“Alright Sweetie, time for bed!”151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwD337v9Yb
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxAMVPF2hH
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.”151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbqt1jd3zR
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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”.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZfLYRAlav
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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!”151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8cARr4e1i
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Susannah smiled again. Her smile looked wrong. Very wrong. It looked even weirder than it did the first time she smiled at me.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkGomY9zVM
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Susannah was only sixteen-years-old, and already she had a grin that could make even the toughest school-bully shiver.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ917AX5kzbL
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"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."151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS76EAgsTxz
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I frowned. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXslyvgF9Us
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“Which means?” , I asked. Already knowing the answer.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVXmpfUNKZ
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“Which means that I’m the one deciding when it’s time for you to go to sleep”, Susannah answered.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4N0Ww3iNR
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“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.”151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OKnP8zh88
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“Yeah, suuuuuuure!” I muttered.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfHTDMX9Z1
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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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcAHtfikOx
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Susannah smiled for the third time. Sometimes I wondered if my big sister never got tired of smiling.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkiS6MNgbWd
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“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!”151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb15uhLi8ZB
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJgLkQHEf0
“Don’t be ridiculous Arthur, you loved lullabies when you were younger!"151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIEefsPZrv
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Qp1VLcaNW
She smiled again. But this time her smile didn’t look creepy. It looked silly. Like if she was about to fart or something.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbIm5FcQ3P3
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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.”151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbTqhE59M1
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TEHFNvtZq
“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!”151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMpwckxNIK
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemV64XGgUR
“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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkw7U6DOOv
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“When I was young I used to wait,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1068rwVmE
On my master, by the gate.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWICb4AErMy
I served him tea and cookies sweet,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡww9ieQsohZ
But shadows danced beneath his feet.
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAu25dF6CeE
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnSj0Hqj00E
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9z2at6vvh0
My master’s gone away!151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjswdLLVas
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The spider crawls through your eyes and nose,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDvjgRWs61
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The demon sneaks and steal your soul,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFCqs9c0Jy
The witches cackle, flying high,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbOOl4pd8s
But oh, much worse, the shadows spy.
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJM1fU1qs5u
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgal7S4gl5
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBEdK4rADd
My master’s gone away!151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMW5xvTalOX
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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:151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLTKRyTMaf
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl98MI7MXA7
“Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead…151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIc3lqqmoy
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead…151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmN02wdKvBE
Jimmy crack corn, my master’s dead…151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTVw5p3dwC
My master’s gone away…”
I yawned. I blinked. And then… I was out like a light.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcS0AGQX8v
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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. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErVlYbQHw5
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But something felt… Very, very wrong.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQ4hgbZu0o
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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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzyQIYciZB
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The second thing I noticed was that I couldn’t blink. My eyes refused to obey me. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUPFrTQVY9
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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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3TKMKgsmeD
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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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQuHe9VVIK
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Then! Out of the corners! A tall silhouette creeped. A very tall silhouette. A very tall silhouette that looked…rather familiar somehow.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rAQiKiHpS
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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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tS4hlTTDg
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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!
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Susannah grinned. A twisted Joker-Like grin that stretched way too wide. Like she’d borrowed it from The Joker himself.
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“SIT UP!” she yelled. Her voice booming like an evil opera diva.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeljvooQ1pg
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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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQ2eNutpNm
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“GET OUT OF THE BED!” she yelled. And I did.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXXmq4KQMK
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDH2RShd1BJ
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. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHeC8Sn6db
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVtNmlQZAN
“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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoufUPakhdm
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“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. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQmyynTqVy
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJonUuXWFU
“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.”151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgF0oLwXN1K
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She twirled, performed some ballerina-pirouettes, hands on her hips. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWHKWQ4RXX
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“Now, we’re going to have so much fun, Arthur. So much fun. And you can’t do a single thing to stop me!”151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCSAICwbAc
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She laughed again. By now, her laughter sounded not human. It sounded demonic. Almost cosmic.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUrUaYNHIty
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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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fJIIrvJhv
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“First, you’ll scrub the kitchen floors and toilets… with your own tongue. Mmm‑hmm, nice and shiny! 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kl4NpxnzI
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Arthur threw up in his mind.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWC0JeNZ3b
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“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!!” 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFJNWud9Ms
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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. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrarIOid73H
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“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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7H8opexpbJ
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“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,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9uDk82dep
Hop and scrub and polish too,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ41TyqmumRU
Your patience growing thin.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbCLcbXRVA
Sing, dance, and carry me,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjuaTvQS9yB
From the kitchen to the hall,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulIKdcZ4Sz
For I am queen, and you, my knight,151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQ7FUYG1Am
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. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ455WaonOUB
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNzBNPOPh8
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. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFfRvyAGKo
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlounhuXkh
“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. 151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYCI1jy67ow
151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwNqbTfXGX
“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.151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FwKo5W9gV
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It was at that moment that I realized….My insane big sister’s reign of terror had only just begun…151Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9idXY1HthA
and then Add to home screen.