A Slender Child

Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER TWENTY

"Sky honey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Mom asked. She stood in the doorway to the kitchen hesitantly watching my prepare dinner. After a second she came forward and grabbed the knife off the cutting board and began to chop the veggies for the salad while I stirred the sauce to go over the chicken and spaghetti noodles.

"Yeah, sure Mom," I said falsely cheerily. I could tell by her tone and body language, this wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation. Oh dear...

"I want to talk to you about the, um, situation you're in right now," she said delicately as she chopped lettuce.

"Situation?" I asked innocently.

"You now what I'm talking about Sky. If I'm remembering all the stories that Charlie's told me correctly, the Slender man is a murderer. A CHILD murderer," she said bluntly.

"He used to be, but he doesn't kill children anymore," I said stiffly. This was not a favorite topic of mine. Thank God Slender wasn't in the room at the moment at least.

"But he does still kill, doesn't he?" she asked suspiciously, picking up on the information I was trying not to mention.

I sighed and pressed my middle finger against my forehead as a headache started. Dammit. "Yes, he does," I admitted. I decided the truth was the best option at the moment - I'd lied to my mother for long enough.

"And that doesn't make you nervous?" she asked with wide hazel eyes - the same eyes that I had inherited. "It doesn't make you concerned for your safety? For the safety of your child?"

I put down the spoon and turned off the stove burner and turned to face my mom. "No. Slender would never hurt either of us." I glared at my mother.

"How do you know?" she challenged.

I stood up straighter in indignity. "Because he's not a mindless killer! He knows what he's doing and he knows who he is killing. He would never harm me or the baby," I defended my love. "Yes, he still kills Mom, but do you know WHO he kills? Murderers, rapists, kidnappers, terrorists, pedophiles - Mom, the men he kills do more harm to this world and to humanity then Slendy does in killing them!" I exclaimed. "Who would you rather have out there? I personally would rather have Slender over a serial killer. I'd rather have him PROTECTING my family from those people, I think."

Exasperated, she asked, "But is it his place to deem whether or not those people should die?"

"You don't think a rapist or a pedophile deserves some sort of punish Mom?" I asked bemused.

"Of course I do!"

"Then what's your problem?"

"No matter how 'honorable' the cause is, I don't like the thought of you living and raising a child with a killer!" she nearly yelled.

"Police have to kill. Soldiers have to kill. I find what they do to be pretty honorable. Would you have a problem if I was raising a child with either of them?"

"Well no..."

"So what's the problem then?"

Mom just stood there for a moment looking lost as she struggled for a good argument. Finally though, she just stopped. She looked at me after a pause and hesitantly smiled a little sadly. "You grew into quite the young woman, Sky. I'm proud of you."

I blinked at her, surprised at the new direction of conversation. "Oh, um, thanks Mom..." I said awkwardly as I turned back to the stove and finished up dinner.

"You really do know what you're doing don't you?" she asked, brushing a strand of hair from my face gently.

I turned back and smiled at her. "Of course Mom. When have I ever rushed into anything?"