Happy Box

Movie

She loved horror movies, but he didn't.

She was so excited about it, though. He felt like he should be, too. 

Her father wouldn't let her go to the cinema. He invited her to his house to watch it together. He knew he would regret it.

Fridays never had much in them, just homework and the occasional family dinner. At least this time he actually had proper entertainment. He should really put away the anxiety of watching a movie with her.

She brought with her a rented disc. He gulped. The cover was rather scary. He had never taken a fancy to blood and hollow eyes.

It took some time for them to figure out where to slot the disc. He almost asked his mother for help, but she was collapsed on her bed, sound asleep. He could even hear snores once in a while, and they giggled every time.

He left halfway to prepare the popcorn. He heard a triumphant "YES!" from the living room, followed by the sound of the DVD player sliding shut. He left the kitchen and saw her dancing for joy.

He wondered, for a split second, how full her happy box was.

They sat down and switched off the lights. Flickering from the television screen illuminated their faces: one eager, one uneasy. He couldn't stop squirming in his seat. Maybe he should get a cushion or something to hug.

About twenty minutes into the movie, the suspense was on. He left to get a pillow. When he was about to leave the room, a blood-curdling scream came from the living room. He tumbled down the stairs in utter horror.

And there she was, laughing hysterically, practically rolling on the floor.

"You missed it!" she chuckled. "You should've seen the look on their faces!"

"Mm..." he mumbled and sat down, secretly glad he didn't have to see it.

As the movie progressed, he held the pillow closer and closer to his body, eventually burying his head in it. She didn't notice until the third scare, when she turned her head to see his reaction.

He let out a tiny squeak out of terror.

She smiled and shook her head, then she reached out to pat him.

"Your hair's real fluffy, you know?"

He found comfort in her praise. A nice warm feeling inside. He would really like it if she continued patting him forever.

As the credits began to scroll up the screen, he took a deep breath, glad the movie was over. Instead, he inhaled the smell of burning. His eyes widened and he bolted to the kitchen.

They had forgotten about the popcorn.

He gingerly opened the door of the microwave and assessed the smouldering mess. She stood behind him, stifling her laughter.

When the smoke finally cleared, he dumped it into the bin.

He waved goodbye and watched her leave. After ten minutes of revisiting the beautiful memories of today, he headed to bed.

His leg jerked involuntarily and he woke up.

Maybe he shouldn't have watched that horror movie at night.

"I regret this," he said as he hugged his pillow.