Care To Read?

❝Mouse.❞

Three little mice, that was us.

Hanging around, doing things that children would do.

Three little mice, that was them.

Running around with a bigger heart.

Three little mice, what we were.

Scattering at every noise.

Three little mice.

So still, they are.

The boy stumbled, and the desperate pleas that spilt from his mouth echoed along with his loud, frantic steps.

Tears ran down his red eyes, his dark hair blown back by the wind that comes with his running.

The shadows etched across the walls. It'd grow large with every movement that would cause the flame to sway.

Every turn, every corner, the boy's eyes would shut at the foul smell that lingers behind the walls.

The small hands that held books, the delicate fingers that picked flowers, and those eyes that'd lustre with childish enthusiasm.

He weeps at the mutilated bodies of his friends.

The shadows continued to stretch, and the halls became longer.

The little boy felt like he was running in place; stuck in an endless cycle of despair.

The boy's wasteful efforts came to an end, with a knife pierced through his chest.

The ruby ring glinted, as the brutal act was reflected upon the bloody mirror.

"...and thus, the story comes to an end."

The older children booed at the caretaker's words. The youngest, Jamie, simply clutched his patched-up teddy bear.

"You said it was a kid's fairy tale! Fairy! tale!!" Darrel's voice becomes louder as he enunciates each word with an unsatisfied face.

Quin nods furiously. "Yeah! That was a horror story!"

"And it's not even Halloween yet!" The two children point towards the window, showing that the season has not even entered autumn yet.

The caretaker laughs at the two's exaggerated words.

"Well, it's getting close and I know very well that you two cause the most trouble when it's Halloween."

"But what does th-"

They put their finger on Quin's mouth, shutting her up.

They squint, "What did I say about cutting people off when they're speaking?"

The little girl huffs as she crosses her arm.

The caretaker continues. "And, that story was a warning to little children that are not obedient."

They then look at the two older children, the small ones would evade their glaring with innocent smiles.

Squeezing his bear tightly, Jamie raises a hand.

"What about the children that listen, but.. gets curious?"

Putting the book away, they tap on Jamie's head with a soft smile. "Then those good little kids would get caught in the crossfire."

"Wouldn't it be better to just sit in your room and sleep?"

Jamie hesitates, his doe eyes looking up at the caretaker with fear.

The other two toddler stares with gritting teeth as the caretaker dote on their youngest brother.

"Hey, comfort us too!" Darrel holds onto their side, rubbing his spiky hair wildly.

Quin only tugged at their sleeve, blinking rapidly as she tried to produce a fake tear.

The caretaker laughs. "Alright, alright. I'll comfort all of you babies lots and lots."

Darrel and Quin cheered, immediately fighting over which story they should read next with loud voices.

Jamie gazes at his siblings, his eyes in a daze as he remembers back to the details of the gruesome tale.

The boy blinks out the state after hearing that they've picked a new story.

He goes back to huddling with his older siblings, carefully holding his bear to not rip its old cloth apart.

Listening as their caretaker began to read the story, the boy's eyes glanced at the ring on the caretaker's finger.

The ruby glinted, its red hue resembling one of the repeated details in the tale...

..before the lights were cut off abruptly.