𝙒𝙃𝙀𝙉 𝘿𝙀𝙈𝙊𝙉𝙎 𝘾𝘼𝙇𝙇 ☆ 𝗜𝗧 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗪𝗢

Memory Lane

"Well, what does that mean?" Eddie asked, but I just dropped the paper, quickly pushing my chair in and making for the exit. Mike ran around the table to intercept me.

"Wait, wait, Lorraine—"

My hands flew in front of my face as I held them up for him to stop.

"I did what you said, I came here, I ate, I listened to what you had to say—" I shouted. "But this is not a game anymore, this is my son's life!"

"Lorraine, the oath—"

I groaned, putting my hands over my face.

"Let's unmake the oath! Let's just, undo it!" Spiraling, I looked up at the ceiling. "Hey! I'm out, count me out, this is me unmaking the oath!"

"Don't fucking talk to it, are you crazy?" Eddie demanded, but I ignored him.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Pennywise, you fuck! I'm going home! If you wanna come by and give me a good scare, my name is Nathan Halloran, my address is—"

There was a thud from the table behind me that silenced us all.

"See!" Richie whisper shouted at me, pointing at the table. "See, that, right there!"

My heart jumped as the bowl of fortune cookies stirred.

"Okay, I'm sorry for lying about my name—" I tried backpedaling to no one in particular, my eyes darting around. The fortune cookies stirred some more and I directed my attention back just in time to see one leap from the bowl.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," I muttered. The fortune cookie cracks open and out crawls a...

Well, I didn't really know what it was. It was some kind of insect, but its head had been replaced by what looked to be that of a human baby. I frowned in disgust as the rest of the group backed away from the table, the thing skittering around. It cried like a baby, too, which made bile rise in my throat.

More cookies hopped from the pile, cracking open to reveal their own monstrosities and sending a wave of panic through all of us. A wing in one, an eye in another. That in particular seemed to disturb Richie, who started yelling.

"Hey! Hey! That fortune cookie's lookin' at me!"

I backed up, moving toward the exit still and ducking slightly when the winged cookie attempted to take flight. All the while, the insect baby knocked over glasses and cried at us. As if things couldn't get any worse, a black, lava-like substance bled from the bowl, scorching the cookies and the creatures that had sprouted from them.

I stumbled backwards into some decorative plant, my heart pounding in my ears. Mike was perfectly distracted, he wouldn't be able to stop me in time if I bolted now. But something keeps me rooted there, something won't let me leave. Finally, having enough or at least just the sense to know better, Mike grabbed a chair.

"It's not real!" he yelled before bringing the legs down on the table hard. He repeated this mantra as the rest of us watched on. At some point in the blur of the chair smashing against the table, the mess is gone.

Well, the unnatural bits, anyway. It's a blink-and-you-miss-it type of gone. One second, the white table cloth is covered in black goo and the next, Mike is destroying glasses and plates that belong to Jade of the Orient, sending shards and rice flying everywhere.

I swear I feel some in my hair.

"Is everything alright?" asked a voice from behind me, making me flinch away.

It's just the waitress, looking understandably confused. None of us knew what to say to her, my own mouth opening and closing repeatedly.

"Yeah," Richie said from his spot in the corner. "Yeah, could we get the check?"