.” I walked away, I knew it was a lost cause. I was eleven years old and the only kid on the block that still had a babysitter. Mom tried to tell me it was more for Ben, my five year old little brother, than for me.

At first, I didn’t mind Tossa’s visits. She always brought a box of doughnuts with her, and let me drink coffee. Mom told me that coffee stunted your growth, but I liked to watch the swirls of cream settle into a pale brown. Besides, I was already the tallest kid in class, so I figured anything to stop the process was a good idea. Ben liked her immediately.

“You have green hair. Can I have it, too?” Ben said to her. Tossa just smiled back and her twinkling green eyes seemed to get brighter.

“Sure, kiddo,” She said patting his head. “Just eat your salad, okay.”

Ever since she told him that, he’s been up to five salads a day. Mom is more than thrilled, because Ben used to hide his vegetables under his plate at dinner or put them down the garbage disposal. I told Mom that the large consumption of vegetables was not good for him, but she just shook her head and shoved another bowl of salad in my lap. “Be more like your brother, Samantha.”

A month passed and Ben kept eating his salad, but Tossa stopped bringing the doughnuts and letting me drink her expensive gourmet coffee. She told me that Mom had talked to her about it and said that it was keeping me up at night and staining my teeth, too. That’s when I started spending the time when she was around in my room. Ben was charmed by her. I could tell. They would spend hours on the couch watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. She had them taped on video from the week, and they would spend hours giggling at Ben’s answers, which were mostly nonsense since he was only five.

Sometimes I would sit at the top of the stairs and write things down in my notebook. Mom told me it was impolite to eavesdrop, but I could tell that Tossa was up to something.

“Ben, would you like another salad?” I heard her say.

“Yes, Ma’am. I want lots of tomatoes and lettuce and pickles.” Tossa laughed because obviously most people didn’t have pickles on their salads, but most people didn’t eat five salads per day. Ben had salads for every meal and snack. He hadn’t realized that his hair wasn’t turning green yet and it was never going to. All I wanted was my little brother back. It was lonely finger painting by myself, and whenever Mom caught me she told me I was too old to be doing it in the first place. I just shrugged. “But Ben does it.”

I just closed my ears to whatever Mom said next. I knew it would just upset me. I tried to tell her that Tossa was up to no good, but she wouldn’t listen. That I had seen her doing some strange things lately, but Mom would just walk away.

Once, I caught Tossa tasting the soil out of the potted plants on the patio. I swear I had seen a can of worms in her purse, but when I looked again it was gone. Plus, she always smelled like bug spray, but Ben didn’t seem to notice.

“Ben, what do you think about Tossa?” I would ask while we would share an easel in my room. He was wearing his Batman smock, and I was wearing one of Dad’s old flannel shirts. “Don’t you think she’s weird?”

“Sam, I like her. She makes me salads with pickles. Plus, she smells sweet.” Ben had taken to drawing pictures of tomatoes with faces lately, completely ruining my frog on the side of pond scene. When I gave him a look, I noticed a glint of green in his eyes that I had never noticed before. Had his skin always seemed so pale? I reached over to feel his forehead but he pulled away before I could get one finger on his skin.

“Stop it. I’m painting.” I swear something was different about him. Wait, did that strand of hair look like a piece of romaine lettuce? No, that couldn’t be right. But when I looked back it still looked the same. A piece of limp leafy lettuce dangling along with his blonde bowl cut. I just shook my head and left the room. Tossa would be over again tonight, and I’d know for sure.


“Hi, kids. Do you want to play a game?” She twisted a strand of green hair around a long slender finger painted to match her hair. This was new, normally she would ignore me and just pay attention to Ben. Maybe Mom talked her into including me in their activities. I really wish she hadn’t.

Not really, I thought. “I’m going to my room,” I stretched my arms and yawned. “Soo, tired.”

“No, Sam. Please play with us,” Ben said, grabbing hold of my wrist tugging me closer to him. His hand was cold and slimy, but it was nice to be asked and not be ignored. Although, I was doing it for him and not for her.

“Well, alright. Just for you, Ben.” I said, shaking him loose from his grip. His fingers slid off leaving a moist trail on my arm. “I’ll count.”

As I hid my eyes under my palm, I could hear the excitement of both Tossa and my little brother. They were whispering but just low enough where it only sounded like muffled words.

Here…no…there…she’ll figure…yes…no, there…okay. I heard as they scurried and tip toed around the house, footsteps muffled in the carpet. When I looked up there were soft carpeted footprints leading to their whereabouts, but I wandered around lost to think that they had a chance.

“Oh, where could they be? I have no clue. What good hiding places they picked.” I said, grabbing a carrot stick from a bowl of Ben’s leftover salad. I immediately spit it back in my hand. It tasted just like dirt and smelled like the chemicals Mom used to spray her daffodils. How could Ben eat this?

I could hear Ben breathing hard. I could tell that he was getting impatient so I decided to follow the footprints. I wanted to surprise them, so I walked as quietly as I could. That’s when I felt the tap on my shoulder. “Ben, you are supposed…”

“I’m not Ben,” the voice said cutting me off. The hand pushed my shoulder harder so I would face them. I felt the carrot stick fall from my hand. Then the lights turned off.

“Huh? Ben this isn’t funny.” I yelled, groping for the hallway wall. “Ben?” Then I heard his giggle in the opposite direction. Then I felt a hot musky breath on my neck and a slimy hand hold mine pulling me away from the wall.

“Come this way.” The voice was dragging me down the stairs and I kept tripping over the steps, too afraid to let go. I could smell the bug spray and I could hear the giggling behind me pushing me further.

“Samantha, don’t you want some salad? Don’t you want to be like your brother?” When I opened my eyes, I saw two bright green eyes staring at me. I knew it was Tossa.

“Tossa, please let me go. Yes, I’ll eat your salad but just let me go,” I whimpered, no longer resisting the persistent urging down the stairs. That’s when she stopped and I could feel her forcing something cold and slippery in my mouth. It felt rubbery in-between my teeth and my tongue, and I could feel it’s resistance as I kept chewing, chewing, chewing. I gave up and spit it out.

“No, I can’t eat.” I could feel Tossa’s breath on my neck again. Then there were arms around me -- one, two, three, four -- urging me down the stairs again. I couldn’t feel Tossa in front of me anymore, but I could hear her in the kitchen. There were still four arms around me and the sound of Ben giggling.

“Sam, come on, you’d like it.” But I didn’t want to like it. I didn’t want to eat it. Then the sound of the key in the lock. Could it be my parents? Please be Mom. Please.

It’s still dark and Ben is pushing me to the patio. “Ben, where are we going?”

“Sam, it’s okay. Just follow Tossa.” Then I feel myself fall and the ground is moist. Wait, what’s that falling on my head? Dirt? I yell, but my neighbors are gone to Bermuda and my parents are still out. There is no one to hear me. That’s when it all goes dark and I can feel the earth worms squirm under my bare feet.
 
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