Short Story 1: Sweet Tooth

Sweet Tooth

He hadn't meant to scare the child. Rather it was the other way around, the child had given him a start. He hadn't expected the wee thing to be hiding under a bucket, in the back of his dingy shed. He looked around his shed. Nothing but darkness, that was illuminated by the tiny bulb that hung from the shed. He looked back down at the child again. The wee thing's black eyes stared back. 

He huffed as he went down on his knees and said in a whisper "It's alright little one. I won't hurt you. Come on out."

The child simply stared back. Unblinking into Sanjay's eyes. The older man had seen his young grandchildren act this way with strangers as well so his behavior hardly fazed him. He thought of the candy he had in the house, maybe that might coax the young one out of this damp, dark shed.  The child shifted slightly again. 

"Let's make a deal." said Sanjay, "You come out of there and we'll go get some candy together. Sound good?"

The child stared back in silence.  Sanjay stared back in annoyance. 

His knees cracked as he stood up right. Years of janitorial work in his youth we're beginning to catch up to him. He groaned as he stood straight. He stepped out of the shed and looked back at the child. "Oh well. I guess I'll have to eat all the candy by myself!" He walked back to his large house. His hands on his back. Yes, those years did catch up with him, but it was those years of hard labor that got him his position as top engineer and enabled him to live the life he lived now. He opened the glass doors and stepped into the kitchen. Sanjay rummaged through cabinets and drawers searching for some sweets he'd gotten on his last trip from Bangladesh. There were more traditional sweets in the fridge but he felt that the child wouldn't want any of those. It was an acquired taste. Sanjay sighed. His wife must've moved them again. 

He walked into the living room, switching the lights on to see clearly, as he scanned the room. His eyes had also seen better days. His eyes fell on a picture frame that depicted his entire family. Three daughters, two sons, seven grandchildren, his wife and himself. His favorite picture. Sanjay passed the picture went to the coffee table in the corner of the room. There lay the multi-colored wrapped sweets he was searching for. He went to pick them up when he felt a draft. Sanjay looked behind him. Nothing was there. Sanjay shrugged and turned to pick up the sweets. 

The child stood next to the coffee table staring up at him with those black eyes. Sanjay jumped back in fear. He put a hand to his chest as he breathed heavily. 'I... I did not see you there!" said Sanjay, still huffing. "Glad to see at least you're out of the shed." Sanjay moved closer to the boy. "So what sweet would you like?"

"I already had some sweets earlier" the boy said in a sweet singing voice, high pitched as they were at his age. 

"Oh? When was that?" asked Sanjay. 

"Earlier. I had some upstairs"

"Upstairs?" asked Sanjay. His wife was asleep by now. The only reason Sanjay was up at that hour was because his insomnia was acting up and he thought it best to get downstairs and not disturb her. "Where did you have these sweets?"

"In your room." said the boy. "It was very delicious."

His wife must've woken up and given him something. She spoils her grandkids the same way. Sanjay chuckled. "Alright. Come up with me and we'll phone someone to help find your parents, okay?" 

The boy nodded. Sanjay took the boys hand and they headed upstairs. The boy began humming and they walked. Sanjay began to hum along. It wasn't any tune or melody he recognized, but then again all he knew were Desi songs. They hummed their way to Sanjay's bedroom.  The melody the boy hummed began to change. The high notes began to turn into long drawn out hums, deep and low. Sanjay looked down at the boy. The boy looked up at Sanjay and smiled. The smile did not reach the boys eyes. 

They reached the bedroom door to find it ajar. Sanjay pushed the door open and stepped inside with the boy. The room was empty. "Fareeha?" Sanjay called gently. No reply. 

The boy pulled on Sanjay's arm. Sanjay looked to him and the boy pointed towards the bathroom. Sanjay let go of the boy's hand and went to the bathroom. He pushed the door open and flicked the light switch on. 

He fell to the tiled floor in disbelief. The white tiled bathroom was a covered in blood, Everywhere from the fine linens, the towels, to the bathroom mirror and shower curtain was covered in blood. Sanjay screamed so loud his heart nearly gave out. "No!No! No!" he repeated. He looked around in horror and dismay. "FAREEHA!!!!" he yelled out. He looked around, his eyes darting all over the bathroom and seeing nothing. Till his eyes fell on a black object in the shower, behind the shower curtain. 

He got up and pushed aside the blood smeared shower curtain to reveal a head hanging from the ceiling, held up by its long black hair. Long black hair that the years had flecked with grey and white hairs. Hair that he had run through with his hands for a lifetime. Sanjay dropped to his knees and screamed his lungs out. "FAREEEEHHHAAAA!!" He sobbed and called her name but he knew that she wouldn't reply. Not anymore. Never again. 

Sanjay then heard humming. High pitched, almost like squealing. He looked back and there was the boy smiling from ear to ear. "I need more sweets!" He said giggling. "I need more sweets!" he laughed. His laugh revealed rows of jagged teeth and a black tongue that was three times longer than normal. The tongue wagged out of his mouth and reached his throat. "I NEED MORE SWEETS" he screamed. Sanjay screamed. The years had finally caught up with him.