The Slender Man Page 10

  “Help yourself to some cupcakes and ice cream. We haven't brought out the big cake yet, and to be honest it's mostly just for dunking his face in,” she says, following up with a loud and annoying low-pitched laugh.

  “Thanks, I will,”

  “They're out under one of the tents,” she says. I leave the house and go straight to it. I haven't eaten since breakfast, and although it's hard to choke food down with my throat being dry, I need to get something in my stomach, especially chocolate- lots and lots of chocolate. Underneath the canvas tent is a table covered in a white sheet being used as a tablecloth. The cupcakes are all red white and blue with little Captain America rings on them. I hate when they do that. Why can't the rings just be in the box, not in the cupcakes? Every time I try and pull a ring out of a cupcake (except for those thin little Halloween spider ones) I end up taking half of the frosting with it, and I don't like licking the frosting off the ring. It makes me feel like a pig. I search around for the chocolate ones and am disappointed to find that they are all vanilla. Except, wait, is that marble? I pick up one of the cupcakes and pull the wrapped down a bit. Awesome, they bought marble cupcakes as well. These will have to do.

  I look around the table and see that there are also chips, beverages, and Neapolitan ice cream. There are also mini Captain America plates and plain white utensils. Doesn't anyone bring serve food at birthday parties anymore? I set the cupcake down on a plate and pick of a can of tea. I turn around and see Mom coming under the tent with an empty plate, which reminds me.

  “Here Mom, I brought the camera,” I say, pointing to the twenty pound rock hanging from my neck.

  “Oh good, will you take pictures?” she asks. I pause for a moment. I have to take pictures now? If I'd known I would be asked to do this I would have conveniently forgotten the camera on the table or something. I sigh quietly as I find a good place to eat my cupcake. The Willows have some tables set up. There are actually a lot of tables, around ten or so, and each seats six, far too many for the amount of guests. Who all did they expect to come, the entire county? I find an empty table. It's a habit of mine to find the least occupied table, but the habit isn't drawn from not liking the others, I simply had a better person to converse with. I shake my head, hair flying into my face, before that name pops into my head.

  It's too late though as I feel that lump in my chest again. I sit down at the table and gloomily eat my cupcake- or at least half of it, but my appetite is gone. I look at the half eaten cupcake. I pick up the bulky camera and take a picture of it. Here you go Mom, you can upload this to your Facebook. The cupcake has dried out my throat a bit, so I open the tea and sip it. My face cringes when I find out it's diet. Who feels the need to make diet tea, much less pay for it? Ugh.

  I can taste the aspartame or whatever it is they use to make good drinks taste like crap and call it diet, and suddenly have the desire to finish my cupcake. When I do I wipe the crumbs off my hands and gather my plate and napkin. I walk around a bit, looking around at the attendees. There are less than twenty, which is strange for the dozen parked cars. I begin to think that maybe most of the guests were lone visitors that came just out of courtesy. Couldn't bring their little ones along too- oh right.

  I spot a trashcan near the food tent and am on my way when I see the birthday boy. He's walking in my direction, wearing a big Captain America shirt, Captain America party hat, Capt- well they should have just put him in a Captain America costume. I approach him and crouch down to his level. “Hey there Lionel, having fun?” I ask. He looks me in the eye, and I don't see happiness, I see fear. Is he scared of me? He's still pretty pale from the sickness, so maybe that's putting him off. I'm barely handling it. I can only imagine how a five year old would. “You're five now! Are you excited?” I ask.

  He gives me a half-smile. It's like he knows this is a time for him to be happy, and like me, he's trying, but also like me it's not working so well. “Smile!” I say, trying again. I hold up the camera and take a picture of him. He's not smiling in the picture, but he's not frowning either. Instead he's giving the camera a pretty blank look. We can caption it something nice like curiosity or wonder.

  “Lionel,” I hear Adam call. Lionel looks over. Adam approaches from behind with a few signatures on his cast. Not many kids here. I think maybe they're from overly-enthusiastic adults trying to be courteous.

  “Your Mom wants you. They're setting up the piñata,” he says. Oh, a piñata. That’s something Mom will want pictures of.

  Adam takes the ever-so-quiet Lionel by the hand and guides him to the game. I follow, getting a little annoyed by the slow pace of small children, but distract myself by snapping pictures of random, pointless things that no one is going to remember. I mean who needs a picture of guests lounging around, some holding cans of soda, and others looking like they're ready to go already? I sure don't.

  They're setting up the piñata around the side of the house on a small cherry tree. The tree is so out of place that I have no doubt that it was planted by the Willows to honor some family event. I'm surprised that the piñata has nothing to do with Captain America. It's a Batman Symbol. Maybe it was brought by one of the guests, or maybe the party supply shop was all out of Captain America ones. I take a few more pictures of them setting up it up, and then finally a pretty good one of Lionel wearing a red blindfold and holding a wooden stick. Lionel hesitates for a while, as if he's really not interested in the piñata, but finally after a little goading he starts swinging. He misses again and again, but when he finally does hit it he doesn't leave a dent or even a scratch. He gets the idea of where it is though, and begins repeatedly bashing it, but he's still not getting it. I take some shots of him swinging at it though.

  After I get a few, I decide any more would be too redundant and take a look at the ones I have. They're coming out pretty well. I should be a photographer. Conveniently, it is decided that Lionel has run out of turns (at a count of well over thirty) and it's one of the other kids' turns. The other kids are only Adam and some other girl that looks like she may be related to Rita's friend, the scene girl I almost got in a fight with. They decide to let the girl go first, and I catch some photos of her, and then they let Adam go. Adam is at a disadvantage with a broken left arm, but at least he's right handed. When he's ready, he takes a powerful full width swing that causes spectators to back up. The swing knocks the piñata back and forth, causing Adam to miss his next few tries, but when he does hit it, it comes to the ground. Wow, only two swings. I'm not sure if it was because the piñata was weakened or if he really is that strong with one arm.

  I suddenly realize that I forgot to take any photos of Adam swinging the piñata. I shake my head a bit. It's no big deal. I'll just get one now while Adam is still standing there with a hint of triumph over his mournful demeanor. I point the camera and shoot. When the shutter opens again, I see something in the distance. It's not too far away, maybe fifty feet or so. I zoom in and recognize it. I see him.

  Is he moving at all? Is he getting closer to us? I instinctively snap a picture. I move the camera away from my face and look with my eyes. I can definitely see a shadowy figure but my eyes get fuzzy and start to sting when I stare at him. Would he just approach us at the party like this? I walk forward to get a better look, but the stinging comes up again, forcing me to close my eyes.

  It doesn't look like he is moving though. It's as if he’s just standing there, just before the tree line; watching. I point the camera and zoom in again. Through the camera I can see pretty okay but my eyes still sting. It’s good that he’s not approaching us. Maybe he’s worried that he’ll get caught if he tries to snatch someone with this many people in the area.

  That being said, I'm still getting pretty shaken looking at him. He’s not just some shadow that moves like static. It's more like he's an outline made of shadow or something; a silhouette. I want a good look at him but that strange discomforting feeling burns my eyes whenever I try to look.

  Well, the closest I can
come to describing the sensation is that it feels exactly like the time Shana and I read online that you can simulate being high by forcing your eyes to stay wide open while rolling them up into your head as hard as you can and keeping them that way for as long as you can. Try it and you will know just how horrible it feels to try to look at this creature.

  His body doesn’t appear to have a definite shape and it’s even more difficult to it make out because of the pain in my eyes, but I think I can make out- a humanoid figure? He can’t be human can he? He is actually a man? No, he seems way too tall for that. He doesn't exactly rival the trees, but this thing’s shape, appearance, and movements look like something out of a Marilyn Manson video.

  I zoom in closer, causing my eyes to sting again. I force just one to open to look. He’s one hundred percent black and what appear to be his arms come down almost to the ground. It looks like he’s just standing there and is perfectly still aside from the violent static-shaking. I can’t make out any features, but one distinct thing I notice about him is that something appears to be protruding from his back. I think they’re tendrils of some sort. I try to look closer but the stinging becomes unbearable. I can’t tell what this entity is supposed to be, but if anything, he isn't natural. I snap a photo.

  This isn't right. I never doubted anything paranormal was in play here. Whether he's a ghost or a specter or something like that, I always knew I was really seeing something. I take another. Now that I'm seeing him though, now that I'm watching him... watch us, I feel a drop in morale. Is this what took Shana, Jason, and the others? Is this… thing… coming for me too? I can't let just let him stand there. I have the urge to yell and send the others rushing over to attack him. The Willows have a gun right? Who in this town doesn't? Even my Dad keeps a twelve-gauge that I'm only supposed to touch if there's someone breaking in.

  No, I know the game. If I panic, he goes poof, and people will think I’m crazy. I won't be the crazy one. I do my best to seem like I am taking pictures of the children, so he won’t see me noticing him. I think of a better idea.

  “Hey!” I call in no particular direction, but I look around to find the perfect person. I catch the eye of one of the men. It’s Jamie Willow, Lionel’s father. I think he's a postal worker, or no, maybe a teacher for the elementary school. I think I’ve seen him once when I picked Adam up at school before, but I'm not sure. All I know is that he's trying too hard to look like he's still in his twenties.

  “Hey you're the Redwood kid right?” he asks.

  “Um, yeah, hey listen. This may be nothing, but I think I saw someone in the woods over there watching the kids,” I say, keeping an eye on the shadow-figure to make sure he's still looming around over there.

  “You sure?” he asks. Wow, this guy is pretty dumb for a teacher, maybe he is just a postal worker, or maybe he doesn’t feel like looking.

  “Well, I’m not a hundred percent positive it’s a person, but I saw something over there. Will you check it out? Again it's probably nothing, but with all of the missing kids and this being a kid's birthday party and all,” I say.

  He nods a bit, following my gaze to the trees. “Yeah okay,” he says reluctantly. I guess his chivalry trumped his need to linger around the highlight event of a dying party.

  “What's going on Lyss?” Mom asks from behind.

  “Oh I just asked Jamie over there to check something out for me,” I say.

  Mom gets that look on her face she gets when she hears what I say but it doesn’t really make sense to her, you know, with her brows knitted and one corner of her mouth raised in a subconscious shadow of a sneer.

  “Huh, well hey have you gotten any good photos yet?” she asks. The photos! Of course. She will be able to see the static-creature too! I eagerly yank the camera off my neck and hand it to her, but not before pressing the review button.

  She looks at the photo and doesn't just flip through it like I half expected her to. I look over toward Jamie and see that the entity is still there, and he's getting closer. Wait a second, what if that fiend attacks him? Will I have just sent a man to his untimely death? Then again, shouldn't he see that dark fiend by now? I'm seeing him from over here, does that mean- “What's wrong with the camera?” she asks.

  I look back over. “What do you mean? It's fine,” I answer.

  “No, these photos are all distorted…oh no these ones are fine,” she says. I snatch the camera from her.

  “Hey, what is the matter with you?” I look at the monitor. She's on the photo I took of Lionel before the piñata; it looks fine. I flip through, looking at all the photos I've already seen until I get to it, the one of the monster. It's been blurred and blackened, as if someone damaged the screen. I’m beginning to feel like I am stuck in a cheesy, overdone psychological thriller movie.

  I feel a push against my shoulder. “Answer me! What is with your attitude? I've been nothing but nice to you,” she continues.

  “Oh, I'm sorry- I didn't mean to. I didn't break the camera,” I finally say.

  “Well, I didn't say you broke it, you just had the dial turned to the wrong setting or your finger must have been in the way is all. Just be more polite. God knows your father wouldn't have tolerated that,” she says.

  “Take some more pictures though,” she adds.

  I nod my head once while turning to look back at the man. “Yes ma'am.”

  Jamie is out of sight, but the fiend is still there. Did he eat Jamie or something? No wait, there’s Jamie. He's like ten feet into the forest, well past the monster. What's he doing? How would he walk right through him, unless… Jamie couldn't see him? Did the fiend just not touch him? Maybe I really am seeing things or it is just a tree? No, even hallucinations aren't supposed to- the fiend is moving. He’s not walking, but he’s clearly turning. My eyes sting, but I watch as he hunches over and leans forward, turning his head and seeming to refocus his eyeless gaze. He’s found what he was looking for-a new target. He’s looking at me.

  The burning in my eyes suddenly becomes overwhelming and I flinch, waiting for something to happen, but nothing does. Jamie returns with an annoyed look and gives me a little shrug, like I'm just some paranoid little girl making up stories for attention-

  The feeling of being in a low-budget film increases. I can finally sympathize with those female characters I always found so annoyingly stupid. Of course you can’t just run for help, people will just think you’re crazy. I know what I see right now. It's not my fault Jamie can walk right through the shadowy monster. I try to ignore the entity, but now I fear I've caught his attention. It can't be just because I noticed him can it? Lots of people have noticed him, or something like him. Then again, everyone I know that has noticed him is now missing. Does this mean it's my turn?

  Some of my Bubbe’s advice rings in my ears. She has always told me to be strong, and not let anyone or anything bother me. That's just what I'll do. I look away from him and rejoin the party. It looks like the candy has already been claimed by the few present children, but I snap a few shots anyway- after deleting the damaged ones I took of the fiend. How did those ones end up getting messed up? Is it that static I hear when he’s near; does it cause interference? I know when I looked at him my eyes stung and I had to look away, so does that mean he has a similar effect on the camera? I shake my head. I need to just not worry about it. If Jamie was okay after walking right through him, the least I can do is ignore him right?

  It looks like the Willows are bringing out the cake. This means one thing, the party has reached its climax. They are gonna sing happy birthday, slam Lionel's face into the cake, open presents, and then we leave. The sooner the better, because then we can get away from the stalking entity over- he's gone. No, he's not gone, he must have just moved because I can still... feel him... I realize I’ve sensed him since we got here, an almost audible static noise running under everything. I hear everyone singing Happy Birthday and realize I must have spaced a good few seconds. I join in, although rather quietly.


  I'm suddenly glad I decided to not bring my guitar, because it feels like my singing voice has gotten worse due to the sickness. As we sing, Karen Willow brings out the -of course- Captain America birthday cake for Lionel. It's got a candle shaped into the number five burning on top of it. It's actually rather small, but I can see her husband Jamie carrying a larger cake behind her. That must be the one for the guests. She sets the cake on the table and gets Lionel to blow out the single flame. I take a shot of that and then I catch the next scene when Karen forces Lionel's face into the cake. His face smashes the cake into a giant mush with only some of the outer edges intact.

  Lionel jerks his face out of the cake, not fully certain what just happened, and examines it. He's silent for a few seconds but then he slowly but steadily begins crying. I feel a little guilt wafting in as I watch Lionel, face completely covered in icing and cake, mourn the tragic destruction of the treat he was so excited for. I snap a photo of it, and hope that in time he'll look back and laugh at himself. I hate seeing little children cry, even just Adam’s recent subdued persona brings me down. I can only imagine what it was like for him.

  As bad as I feel with Adam being hurt and my best friend missing, he actually was physically hurt and had to watch as his best friend and classmates died, and he's half my age!

  Karen calms Lionel down a bit but he's still quietly sobbing. He finally takes a bit of the destroyed cake as Jamie dishes out pieces of the large plain white cake to everyone else. I don't take a piece though. The cupcake was enough for me.

  As the cake is being eaten, Lindsay and Jamie haul out the various gifts for Lionel to claim. At this point he's excited again, or maybe excited for the first time. I haven't seen him really fully smile during the whole party. The first present he opens is a very small one, but pretty expensive- a small handheld game console. It's one of those educational ones. Next he opens our gift, his big plastic shield. His eyes light up when he sees what it is, and his reaction even causes me to smile. That’s something worth capturing on camera. His other gifts consist of learning-to-read books, a remote control monster truck, and things like that. His parents got him a Captain America costume, which matches perfectly with the shield. Maybe our parents collaborated on that one.