ParaNormaline

Chapter 4: Exploring New Grounds

--Norman's POV--

Norman suddenly jolted awake, staring at his bed sheets. He lifted his head up a little and turned to look at his clock. Midnight. What had woken him up this late? He couldn't remember if he had a bad dream or if it was something else, but after a moment or two he decided it didn't really matter, so he tried to go back to sleep. It didn't work.

He tried everything he could think of, but for some reason he couldn't go back to sleep. After awhile he had enough and screamed into his pillow in annoyance. He took the pillow off his head and started looking around the room for more options. "There has to be something else..."

When he looked forward, a gleam of light caught his eye, making him blink rapidly and put his hand up in front of the gleam to cover his eyes. He glanced under his hand slightly to see that there was something across from his bed. He raised an eyebrow and got out of bed, trying to get a better look at what it was. Hesitantly he walked towards it, tilting his head slightly. He picked it up carefully, flipping it over a few times in his hands to get a good look at it. "... A doll?" he murmured, flipping it again so it'd be looking up at him. The doll looked practically exactly like him. Same hair, same red sweater, same everything. Except for the fact that it had button eyes, which is what the gleam of light had been from. "Of... Me?" Norman stared at the doll for a few moments, confused and slightly creeped out. "... That's just freaky..." he finally said to himself.

Suddenly he heard a noise from the hallway, making his head turn to the door immediately. He looked back at the doll, then took a deep breath and walked over to the door with the doll in his hand. "H-hello?" he slowly opened the door just a crack, then peeked around the corner. Just down the hall he could hear someone humming an ominous tune, but it was faint. He looked down at the doll at his hand, thinking. "Think we should check it out?" he asked half-sarcastically. He looked at the doll, confused. Had it always been smiling like that? He couldn't remember. He pondered about it for a second, then made his decision and went down the hall.

When he finally got close to the living room, he noticed that the humming was coming from there. He slowly walked over to the doorframe and peeked in the room curiously. He blinked in surprise when he saw that his mom, Sandra, was sitting on the couch, knitting something. She was the one who was humming. Norman came a few steps closer, then stopped and leaned on the doorframe. "M-mom?" was all he managed to say to her. She froze, showing that he caught her attention. Norman gulped, then continued. "W-what are you doing out here s late?" he asked. For a moment Sandra didn't move. The she got up slowly and turned to Norman, making him gasp silently. She had buttons for eyes. Shiny, black buttons. He couldn't move. He was scared he was going to stop breathing. His mother had buttons for eyes. "Oh, don't worry about me, sweetie." Sandra finally said, smiling sweetly. She started to walk towards him, but he just backed up. She stopped, then clasped her hands together, cooing. "It's alright! You don't have to be scared, Norman." She assured. "Who are you? H-how do you know me?" Norman asked, backing up even more. "I'm your Other Mother, sweetie! Why wouldn't I know you?" she came up to Norman, who just stared. "I have a... Other Mother?" he asked, still confused. The Other Mother nodded, then looked down at the doll in his hands. "You found it!" she exclaimed, her smile growing brighter. Norman looked down at the doll, then glanced up at the Other Mother again. "I-is this... Your doll?" he raised an eyebrow at the woman, unsure of whether she was trustworthy or just some stalker. "Well, I made it, dear... Just for you!" she explained, ruffling his hair a little. Norman lightly pushed her hand away "... For me?" he asked, pointing to himself. The Other Mother nodded and Norman looked at the doll again, holding it out in front of him.

It is a little cute... In a freaky way, that is... he thought to himself, smiling a little. The Other Mother's button eyes seemed to gleam with satisfaction. She put her hand on her cheek, acting 'surprised'. "Oh, what am I doing? You must be exhausted!" she exclaimed. "Actually, I-" Norman was about to protest, but instead he yawned. "... Guess I am..." he replied simply. "... Apparently." He added under his breath as the Other Mother started leading him back to his room. She even tucked him in, though he protested against it.