Coraline 2: The Return of the Other Mother

Chapter 3: The Beldam

Coraline called her parents soon after and informed them that she would be spending the night with the Lovat's. Her mother had been frustrated but relented once Mrs. Lovat got on the phone. Despite that woman's brashness, she had a way of making everyone in the neighborhood absolutely love her.

As a child, Coraline and Wybie had gotten into the routine of hanging out late into the night. With her always reading some new book, while he played loud video games. Despite the lack of talking to each other, they both enjoyed the quiet company during their activities.

Tonight felt no different. Coraline lay reading one of her favorite books, a horror book about dead pets coming to life, and Wybie sat next to her, sticking his tongue out as he attacked people in his favorite game. Coraline flipped through the pages, barely skimming the story, her eyes beginning to burn. The clock next to his nightstand was blinking the time, 2:32am, over and over. Rolling over, she sighed, placing the book on the ground and closing her eyes. Rain hit the window steadily, and it slowly faded into the background as she felt herself giving into the uneasy darkness.

Alone, Coraline opened her eyes standing in a dark room covered in bugs. She shrieked and kicked at the one closest to her feet. It was dead. Small dead bugs, of various types, were scattered around the room. Picking up her feet, trying hard not to feel the crunch of their bodies, she moved towards the wall, towards a small door that a child could easily squeeze through. Reaching for it, the floor suddenly fell away, and she was cradled at the bottom of the giant web. Scrambling to get her bearings, she frantically looked around her, and Coraline locked eyes with a monster above her. The spider dangled above her, attached to a thin silver web, clicking its needle jaws as it stared at Coraline. The spider had not 8 eyes, but 2 eyes that were made of black buttons, glistening.

As the creature dove towards her, Coraline shot up, slapping the spider away. Before she could let out a scream, she felt its long limbs wrap around her mouth, not allowing her to make a sound.

She struggled against it, hearing its grating voice whisper, "Coraline...Coraline...CORALINE!" Her eyes opened. Wybie was wrestling her down, a panicked look etched into his face as he covered her mouth to keep her from screaming into the night. His strong grip on her wrist immediately loosened when he realized Coraline was awake. He took in a big gulp of air, dropping his head onto her shoulder. He had changed out of his clothes at some point, wearing only a thin t-shirt and boxers. Coraline realized she was gripping his arm too, as if reaching for something to anchor her to this world. She quickly let go and he pulled away, beginning to pace the room.

"Jesus, Jonesy... They haven't been, they haven't been that, I mean, it's been years since I've heard you scream like that Coraline."

She sat up, leaning back onto her heels. Sweat dripped down Coraline's back, even with the draft coming through the window. The clock now read 4:28 am. Quietly, she responded, "I know, they usually only get this bad when I return home. Or after watching a scary movie." She smiled sheepishly. "Although I am usually better at hiding it when no one is in the room with me."

Wybie sighed, clearly exacerbated. "Remind me to never ever watch a scary movie with you."

"But those are the best kinds."

The nightmares had just gotten progressively worse, and they always felt just out of reach when she woke up. Getting up on shaky feet, she pushed past the protesting Wybie and sat at his computer, opening a document to type. She began writing, and the words flowed out of her, describing the spiders web and the button eyes. She shivered as she detailed the scratches she felt on her back as the insect grabbed at her. The sound of the needles clashing together as it's mouth chomped. Every moment was clear to her, and she was determined to have it down on paper for the first time.