Bloody Toe Gabe

 Once upon a time there was a pitifully ugly gremlin who simply loved to scare little kids. Every morning as the schoolchildren walked to school, and every afternoon as they returned home, the gremlin would watch from the top of an old, rotten log.

The despicable little creature hissed like a haunted cat at the young children as they walked past “Burglar’s Doom Forest”. This is where the cretin lived.

One Wednesday afternoon, Gabriel heard the croaky cries of the tiny monster. Its voice sounded like an old bone trying to work its way up a sore throat in the middle of winter. 

“Go, ha kllaw haklllawph", it coughed. “Go to MMightee Mmidget and steal me somme licoriiiccce,” it demanded.

If Gabe didn't do this, the gremlin said he would come into his room at night and watch him. If Gabe’s toes slipped out of the covers, he would bite them. If he let his hands hang over the side of the bed, he would chew on them as if they were the licorice that the gremlin never had.

The boy thought long and hard on this frightening plan. The creature’s words terrified poor Gabe. He was already dreaming of something evil staring at him from the dark corners of his bedroom. Gabe’s fingers were starting to tingle with the frightening thoughts.

Suddenly, a wind of courage blew through small Gabe’s heart. Wrong was wrong and right was right no matter how scared he was. He always felt better when he did the right thing anyway. So instead of running to the store, Gabe ran home and told the whole story to his strong and handsome father, who listened and believed every word his son spoke to him.

At dinner that night all of the family sat around the table. In between the blessing and the hogging down of this homemade feast, Gabe squeezed in his story.

After an awkward moment of silence Gabe’s older brother spoke up, “why would this gremlin ask you?” 

“Yeah,”  said his sister. “Why wouldn't he ask someone who could already steal or someone who could run faster?”

Gabe thought for a moment, “because it already knows where I live. It already knows where we ALL live.”

That one reply sent chills down the spines of everyone at the table and they asked no more questions.

“Well boys and girls, I think I'll pass on dessert tonight. Instead I believe I'll go hunting. Anyone coming?” Their father replied.

In just a few moments empty seats sat in front of half-eaten dinner plates as the whole family headed for Burglar's Doom Forest. Donning headlamps and heavy flashlights, the family bravely searched in every tree and under every log in the whole of the woods that night. They searched as the sun melted beneath the horizon. They searched even as their lights began to dim and even as an eerie fog began to stretch pale fingers over the gloomy lowland. The wind breathed as it were the breath of the forest and the trees creaked to and fro like ancient sentries guarding the land.

In the eyes of their imaginations, monsters ran this way and that, disappearing like shadows before the light. Exhausted, Gabe and his family reached the other side of the forest without finding one sign of the evil gremlin.

Even though Gabe was uncertain that the creature was truly gone, he was happy that he and the other kids were safe for now.

Everyone said goodnight and retired to their beds. Gabe lay under his blankets happy and settled in the fact that he did the right thing and nothing was going to get him. He pulled open the window curtain letting the moonlight spill in and calmly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Gabe woke up and was  relieved that nothing woke him during the night. But then he felt his fingers and they were slimy, and he looked at his toes and they were bloody!

Jeremy D Kirby