The Seelie's Mirror

Chapter 17 Frankenteddy

Chapter 17

The fourth stage reminds me of a ruined castle, like in one of those fairy tale movies—only this version looks like there's a cross between fantasy and horror. It's cold and dark. Part of the walls are gone and there is moss growing on the cracks and crevices where water seems to have settled.

I want to nag, but I strive to hold my tongue. After all, the rule on this floor is NO TALKING.

I was never the one to curse before, but after I have gone to this place and had my life threatened numerous times—well, it is pretty self explanatory.

The rule sounds so simple, but when it is restricting you from the things you do every day, it becomes so challenging.

Klovis and I are already having trouble communicating with each other. I mean, pretty much the only thing that we have in common since stepping into this weird part of the realm is to nag. That's pretty much our only comfort in this zone.

While I was busy forcing myself not to speak, something popped out through one of the broken windows. Klovis and I barely made a squeak of surprise as the stuffy teddy bear landed on our feet.

Shit. I guess, like the other floors, this one has a way of making sure that we break the rules.

I hug the red egg tightly to my chest and look over at Klovis and Jade. Klovis meets my gaze. His lips are pressed into a thin line like mine, trying to suppress a scream and a slew of curses. He raises his thumb, like he is asking if I am alright. I give him a short nod as my answer. All we need to do is find the door that will lead to the next stage. Hopefully, we'll find it before we bump into more trouble. Klovis and I continue to proceed with Jade taking our rear.

Everything was fine until something popped out in front of us.

"Boo!"

I feel my heart skipping a beat when the beaten up teddy bear from a while ago floats before us. I almost dropped the egg at some point. Actually, I almost hurled it at the stuffed animal when it started to laugh, but Klovis gently lowered my hand to my side. "Oh, you two are impressive! Such a brave couple. There's not even a squeal!" Now that I've got a closer look at the bear, I realize that it's body and limbs seem off. It struck me that it's parts may not have originally been its own and they were just poorly sewn together to complete its body. It kind of reminds me of Frankenstein—Imma call it Frankenteddy.

"What are your names?" Frankenteddy asks, continuously flying around us, even going as far as moving close to our faces. It stinks! It smells so much like mold and unwashed laundry that I was tempted to yell at it to get the hell away from me. If I was having it hard with the smell, just imagine how Klovis and Jade feel when their senses are more heightened than mine.

We stare at Frankenteddy before Klovis and I exchange a look. With a simultaneous nod, we start to ignore the flying fluff and start to make our way to the exit.

"Hey, that's very rude! I was asking you guys a question. Why won't you answer me?"

There's no doubt in my head that this creature, whatever it is, is this floor's guardian. I really don't want to deal with them any more than I want to deal with the challenges.

I stand close to Klovis when I feel him nudging my arm and pointing at the door at the end of the hallway. It was the only intact door in this ruined mansion. We had a silent exchange of agreement that we were going to head towards it, completely ignoring the jumpscares and numerous questions from this floor's guardian.

I haven't seen any aggression coming from it, which is a good sign. It just seems like a little puppy asking for attention.

"Hello? Are you two alright? Why won't you answer me?" It sounds sad that even it's multicolored ears flatten, almost making me feel sorry for it. "Oh..." It whines, slouching as it remains stagnant in the air. "...I see you two don't want to play." It says just as we walked past it.