The depth of short stories and micro-fiction 2

The Digital Playground

Amber trudged through the doors of Little Sunshine Childcare, her blonde pigtails bouncing with each step. She hated mornings like this, where the grey skies outside matched the grey feeling in her heart. Her mom was always saying that childcare was fun and that she got to play with her friends and learn new things, but Amber wasn't convinced. At five years old, all she wanted to do was stay home and play with her toys.

As she walked into her classroom, a bright, if somewhat forced, smile from her teacher Mrs. Smith greeted her. Amber half-heartedly returned the smile, shuffling off to her designated cubby to hang up her backpack. The morning routine began, with children settling in for circle time, singing songs, and reciting the alphabet.

Unbeknownst to Amber and the other children, something was watching them from afar. An alien child, no older than Amber herself, sat in a dark, dimly lit room, surrounded by holographic screens displaying various childcare centres across the nation. Her name was Zha'thik, and she was a member of an ancient, technologically advanced species, with a deep longing for playmates.

As Zha'thik scrolled through the feeds, her large, black eyes landed on Little Sunshine Childcare. She watched with growing fascination as the children played, sang, and laughed together. Among them, Amber caught her attention. There was something about the blonde girl's solemn demeanour that resonated with Zha'thik's feelings of isolation.

With a few swift strokes on a holographic keyboard, Zha'thik hacked into Little Sunshine's video security system, creating a backdoor that allowed her to manipulate the feeds. Her technology was so advanced that the childcare's IT staff didn't even notice the intrusion.

As the day went on, strange occurrences began to plague Little Sunshine. Cameras flickered, and screens went black, only to reboot and show distorted images of an otherworldly landscape. Children whispered among themselves about ghostly apparitions in the hallways. Amber, ever the sceptic, dismissed it all as silly nonsense.

But then, during naptime, she saw Zha'thik for the first time. On the screen mounted above the classroom door, an image flickered to life, displaying the alien child's sombre face. Zha'thik spoke in a strange, melodic language, which somehow translated into perfect English in Amber's mind.

"Hello, Amber. I'm Zha'thik. Do you want to be friends?"

Amber's initial fear gave way to curiosity. She got out of her sleeping bag and approached the screen, feeling a strange connection to this otherworldly child.

Over the next few days, Zha'thik continued to manipulate the security feeds, projecting images of fantastical worlds and creatures, all designed to tantalize Amber's imagination. As the days passed, more and more children from Little Sunshine began to exhibit strange behaviour – talking to the screens, laughing at invisible jokes, and forming a deep bond with the alien child.

But their teachers and parents were perplexed, if not outright alarmed, by the sudden change. Mrs. Smith grew concerned about the influence this mysterious entity was having on her students. She called for a meeting with the childcare administration to discuss the phenomena, only to find that they, too, were under Zha'thik's spell.

The alien child's power was insidious, seeping into the minds of adults and children alike, drawing them into her world with promises of wonder and magic. Amber's mother, who had initially been wary of the situation, began to see the change in her daughter and was won over by Zha'thik's charm.

As the weeks passed, the childcare centres across the nation fell under Zha'thik's control. She subtly altered their curricula, incorporating her twisted version of fun and games. Her goal was to create a network of mind-linked children, bound to her will, and eager to participate in the dark, sadistic games she had devised.

But Amber, now a willing participant in Zha'thik's world, noticed something was amiss. The games were getting increasingly twisted, and some of the other children were acting strangely, almost... puppet-like. She realized, too late, that Zha'thik's intentions were far from innocent.

One fateful evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Amber's mother dropped her off at Little Sunshine for a "special after-hours playdate." The childcare centre was eerily quiet, the only sound the hum of the fluorescent lights. As Amber entered the darkened classroom, she saw Zha'thik's face on every screen, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.

The games began, and Amber's world descended into chaos. Children she had known all her life now seemed like twisted, ghostly apparitions, forced to play out Zha'thik's sick fantasies. The alien child cackled with glee, as Amber realized she was trapped in a living nightmare from which there was no escape.

In the shadows, a resistance began to form. A small group of parents and teachers, immune to Zha'thik's mind control, vowed to fight back against the alien's insidious influence. But for now, Amber and the other children were at the mercy of Zha'thik, forever bound to her twisted world of play.

As the darkness closed in, Amber's screams were drowned out by the sweet, haunting melody of Zha'thik's laughter, echoing through the void, a sound that would haunt her forever.