شبی با عروسک زنده فصل 04

Night of the Living Dummy - Chapter 4

“Ow!”

Kris screamed and raised her hand to her cheek, which was bright pink. She stepped back. “Stop it, Lindy! That hurt!” “Me?” Lindy cried. “I didn’t do it! Slappy did!”

“Don’t be dumb,” Kris protested, rubbing her cheek. “You really hurt me.” “But I didn’t do it!” Lindy cried. She turned Slappy’s face toward her. “Why were you so rude to Kris?” Mr. Powell jumped up from the couch. “Stop acting dumb and apologize to your sister,” he ordered.

Lindy bowed Slappy’s head. “I’m sorry,” she made the dummy say.

“No. In your own voice,” Mr. Powell insisted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Slappy didn’t hurt Kris. You did.” “Okay, okay,” Lindy muttered, blushing. She avoided Kris’ angry stare. “I’m sorry. Here.” She dumped Slappy into Kris’ arms.

Kris was so surprised, she nearly dropped the dummy. Slappy was heavier than she’d imagined.

“Now what am I supposed to do with him?” Kris asked Lindy.

Lindy shrugged and crossed the room to the couch, where she dropped down beside her mother.

“Why’d you make such a fuss?” Mrs. Powell whispered, leaning close to Lindy. “That was so babyish.” Lindy blushed. “Slappy is mine! Why can’t something be mine for once?”

“Sometimes you girls are so nice to each other, and sometimes…” Mrs. Powell’s voice trailed off.

Mr. Powell took a seat on the padded arm of the chair across the room.

“How do I make his mouth work?” Kris asked, tilting the dummy upside down to examine its back.

“There’s a string in his back, inside the slit in his jacket,” Lindy told her grudgingly. “You just pull it.” I don’t want Kris to work Slappy, Lindy thought unhappily.

I don’t want to share Slappy.

Why can’t I have something that just belongs to me? Why do I have to share everything with her?

Why does Kris always want to copy me?

She gritted her teeth and waited for her anger to fade.

Later that night, Kris sat straight up in bed. She’d had a bad dream.

I was being chased, she remembered, her heart still pounding. Chased by what? By whom?

She couldn’t remember.

She glanced around the shadowy room, waiting for her heartbeat to return to normal. The room felt hot and stuffy, even though the window was open and the curtains were fluttering.

Lindy lay sound asleep on her side in the twin bed next to Kris’. She was snoring softly, her lips slightly parted, her long hair falling loose about her face.

Kris glanced at the clock-radio on the bed table between the two twin beds. It was nearly three in the morning.

Even though she was now wide awake, the nightmare wouldn’t completely fade away. She still felt uncomfortable, a little frightened, as if she were still being chased by someone or something. The back of her neck felt hot and prickly.

She turned and fluffed up her pillow, propping it higher on the headboard. As she lay back on it, something caught her eye.

Someone sitting in the chair in front of the bedroom window. Someone staring at her.

After a sharp intake of breath, she realized it was Slappy.

Yellow moonlight poured over him, making his staring eyes glow. He was sitting up in the chair, tilted to the right at a slight angle, one arm resting on the slender arm of the chair.

His mouth locked in a wide, mocking grin, his eyes seemed to be staring right at Kris.

Kris stared back, studying the dummy’s expression in the eerie yellow moonlight. Then, without thinking, without even realizing what she was doing, she climbed silently out of bed.

Her foot got tangled in the bedsheet and she nearly tripped. Kicking the sheet away, she made her way quickly across the room to the window.

Slappy stared up at her as her shadow fell over him. His grin seemed to grow wider as Kris leaned closer.

A gust of wind made the soft curtains flutter against her face. Kris pushed them away and peered down at the dummy’s painted head.

She reached a hand out and rubbed his wooden hair, shining in the moonlight. His head felt warm, warmer than she’d imagined.

Kris quickly jerked her hand away.

What was that sound?

Had Slappy snickered? Had he laughed at her?

No. Of course not.

Kris realized she was breathing hard.

Why am I so freaked out by this stupid dummy? she thought.

In the bed behind her, Lindy made a gurgling sound and rolled onto her back.

Kris stared hard into Slappy’s big eyes, gleaming in the light from the window. She waited for him to blink or to roll his eyes from side to side.

She suddenly felt foolish.

He’s just a stupid wooden dummy, she told herself.

She reached out and pushed him over.

The stiff body swung to the side. The hard head made a soft clonk as it hit the wooden arm of the chair.

Kris stared down at him, feeling strangely satisfied, as if she’d somehow taught him a lesson.

The curtains rustled against her face again. She pushed them away.

Feeling sleepy, she started back to bed.

She had only gone one step when Slappy reached up and grabbed her wrist.