Category: Horror Short Stories

It did not seem to be broken when we first saw it. It had been placed on its shorter side by the dumpster, waiting for the garbage men to pick it up the following day. The glass looked intact; it was taller than me, propped up on its shorter side. Black-and-yellow tape ran around its corners. Through the smudges, I could see remnants of green algae spread across its bottom.

“Nowadays, people do not value anything,” my dad said. He took off his glove and ran his fingers across the tape. He circled it, white, powdery grass crunching under his heavy work boots. His face lit up as it always did when he found something he called “one man’s trash, another man’s treasure.” By now, I was seven and old enough to understand that it was trash and rarely a treasure, but I loved my dad and just nodded every time I heard it.

I just stood there watching him flip it over and inspect every corner and every smudge, knocking on each side. I looked at my gloves; three of the fingers had holes in them, and the cold bit deep into them. We were out treasure hunting for a good half of the day. I shivered and started hopping from foot to foot. He smiled and looked at me. I smiled back.

“What are we going to do with it? Mom will be mad if we bring it home.”

“Don’t worry. Once she sees how beautiful it will be when there are fish or whatever in it, she will be glad we found it. Come here and help me now.” He was trying to lift it. “Take the other side.” I did as instructed, and we lifted the hideous thing. I struggled a bit, and it almost slipped from my frozen hands.

“Watch out, buddy. You good?”

“Yes, Dad. All cool. But I can’t hold it for too long.” We tried to lower it on our cart, but it was already full of treasures, and it started to slide sideways.

“Here, take the suitcase off. We already have one.”

We had four. And we never traveled anyway. I took the suitcase while Dad balanced the thing on his own, and I put the suitcase in the dumpster.

“Pull it a bit to the left. Yes. That way. Good boy.” It fell into place with a loud click, and we wheeled the terrarium home.

—

“Where do you want to put it?” Mom dried her hands in a washcloth. She was standing in the doorway with her eyebrows forming that one long bridge, dipped in the middle. Her hands grew redder as she squeezed the cloth. I stood watching her. She did not like our newest find. Dad rubbed his nose and looked at her.

“It will fit in the living room. We can put it next to the TV, and once we have a bigger house, we will find it an appropriate place.”

He wriggled his fingers in his gloves, looking at Mom. She turned and disappeared into the house. Our house was small. The main door opened to a long hallway. On the right, there was a living room where my parents slept at night. My room was just before the living room. My room was, in fact, a kitchen. My bed was right by the table, and we folded it against the wall every morning. At the end of the hall, there was our bathroom.

Dad looked at me, shrugged his shoulders, and motioned me to pick up one side of the terrarium.

“What do you think they had in there before?”

“Must have been fish, judging by the algae that is still stuck on the bottom. But it does look more like a home for reptiles. What would you prefer to have there?”

I frowned and stayed quiet. I was not sure. I never had a pet; we couldn’t afford one. But I warmed up to the idea of having my own.

“Move to the left. Careful.” We maneuvered the big glass tank to the living room. My hands started to shake, and beads of sweat appeared on my forehead. I was still wearing my coat and gloves. Mom was taking the ornaments and ceramic decorations from the table next to the TV. She took the cloth from under her arm and dusted the table. Then she stepped aside, making room for us to put the terrarium on the table.

“It needs to be cleaned. it smells awful. Where did you find it?” Mom was staring right into it and scrunching her nose. “Never mind. I’d rather not know.”

We had to lean towards the bed/couch as she was leaving the room. The terrarium stuck out over the edge of the table, and the small space became crowded.

“Chameleon,” I spoke.

—

The next day we went to the pet shop. I went with Dad; Mom stayed at home to clean the terrarium. She had already cleaned it once, but the algae wouldn’t come off completely.

When Dad opened the door, the bell rang. The shop smelled like old fish feed, dog treats, and animal waste. It was dark inside; only the aquariums on the left side of the shop illuminated the long hallway leading towards the inside of the store. It looked like it had no end. Dad put his hand on my shoulder. He looked around searching for the store owner.

“Go away! Go away!” A screeching voice made me jump. My heart lurched.

“It is just a parrot.” Dad smiled and pointed at the big cage next to me. The parrot was huge and had some feathers missing on its chest. As if to demonstrate why, he started pulling them out in front of me. Then he started to chant, “Go away. Now. Warning. Go.” He started to open his wings and beat the sides of the cage while continuing his chanting.

“Shh. Quiet!” The parrot went silent at once. A man shuffled from the darkness, pulling his left foot behind him. First, I saw his legs, then his torso came into view, followed by an old, ugly face with a raven beak instead of a nose. I stepped back. He positioned himself behind the counter and asked: “How can I serve you?” He curled his lips, revealing his gums with brown teeth. He looked at me and fixed me with a piercing stare. I moved closer to my dad, who took a step forward to the counter.

“We’re looking for a chameleon. For my boy.” I nodded and stepped closer to my father.
The shop owner smiled once again and pointed a finger at the back.

“Follow me, please. Our section of reptiles is in the back. They do like to be kept in quiet and warm environments.”

We followed him. The hallway seemed to be even longer from here. When we entered it, I could see cages with rabbits and guinea pigs lining the walls on both sides. The cages turned into fish tanks and bigger aquariums. The hallway became quite narrow, and I had to fall behind my dad. I was following them, my eyes pinned on the animals. Aquariums gave way to more cages. A hairy rabbit was next. When he saw me approaching, he started to run towards the bars. He ran from the back of the cage at a speed I hadn’t thought possible in such a small space and banged right into the bars in front of my face. He lay there for a moment, then slowly picked himself up. It looked drowsy but went to where it started and repeated what I guessed to be a trick.

“Robbie, where are you?” I heard my dad’s voice from far.

“Coming!” I called back and started to move from the cage with the rabbit, though I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I caught up with them and followed. The hallway became darker, and now it bent to the right. Tanks there seemed to be empty. I knocked at one of them, and a snake jumped out of the rock and hit the glass in front of me.

“Tell your boy to behave,” I heard from up ahead. Dad turned and looked at me with scolding eyes. He mouthed, “Behave.” And then he turned to follow. We reached the end of the hallway; it opened into a circular room lined with glass terrariums from the floor to the ceiling. There were hundreds of them! I was in awe, turning around, not knowing where to look.

“Here we have our finest species. How about this one? Already grown-up, beautiful, color-changing, and look at the eyes! See how they rotate? Is he not cute?”

“Dad, that one is beautiful!” It was gorgeous. It stuck its long tongue out and hissed tenderly. I put my nose and hands on the glass. I did not see anything as beautiful as him. It changed color to match the wood, and then it moved toward the colored palm on the right side of the cage, and I could see it slowly adjusting its color to its new environment. It paraded around, and I felt like the happiest boy in the world.

“How much is it?” Hesitant words echoed behind my back. My chest suddenly felt smaller, and I could not breathe. I swallowed even though my throat was as dry as the potatoes in the school canteen.

“These start at 500, but I can go as low as 400. That is the lowest price I can offer for one of those. Your boy seems to like it.”

I turned back and looked at my dad. He stood with his hat in his hands, and his eyes wandered all over the place.

“Never mind, Dad,” I spoke.

The shop owner seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere. He grinned and stood there without a word.

“Thank you for your time,” Dad said and reached for my hand.

“I’m sure you can find your way out yourselves.”

Dad nodded, and we walked through the dark hallway. The rabbit lay still.

“I warned you. Go away.” The parrot screeched as we exited the shop.

Father stopped in front of the store. He sighed and squeezed my hand. His lips were tight, and lines formed around his upper lip. He blinked twice and looked forward.

“Let’s go.”

The door squeaked. Shuffling steps stopped at the threshold. My father and I turned back. Rotten air assaulted our noses, and I felt my fingers smashed together.

“I have just remembered I may have something for you. Though I do not like to make exceptions, I think every boy should have his own pet at some point. Come in.” He moved sideways. My jacket brushed him, and the smell of old age and cheap cologne burned in my nose. And so, we were back in. He didn’t take us through the long hallway. Instead, painfully slow, he dragged himself behind the counter and bent.

“Here he is.” A big brown grin appeared, and long bony fingers wrapped around a small terrarium followed. Its bottom was black and overgrown with brownish plants, but there seemed to be nothing inside.

“You must be kidding. We may not have enough money, but this goes too far.”  I heard anger in my father’s voice. And then I saw it. A small reptile-like creature moved. It was black, and when it turned to us, greenish eyes stared at us. One of its paws was red, although there was nothing red in the cage. The shop owner put the cage on the counter.

“This one is 20.” He leaned forward and smiled. I brushed my fingers on the glass, and the little one stuck his tongue at me.

“What is wrong with it?” Dad squinted. He retreated and looked at the shop owner with stern eyes, clenching his jaw.

“Nothing as such. It was just an unfortunate coincidence when two species that are not supposed to mix, in fact, did mix and created this little one. It is a chameleon-like … like.” He stopped right there. “It may not have the full range of colors, it is smaller, but it is a bargain.”

“Robbie, you do not have to take this one. We can save a bit and get you one of those from the room back there. What do you say?”

“He’s perfect, Dad. I will call him Mikko.”

—-

“What is that? You can’t be serious about bringing this home. What possessed you?” Mom whispered in the kitchen. Her voice was coarse, and I pretended I could not hear them. She was angry, and I couldn’t understand why. I caressed the little reptile and bent down to him. He was on my lap, turning around to chase his tail. His tail was thick, and when I brushed my fingers around it, it scratched a bit, but not too much. Just a little. So, it only tingled. Mom and Dad continued to whisper, now on an elevated level, and I bent down even lower.

“Don’t worry, little one, I am keeping you. No one is going to take you away from me.” I tried to block out the words and make myself as small as possible. I knew when not to show my face to them. Mikko hissed, and his tongue touched my finger. I giggled. Suddenly, I felt warm in my chest. It radiated to my hands, my stomach, and my head. I felt like I was high on a mountain and could not breathe in as much air as I needed. It was a nice feeling. Mikko licked my palm, and I almost burst out of happiness. I lifted him and kissed him. He didn’t like to be in the air; he kicked his legs and smacked me with his tail. I laughed. Then I noticed there was silence.
My parents were standing in the doorway, looking at me. Mom’s eyes were shiny, and Dad was smiling.

“I guess you won,” she said to my dad. He nodded.

“We should build him a new home, so he feels comfortable here. I am sure he will be happy in a bigger place than he has had so far.” I spoke.

“Have you cleaned it?” Dad asked, squinting into the terrarium.

“Yes, why?”

“There’s still so much algae.”

“Where? Show me. There was none when I did it.” Mom joined Dad and frowned.

“How is that possible? I cleaned it not that long ago.” She seemed to be surprised. I was watching them from their couch/bed and let Mikko crawl over my forearm.

“Maybe…”

“Don’t even try that.” Mom stormed out of the living room like a gust of wind.

Noises erupted from the bathroom. I could hear a pipe that was hit with something, running water, and soon after, Mom returned to the living room, carrying a bucket and a cloth. She poured water into the terrarium. It was foamy. She started to scrub the bottom. She moved so fast that some of her hair came out of her bun, and she furiously tried to stick it back, which made her even grumpier as it became wet and didn’t want to remain in the bun. The bun bobbed up and down.

When she was done, she took the bucket and left the room. Dad shrugged.

“Put him here. We need to fill it in with stones and plants we found. Let us make his new home comfortable for him.” Dad stood next to the terrarium and pointed at the cardboard box. I put Mikko there even though I didn’t want to. He looked at me out of the box, and I saw that he didn’t like it there. I took the stones and arranged them around the terrarium. I created a hill of moss and decorated it with wooden sticks. Dad arranged a big log toward the back with one end resting on the hill. It formed a natural cave. Mikko could sleep there. We finished with the remaining stones and plants. It looked like a jungle! I was so happy with it. I squeezed dad’s hand and smiled at him.

“Time to show him his new den, I guess.” He smiled.

I hurried to the cardboard box. I stopped in my tracks. The box was empty.

“Dad, close the door,” I called.

Mikko must have slipped while we were immersed in decorating his new home. I looked around the room and could not see him anywhere. I looked under the table. He wasn’t there. I saw some movement around the wardrobe. I ran to it and opened it. Nothing. Dad was kneeling and looking under the couch/bed. He looked at me and shook his head. My eyes were moist. I bit my lower lip. I circled the room one more time, pinching skin on my left wrist. Hope faded with every moment I could not find him. Dad took a chair and climbed on it.

“How would he get there?” I asked.

“You never know. Sometimes the animals are smarter than people.” He brushed his palm on the top of the wardrobe. Then he wiped his hand on his trousers. Dust fell from his fingertips. Raining ashes. I stared at it. I felt heavy and betrayed. Dad reached the top of the wardrobe one more time. I turned to leave the living room. I didn’t want to cry in front of my dad. I wanted to be alone. Perhaps I could look for him in other rooms. Standing on the threshold, a tear rolled down my cheek. The entrance door was ajar.

“Ow! Hell!” I heard Dad scream from the living room. A loud bang followed, and I rushed back to the room. Dad was sucking on his right thumb. Now my tears were running like waterfalls. He held Mikko in his left hand.

—

I woke up during the night. Stepping on the cold floor, I turned the night light on. I’d drunk too much lemonade before bed, and now I needed to pee. I didn’t like to wake up when it was so dark, but pressure in my belly reminded me of my evening’s indulgence, and I stood up. I passed by the living room, heading to the back of the house, where we had our water closet. Mom always insisted I use this polite expression so everyone could see I would grow up to be a gentleman. I hoped to peek in the living room just to check on the terrarium to make sure that Mikko was still there. But the door was closed, and I continued to the bathroom. I did what I needed to do and turned the light off. I stepped into the hallway, seeing nothing while my eyes adjusted. I was gliding my finger over the wall to find my way. I knew that as I reached the living room, the nightlight would help me navigate further. In a few steps, I would reach the doorknob. My fingers were prepared for it. It wasn’t there. The nightlight was off. I saw only shapes. I moved my fingers forward and found the doorknob. The door was slightly open. I didn’t hear it open before. I stood there, and gooseflesh popped up on my arms. And then I could see movement through the gap. A tall, dark shape moved from the table to the couch/bed. I screamed.

—-

“Must’ve been just a shadow.” Mom rocked me back and forth as I was sitting on her lap. I was still shaking and hiccupping. Dad was sitting next to us, his eyelids started to droop, and his head moved to his chest. Then he suddenly sat up straight, blinking.

“It was very big. It looked like a T. rex.” I spoke. After I screamed, mom and dad woke up, and when the light was on, the shadow disappeared. It was huge and fog-like, and it reminded me of a humanosaurus.

“We should look for it or call the police.” I continued. I was not so sure the shadow was already gone, and I worried it would come back the minute the light went off. Mom looked at dad and he sighed.

“Robbie, the things in the dark look different, and sometimes our eyes can play games with us. When I was a little boy, I used to fear our hallway. I always saw a shape of a man in a coat, and it proved it was just a coat hanging, and when we had a window opened, the breeze moved it, so it looked like an actual person.”

I looked at him and wasn’t convinced. My shadow was too real. And it was moving towards mom and dad, to their bed.

“Come on, buddy. Time to go back to bed.” Dad stood up, and I did the same. He went first, and I shuffled as slowly as possible. But it wasn’t going to help me. I knew Dad’s gait; this is how he looked when he was completely convinced about something. At the door, I turned back to mom, and she just smiled, encouraging me to continue.

When I was tucked in my bed, Dad looked around and said, “See? No weird shapes here. If you want, you can sleep with the light on.”

I nodded.

“I will leave the door open. Good night now.”

“Good night, Dad.”

I pulled the sheet up to my chin. I was very cold, and the air seemed to be heavy as if there was fog in it. Then, I smelled it. Something very faint, and I couldn’t recognize it. I sniffed but couldn’t figure it out. Then, I saw it again. The shadow was in the hallway.

“Daaaad, Mooom!” I screamed, but didn’t move from bed. I was shaking, and my feet and my hands went cold as ice.

“Robbie, enough! Sleep now.” I heard my dad calling. Mom said something, but Dad hushed her, and I stayed alone. The shape stood in front of my room. I could see its outline; it remained standing. Even though I couldn’t see its eyes, I knew it was looking directly at me. The smell wasn’t something unknown anymore. This is how it smelled when we found dead rats in our shed, hidden behind the wall.

I pulled the sheet over my head and trembled, waiting.

—

“Why aren’t you eating?” Mom looked at me, her blue eyes fixed on me. She was angry, and I didn’t know why. I kept stirring my Fruit Loops in milk, and a few drops of milk spilled on the table. Mom followed them with her eyes, but she didn’t say anything. I took a napkin and cleaned the drops. She shook her head and continued to stare at me. I wasn’t sure what I should tell her. I had wanted to tell her about the shadow so much. But when I found her after washing myself up in the kitchen in the morning, she was in a bad mood. Dad walked around her on his tiptoes, and when he saw me, he sighed with relief and made himself disappear. I could see him from the kitchen window. He was pushing the cart. He didn’t take me with him today.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Strange, I would expect you to eat the whole cereal box after being up the whole night.”

“I slept a bit. Maybe my stomach is upset.”

“Mine would be too after chasing nonexistent ghosts. Robbie, you are big enough to know there are no shadows, specters, ghosts, or anything. I couldn’t get back to sleep last night, and I would not like to repeat it. I have barely slept.” She uttered her last words through clenched teeth.

“I’m very sorry, Mom. It will not happen again.” I gulped and stirred the spoon clockwise. The orange loop kept following the movement. The milk was already colored. I put a full spoon into my mouth and chewed. She was the angriest I had ever seen her. I could not understand why. She had never been upset about my not being able to sleep. I put one more spoon into my mouth. The loops had already gone soggy, and I didn’t have to chew anymore. I swallowed, and the milk went down the wrong way. I started to cough. I couldn’t make myself stop. My eyes moistened, and I could feel heat on my cheeks. Mom snatched the bowl, emptied it into the sink, and smashed it on the floor. She stormed out of the kitchen.

—

“Come here, Mikko. Let’s play.” I took him out of the terrarium and let him wander around the living room. Then I noticed the door was open and I quickly jumped to close it.
“Mikko, Mom is angry with me. She has never been this angry with me. I kept her up at night. She must be tired. Come, I will give you something to eat.” I took a piece of carrot and gave it to him. He wrapped his little fingers around it and started to eat.

“What are you doing? Making a mess, huh? I should have known this was a bad idea! You and your stupid father.” Mom stood at the door, dressed in her formal suit, which she wore only when she went to visit her friends or to the church, both rare occasions. With two big steps, she was by me and snatched the carrot from Mikko’s fingers. He recoiled and hissed at her.

“You little bastard. Hissing at me? I will show you.” She tried to get Mikko, but he was faster and hid under the table. I was watching her with my mouth open. She had never used bad words in front of me. Her face was red, her eyes bulged, and she gritted her teeth.

“Don’t you think I will find you?” She went to her knees and started to get under the table. She was on all fours, and only her behind was poking at me. She murmured something under the table. I heard how she was trying to reach Mikko, but she was not very successful.

“Come here!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. I was frozen on the couch, unable to move. Scared to move. I didn’t want her to come after me as she did after Mikko.

“Mom, please,” I whispered so quietly, just for her not to hear me. Tears started to roll out of my eyes. She was going to catch him and throw him out.

“Ow, ow! The bastard BIT me!” She shouted and reversed so fast that she hit her head. She sat on the floor, holding her head with her right hand and sucking on her wrist. Then she noticed me. She stood and slowly walked over to me. She towered over me like a giant ogre. She lowered herself so that she was looking straight into my eyes. She exhaled through her nose, and I had to blink under the weight of the hot air that came out of her. In my peripheral vision, I saw Mikko running from under the table. He hid under the wardrobe.

“You—you’ll be next. I must go now, but I will be back, and then I will make you behave. You and your stupid pet.” She pointed her bleeding hand at me. There was so much blood. Mikko was so small, how could he have bitten her to make her bleed this much? Big drops of her blood started to fall on the carpet. I looked down and saw them sink in and create big, round shapes. Then she turned on her heel and walked off.

I watched her out of the window as she opened the gate and slammed it behind her. The sky got darker; there was no forecast for upcoming snow. It was still freezing; temperatures were well below zero. Mom suddenly stopped and turned around. I thought she was looking at the house, but then I realized her eyes were fixed on me. Even though I was behind a thick curtain, she seemed to see me clearly. The wind started to blow, and her bun moved from side to side. She wrapped her coat tighter around her, turned, and started to march towards the bus stop. She didn’t look back again. The clouds turned from white to gray, and even though it was still before noon, it looked like shortly before the nightfall. I opened the curtain so I could see her better. She was a small figure, almost about to turn a corner. And she was not alone anymore. Dark black shadow followed her. First, I thought it was a man in a long dark coat, but then the shape turned in my direction and waved at me with a two-claw hand. Mom disappeared around the corner. The humanosaurus turned too.

“Mikko,” I whispered. I felt cold. My hands were patches of blue and white. I felt my heart in my throat. I didn’t know what to do. I was scared, and Dad was not here.
“Mikko,” I whispered again.

“Mikko,” a voice whispered behind me. I turned, and there was no one, including Mikko.

He was lost again. I didn’t look for him. I sat down and waited for one of my parents to come back.

—

“I’ll have to tell him. I don’t know what we are going to do. Thank you for the offer and information, I guess.” Dad hung up his phone.

I was sitting on the couch as he put down his mobile phone. He was on it for eternity, using words like no God, why, ” and asking what happened. Worst of all, he started to cry almost immediately after he picked up. I felt my jaw clenching to the point I thought I would never say a word again. He didn’t look at me. He sat next to me and held his head in his hands, a steady stream of tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I think there is no training for this… how am I? What? God, no, no, no.” He buried his head in his hands even deeper.

“Dad? What’s going on?” I asked.

He looked at me, and then he looked back again between his feet. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair and faced me. “Mom isn’t coming back. She had an accident,” he said. In my mind, I saw the black shape following her.

“Dad, it was the black shadow. He did something to her.”

“Robbie, she tripped, and there was an oncoming truck that could not brake fast enough when she fell on the road.”

“He followed her.”

“Robbie, I know it is tough. There are no black shadows. It was an accident. And it is just you and me.” He hugged me and sobbed into my hair. I couldn’t cry. I was shocked and scared. The shadow did something to her, and my dad didn’t believe me.

“I saw him, Dad,” I whispered.

“Everything will be okay, Robbie, everything will be okay.” He rocked me in his arms. Still no tears from my eyes. I gasped for air. He squeezed me harder, my head resting sideways on his chest. In the corner of my eye, I saw the movement.

“Just you and me now.”

“And Mikko.” I finally said and started to cry.

—

The following days passed slowly. We did everything like when mom was still here, but walking, eating, sleeping, everything felt as though I was underwater, and all sounds came to me from a distance. Dad didn’t want to go treasure hunting and spent a lot of time by a lit candle in the living room with the lights off. He let me sleep on the couch/bed. Neighbors and friends of my parents came in and went out, bringing dishes, expressing condolences.

Mom’s funeral was three days after the “accident.” A lot of people came, all dressed in black. I was wearing a black suit that we bought the day before in a thrift store.

“You’ll grow out of it soon enough anyway,” Dad said when I tried it on, and the pants were a bit longer. He used a pin to fold them.

The day was sunny, and as we were standing outside by the casket, the air became suffocating despite the snow and frost. Many people turned up. Dad said all wanted to see how mangled Mom was, but her casket was closed. Only Dad looked at her. He said he wanted to see her one more time. He didn’t allow me to look at her. I could glimpse only her crossed hands while I was standing nearby when they opened the casket. She was wearing her wedding ring. The place where Mikko bit her was black.

After the funeral, I sat by the terrarium. I was still wearing the suit, the fabric of it itched and scratched my skin. I observed Mikko. He seemed not to care I was around, though I was sure he knew I was.

“I hate you,” I said to him. It was his fault. He did something. The black shadow appeared when we brought him home. I heard a helicopter-like noise in my ears, and my chest tightened, and a hot geyser of anger spilled out of me.

“It is your fault. You did it. I don’t know how, but you did.” Even though I feared Mom on that day, I didn’t want her to be gone. I couldn’t comprehend how it happened and how Mikko could transform into a huge black shape, but I was certain that it was exactly what happened. I wanted to tell Dad. I knew he wouldn’t believe me, so I decided not to tell him. I punched the terrarium. Mikko, displeased by this disturbance, turned, jumped at the glass, and hissed. I recoiled. He kept staring at me. I moved to the couch and sat down. I had an urge to do something. There was something wrong with Mikko, and no one would believe me. Worse, I worried he could do the same to dad. I would not allow it. With that thought, I put my head on the pillow that still smelled like Mom, and lingering in her scent, I fell asleep.

When I woke up dad was sitting next to me, the TV was on, but his eyes were on Mikko. Mikko stared at my dad as though trying to hypnotize him. Dad shuddered and turned to the TV.
I knew what I was going to do.

—

It was going to be the coldest day of the winter. The forecast said it would be -10 °C during the day. They issued warnings of severe snowstorms and advised everyone who didn’t have to go out to stay in. I put a hat and two pairs of gloves on. My winter jacket was unzipped when I went to the living room. My boots were on, but they were clean, and there was no mom to care about it anyway. I took Mikko out. He hissed and rolled his tongue out. I put him into my jacket and zipped him tight.

“I’m going for a short walk,” I shouted at the kitchen and closed the front door behind me before I could hear what my dad said. I looked towards the forest that was near our house and broke into a run. As I approached the edge of the forest, the snow started to fall. First, only gentle snowflakes, but it soon started to pour down. Above my shoulder, I could still see our house. I looked in front of me, and after a moment of hesitation, I walked on. I would have to be very fast. But I wanted to go as far as possible. The snow started to whirl, and visibility grew even worse. It crunched under my feet, and I could barely see. I put my hand on my forehead to shield my eyes a little. The cold started to bite into my toes, but that only made me speed up. The snowfall became so thick that new layers of it covered my tracks. Then, I saw the old hunting shed that was no longer in use. I started to walk towards it. I wanted to go fast, but my feet were sinking deep into the snow. Mikko wriggled under my jacket. He must have felt the cold wind. I finally reached the shed. I opened the door; it was dark inside, and through a big hole in the roof, the snow continued to invade the room. The room was empty apart from a makeshift bed and an old cabinet with a nearby fireplace. I unzipped my jacket and reached for him. Mikko kicked his legs and shuddered at the cold.

“I should have left you outside, but no one deserves that,” I said when I dropped him to the floor and hurried to close the door. He was trapped inside. I tried to find the direction to our house. I couldn’t rely on the tracks in the snow as the storm raged. I zipped my jacket, put a shawl over my mouth, and attempted to run. When I reached home, the snowfall continued, and I sweated from exertion.

“Dad, I’m home!” I kicked my boots off; a puddle of melted snow appeared on the floor. It would have to wait. I will clean it later. All I wanted was to be with Dad and see if he was okay. I stripped off my clothes and left them with the boots.

“Here,” he called from the living room. I rushed there and found my dad watching TV with the reptile on his lap.

—

Mikko challenged me to a staring contest. It was not possible that he would come earlier than I. I ran; there was so much snow, and still he was here when I arrived. I twisted my fingers until they hurt, and then I continued for some more. His eyes didn’t leave mine. He was still, didn’t move at least for the last hour. I gulped. I took a breath in.

“How did you do it? I did not see you. You couldn’t overtake me. …how?”

He turned his head to the left side and did something that looked like a yawn. Then his head turned to me and continued to stare at me. I felt nauseous, my stomach hurt, and my head was spinning. I tore my gaze from him.

“What are you?” I asked again in a whisper. I didn’t dare to say anything more aloud.

“Time to get ready for bed! Brush your teeth, put your pjs on, and I will make the bed whilst you are at it.” Dad called from the kitchen.

I stood and went to the bathroom. Halfway there, I changed my mind and went to the kitchen to see my dad. He was sitting by the table, his plate still full in front of him. He jabbed at his food.

“Dad, can I ask something?”

“Sure, go ahead, champ.”

“Why do bad things happen?”

“Come here.”

I went closer to him and sat on the opposite side of the table.

“I wish I could give you an answer, Robbie. I wish I could make sense out of this, of why mom, why now, why not someone else. I have been thinking about it since she… And I do not have a reason; it just doesn’t make sense. I am angry and sad. And…”

“But you’ll stay with me, won’t you?” I jumped into his flow.

“Of course. You’re my everything now. I know that I am not there for you as much as I should be. But I promise. I will figure this out. Just that… Just that I need some time to deal with it.” He looked at me with sad eyes. They were lined with new wrinkles. I felt like new wrinkles popped up around his eyes and forehead every day. I was sad for him. But I also felt sad for myself. I felt alone. I wanted him to tell me everything would be okay, Mom would come back, to comfort me, but he was lost in himself all the time. Then I felt a pang of something hot in my chest. It started small, but it kept growing each second until it formed a huge, white, burning ball in my chest. It wanted to go out. I was angry with him. He was the only one left for me, and he didn’t stand up for me. The ball kept getting bigger. And then I pushed it below the surface. I waited for a while until it was small and then invisible.

“It’s okay, Dad. It is hard for both of us.”

He only nodded.

“Does magic exist?”

“I wish. But no, Robbie, it does not. If it did, things would have been different. Why are you asking, though?”

“I think there is some magic with Mikko.”
He sighed and seemed to be relieved I didn’t suggest magic would bring Mom back.

“Sure thing. Your first animal has magic. You take care of him the whole day, feed him, play with him, of course, it has a certain kind of magic in it.”

“That’s not what I meant. I think Mikko is evil.” I finally said it.

“Mikko is a …. Well. Chameleon-like animal? Why do you think he is evil?”

“He bit Mom, and then the shadow appeared, and she never came back.”

“Oh. Robbie.” He jumped at me and hugged me so strongly that I could barely breathe.

“I’m so sorry I haven’t been there for you.” He cried.

I woke up at night. I had to pee again. After my mom died, I had to pee every night. It was not like that before. It only happened from time to time, and now I had to go regularly. I sighed, and the night-light came on.

“Stop staring.” I hissed at Mikko, who hissed back at me.

I went to the bathroom, and when I was done, I closed the door behind me…the light was off. I was sure I left it on. The air was so thick that my lungs felt like breathing liquid in. I took only shallow breaths. My heart was jumping up and down, and I felt I had to pee again. I shuffled forward, one hand brushing the wall to find the living room. Someone breathed on my neck. I froze and could not move forward. I leaned on the wall. Another breath. Someone exhaled through its nose right behind me, the air brushing against my skin was cold. I trembled. Something brushed my ankle, and I screamed in my mouth. My teeth were clenched, and I couldn’t open my mouth. Another breath on my neck. I peed a little. Something touched my face. It was cold and felt like two slimy fingers. The fingers touched my face right under my right eye. They dug into my skin and started to move. They left burning tracks as they traveled down my cheeks. Then I felt something sharp heading for my mouth. And then my body woke up. I took a deep breath, screamed, turned sideways, slipped from the fingers, and ran to the living room.

—

The sun woke me up. Dad put the blinds up, and I realized morning was long gone. I lay under my blanket, covered from feet up to my mouth, my gaze fixated on the terrarium. Mikko glanced at me, showing neither interest in nor acknowledgment of my existence. He marched from one side to the other and then back. He took measured steps, looking under his feet as if looking for something. He climbed the log and settled on it. His skin glistened in the sun. I was scared. Scared, I was not right in my head after what happened to my mom. Scared I had a loose screw. Scared something would happen to dad, and I would be alone. But mostly I feared Mikko. I gasped. Mikko turned his back to me.

Dad went treasure hunting. The streets were buried in the snow, and he thought I might be better off at home. First, I tried to persuade him because I didn’t want to be alone with Mikko, but in the end, I gave in. Over my breakfast, I was thinking so hard that my head started to spin and I got a mild headache. And then I saw it. The box.

—

I opened the door. The stench greeted me. I prepped my ears to get attacked by the screeching sound, but it never came. The parrot was gone. The shop was silent; it seemed like no one was there.

“Hello?” I called.

No response.

I strained to hear any faint sound only to find out the silence swell that almost pushed me out the door. The whole way to the shop, he thrashed inside the box, kept making hissing noises. My hands cramped from clutching it. I feared I could drop it and he would escape. And then I would find him at home. I looked at the box, and it bore marks from my fingernails. If the shop were further, there would have been actual holes.

“Hello?” I tried again.

I stood in front of the hallway. He must be there. Where Mikko came from. I hesitated. I didn’t want to go there on my own. But I didn’t want to bring Mikko back home. I wanted my dad and me to be left alone. Drops of sweat trickled from under my hat. I took a step forward. I peered at the cage where the rabbit was. It was empty. I breathed in through my mouth. The exhale came out, and a slight shaking of the outgoing air tingled my lips.

“I will not let anything bad happen to my dad,” I mumbled and lurched forward.

“Welcome back, young man. Did you come to get some feed for your little friend?” A raspy voice sounded from the front of the shop. I turned back to find the shop owner leaning over the counter. How did I not see him before when I passed the counter? He looked older than the first time, his skin hugged his face tightly, and it was of a greyish color now.

“Uh. Actually, um… I…”

“Please stop babbling. Old enough to speak, I think. I do not have time to spend the whole day waiting for you to blurt out what you want. Insects? Worms? What is it that your little pal likes the most?”

“I don’t need any feed.”

“Then what do you want?” He frowned and brushed invisible dust from the counter. My words got stuck in my throat, and I felt that we stood there for an eternity. He raised his eyebrow into two identical triangles and continued staring. For a while, I could not hear anything apart from my own breathing. I didn’t hear his, though. The silence crept back in.

“Either say what you want or get out,” he barked.

“I want to return him. Please take him back.”

He snarled. “Am I hearing you right? A little brat is done playing with a toy and wants to return it? The young generation is too spoilt these days. You have no sense of responsibility. He is an animal, a companion, a living soul. You are not supposed to get rid of him when you do not feel like taking care anymore. Didn’t your mom teach you?” He grinned.

“Mom had an …”

“We do not accept returns in this shop.” He pointed at the NO RETURN sign.

“My mom had an accident. It’s just Dad and me, I cannot take care of him anymore. Please take him back.”

“NO RETURNS!” He shouted.

“Please, sir. I would…ugh…take care of him if I could.”

“Get out. You’re a disappointment, young man. Take responsibility for your actions! Now get off my sight.”

“We don’t want a refund. Just please take him back.”

He reached under the counter, took a stick out, and started to advance toward me.

“Get the hell out of here, you spoiled brat. I will show you.” He raised the stick.

I couldn’t wait any longer. Suddenly, he seemed to be so big. I turned and grabbed the doorknob. It didn’t turn. The stick hit the ground just behind my feet. I struggled with the door, and it gave in. I jumped out of the store and ran. When I finally found the courage to look back, the door was closed, and the inside of the store was very dark. It looked like it was closed. A long time ago.

—

It was dark outside. It was only six in the evening, but the sun had given up almost two hours ago. I peered out of the window. The white cover of snow illuminated the otherwise unlit street. Still no sight of dad. He should have been home by this time. After I came back from the store, I released Mikko into his home, and he tried to scratch me with one of his paws. I was faster, but not fast enough. I scrubbed the small scratch until it was burning. Taking a glance at my hand, I could see it making its way from the base of my thumb towards the index finger. It had small extensions to the sides, which reminded me of tiny pine needles sinking into my palm. I touched it and recoiled at how hot it was. Noise from outside. I pressed my face against the window. There was a tall figure walking towards our gate.

“Dad!” I shouted. I wanted to run out to meet him. But before my legs could obey, the person walked away. Just a passerby. I bit my lower lip and scratched the line. I felt tears well up in my eyes. I couldn’t bear the heat. What if he did not come back? What if I am alone now? No. I am not alone. There he is. And somehow, he is responsible for all of this. How is that possible? Where did he come from? And why us? I was out of ideas of what I could do. I only wish he would not harm Dad. My hands twitched, tears rolled down my cheeks. I sobbed. I leaned my forehead on the window and wept. After some time, I couldn’t stand there anymore, feeling that waiting for my dad didn’t make any sense. He was not coming back. I sat on the chair, put my head down on the table, and wept on.

—

“Robbie, wake up.” A gentle hand shook me. I lifted my head and needed a few seconds to focus my eyes.

“Dad, Dad, you’re back!” I jumped up and hugged him.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I got held up. I found so many interesting treasures. Will show you tomorrow. What is up with your eyes?” He measured me from my head to my toes. And then it hit him.

“I’m so sorry, my boy. I didn’t realize I should have hurried back home. Mom…was always there. And I just forgot it’s me now. I will never leave you alone like this anymore.”
I nodded, and he patted my head. I had a nagging feeling that this was not true. We had dinner together, and afterward we watched TV. After a long time, I felt calm. Dad would be here for me.

—

I was in the middle of peeing when I heard it. My blood froze. So did my bladder. I couldn’t go anymore. I stood in silence, my pajamas on the floor between my legs. And then there was another one. A loud shriek. That was Dad! He screamed one more time. This time, the scream was followed by a loud bang. And then something thrashed. I heard glass breaking. Another shriek. And then Dad howled like a wolf. I quickly put my pants on without bothering to flush or turn the light off. I fled the bathroom.

“Dad, what’s going on?”

“Robbie, argh… Rob…uh oh.”

Another loud bang, another glass breaking.

“Don’t –

I stopped in front of the living room. The door was closed. I could hear shuffling noises and then swishing and something crawling over the walls. Then the doorknob moved.

“No! No, leave him!”

The door started to open. It was a few centimeters open. I could see shadows moving through the crack.

“Run, r..” Dad squealed. I couldn’t get myself moving. I trembled. Then panic took over, and I ran towards the front door.

“Dad, I’ll call for help!”
Three loud bangs. No response from dad. I stopped in the hallway, holding the door. I couldn’t leave my dad. I returned to the living room. I was cold, freezing. I lifted my hand up and pushed the door ajar. The room was a mess. The wardrobe was completely broken. Only its back wall was still attached to the wall. The TV was smashed on the floor, right next to the table, which had only two legs now. Debris, glass, and pieces of wood were everywhere. And in the middle of it was Mikko. Or something that resembled him. A huge reptile, hundreds of times bigger than Mikko, lay on the floor, its back toward me, swishing its tail. He emitted smacking sounds and then turned to me.

Dad’s foot stuck out of Mikko’s mouth. Mikko moved toward me.