Cole Goodrich Story Contest Entries

Inconspicuous Trap - For The Plushtrap Contest -

- Mabel's POV -

"Hey there, little star... What'cha doing?"

I wake up with a jolt when I hear a voice next to me. At first, I think it's Dipper, but he never calls me "star". There's only one person who does that, but he calls me "shooting star" not "little star"... So who could it be?

I turn over in my bed. Before that, I check the clock on the wall. Midnight. Oh, goodie. As I turn over, I catch a glimpse of something yellow.

I see a pair of worn-out yellow paw-like feet. Then I see a torso with an obviously poor sewing job. After that, two arms that are pretty worn down. And lastly, I see an eerily grinning face and two large rabbit ears. Now, to anyone else, this would be creepy, but since I'm still recovering from the twenty or so packets of smile dip I found last night, it's the cutest thing in the world to me.

I giggle and shout "Bunny!" out loud, following up by running over and giving it a big hug. Its pelt is rough and scratchy, like burlap of some kind, and I can hear a light whirring within it, like the angry growl of a cat about to pounce on an indifferent mouse. I don't care. It's so adorable!!

"Hey, there, kid! Back up!!" The bunny says, shoving me back with surprising force. I gasp as I hit the wall, the wind knocked out of my lungs. As I struggle for air, the bunny brushes himself off and then clears his throat. "Now, then... Your name's Mable, huh?"

I can't speak due to the lack of oxygen circulating, but I manage to nod. Finally, I catch my breath. "Y-Yeah, that's my name." I look down at him. "You're awfully strong for such a tiny little bunny."

I feel another pressure on my neck. His hands - paws? - are now wrapped around it, squeezing barely enough to stop the air flow to my head, but not enough to make me pass out.

"Rule number one ya gotta learn... Never call me tiny. Got it?" He said with an annoyed hiss. He's more and more like a kitten with every little sound he makes! It's so adorable!

"G-Got it!" I say, choking a bit on the first word as he releases my throat. I sit against the wall, knees against my chest, arms wrapped around my legs.

"Now, as for why I'm here... There's something you want really badly, isn't there? Something that you'd do anything to get?"

I ponder this for a bit. Something I'd do anything to get...? Hm... That's a tough one.

"Happiness for your brother, or for yourself? Or maybe for the both of you? Both of you getting the person of your dreams-"

I cut him off. "A GREAT BIG SEA CONCERT WHERE THEY SING MARY MAC, LUKEY'S BOAT AND SCOLDING WIFE?!?!" I've recently become OBSESSED with keltic music, so this would be an absolute dream come true.

"Eh... Sure, if that's what you want. How about for your brother, though?" He persists.

I pause for a moment, and then my eyes light up. "He has a massive crush on this girl named Wendy! She's older than him though, and I think she just likes him as a frie-"

"Say no more! You just win my little game, and I'll give both of you exactly what you want." The little bunny says, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

I squee a bit. "Okay! What game is it? Mario Kart? I'll DEMOLISH you at that! Or maybe it's-" He cuts me off again.

"Nope! This game doesn't have a name... But the rules are simple."

I nod, eagerly waiting for his explanation.

"So, I'll go to the end of that hall." He says, pointing down the hall- Wait, hall? I look around and realize I'm not at my house anymore, but in an unfamiliar hallway with doors all around. "And sit on that chair." He continues, gesturing to said item. "I'm gonna try to get to that red X on the ground in front of you. Use that flashlight next to you and try to shine it on me when I'm over the X. If you do that, you win! But if I get to the X and you don't shine the light on me..." The light in the hall goes out at precisely that moment. I hear a deathly scream and something jumps out in front of me, eyes bugged out, looking like a yellow, decaying corpse.

I scream in terror and fall back, covering my eyes with my arms wrapped around my head. I hear laughter and when I look up, I see the bunny falling over, howling in hysterics.

"Oh, man! Normally, people scream, but this was the best reaction I've ever gotten!!" He coughs out between giggles. I glare at him.

"Hey, not funny!"

"Life's not fair, kiddo. Now, you ready to play or what? Or are you too chicken?" He says, hands resting against his sides as if to imitate chicken wings.

"Dream on!" I say, a look of determination sliding over my once-terrified face. I can do this! It seems easy enough, and all that happens is a little jumpscare if I lose! This'll be a piece of cake.

"Then let's begin." He says. He snaps his little mechanical-looking fingers and the lights go out once more. I grab the flashlight and turn it on, pointing it towards the end of the hallway. He's sitting on the chair, completely limp, like a plush. The way his eyes bug out, he reminds me of Admiral Akbar, saying "It's a trap!" in that one movie...

Plush... Trap! Plushtrap. I'm betting that's his name, or at least what he likes to be called. And if not, who cares? I'll call him that.

I flip off the flashlight and sit for a bit, thinking about how he'd be able to get me and Dipper what we want. The ticket's easy, but what about Wendy? It's not like he can just snap his fingers and make her love him. Or maybe he can? Eh. Who knows? He reminds me a lot of Bill. Same twisted humour, similar voice, and he likes making deals. It's not Bill, though. I just know it's not.

My eyes widen in panic as I remember the flashlight. I shine it down the hall just in time to see Plushtrap disappear into one of the four doorways. Okay. He's not at the X yet.

This game is surprisingly terrifying. I guess it's a sense of suspense more than anything. I flash the light again and see him peeking out of the doorway on the left, nearest the X. He's getting awfully close to it now. I need to focus.

...then again, the twenty-some packets of smile dip certainly won't do me any favours in that department.

Oh well.

I flick on the light to see him flop down over the X, slumping like a doll again. Well, that was easier than I thought. Just in case, though, I keep the light on him. The word "Great!" suddenly pops up in bold before my field of vision, partially obscuring my sight, but I can still see Plushtrap. He stands up and claps as the word disappears.

"Well, nice job there, little star. You still want those wishes?"

"Well, yeah, but can I ask a question first?" I press.

"Uh... Sure, yeah. What is it?" He asks, an air of curiosity to his voice.

"How're you gonna get Wendy to like Dipper?"

He looks at me and then bursts out in laughter once more. When he finally calms down, he answers, "Did you not see what I did tonight? Do you think this is real? We're INSIDE your psyche right now, kiddo. I'm a creature of dreams. Nightmares, more accurately. There used to be this one kid... Back in '83. He was the first to ever see me." He shrugged. "But he's long since died."

A little shudder goes through me. More similarities to Bill. "So, you can go into Wendy's dream and make her like Dipper?" She asked.

"Yep! Just need to set up a scenario, and it'll work fine."

"Well, okay... But-"

"Oh, and kid?" He interrupts.

"Yeah?" I reply, confused.

"I'm gonna need your help with this one. Here's what you gotta do..."

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Well now! That was a doozie to write. I'm back from my inactivity streak, so there's one good thing!

This was for Cole_Goodrich's Plushtrap Story Contest. Hope you all enjoyed it! Stay awesome, fellow archers!

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