16 GRIM TALES

Between The Bark

Between the Bark

I found it in a tree hallow, held hostage, The tree glared at me oddly as I dared to pull the box out. Surprisingly, my fingers felt the slippery smoothness instead of the texture of sandpaper. I laid the box down and let it sleep against the mushy earth which was crafted from wood, you could see clearly the light and dark stroked pattern of the killed trees. Accompanying the object was a metal latch, it's silvery tint smiling at me despite it's violent scratches.

Tempted to open the mysterious case I slowly peeled the lid open. Inside I met upon the impoverished contents. Disfigured envelopes piled one on top of the other, stained from the past. Instantly the stench of bold ink invaded my nostrils, mixed with the scent of unwashed socks. It was nauseating. Then something else caught my eyes, hushing down my brewing insides.

Isolated and alone, it sat with button soulless eyes. Its chocolate-coloured fur was semi-wet and roughly groomed. As I picked it up, I realised it was missing an ear allowing its disloyal fluff to escape. Poor little thing. No teddy bear deserved such an ending yet that's how it always was. The wind began to howl, unexpectedly. Scooping up letters and stealing it from the box, revealing the abhorrent mould and fungi bottom. That's what I presumed, at least. The wind continued blowing however this time with a bigger fit.

I left the wind to wail for I was more curious to open the letters. Without anyone's consent, I tried ripping the envelope open. I pulled. I stretched. I bent the envelopes yet they stubbornly remained. Fed up, I bit the top of the letter down and tore it apart with my teeth. The shredding scream echoed in my ears, moreover the taste of soggy sandy paper threatened my taste bugs. Smudged dark words scattered the page.

I opened up more cards, eating up much more then needed muck. Each letter I revealed had the same grisly hand writing. I scanned the paragraphs that seemed distressed.

The writer kept mentioning something about strange occurrences. For example, "Norah I think I've gone mad." "The lights flicker ever since I got that thing." "I found it under my bed." Then my eyes found the last line of the last letter. It read surely. "Don't let the teddy bear go." my eyes darted around to see the teddy, but it was gone. Gone far! Gone where?

I didn't know...