Ben Drowned: A Glitchy Adventure

Deepest fears

Ben spent the rest of the day in his room, sleeping and recovering. Jeff and Hoodie brought him fruit, bread rolls and juice. By the time night fell, he was still tired, but feeling a lot better. His eyes were ringed with dark circles, and his lungs still burned with every breath, but there was something he needed to do. He got up out of bed and made his way down the hall to Sally's room, not caring that he was in his pyjamas. He quietly knocked on the pink door, a burning fear bubbling up inside of him. The fear evaporated a the door opened to reveal a blotchy faced Sally in her pink night gown and socks, clutching her bear in the crook of one arm. As she saw Ben, her eyes widened and she threw herself into him.
"Benny!" The 8 year old cried, clutching his shirt as if to reassure herself that he was real. Ben hugged her back, relieved she was okay. He had been feeling so guilty and responsible. After all, he as the oldest. He was supposed to look after her. Sally stopped crying and looked up at him.
"I thought you drownded again!" She said in a terrified voice. "I was so scared!"
Ben looked at her with a small smile.
"I was scared too, but it's okay, we are both alright!" Sally sniffed and nodded, lifting her chin bravely like Slenderman always told her to. Ben took her small hand and led her to her bed. He noticed the grazes on her knees, and the scratches all over her skin. He thought for a moment, then grabbed a big thick doona from her closet and wrapped it around the both of them. Sally looked at Ben.
"What else are you scared of?" She asked, a smile lighting up her face. Ben thought for a moment.
"Spiders," he said after a minute. Sally laughed.
"Spiders? But they are so small!" She giggled. Ben smiled.
"So are you, but your still pretty scary!" He reached over and tickled Sally's side. She shrieked and slide to the floor, curling into a giggling ball. Ben laughed and picked up Charlie bear and brought him over to the bed. He then helped Sally to her feet and helped her into bed. He tucked her in, pulling the blankets to her chin. He brushed her hair back from her face and smiled. He sat on the edge of the bed. Sally looked at him with bright green eyes.
"Ben, thanks for saving me today," she said sleepily. Ben smiled and ruffled her messy hair.
"Your my sister Sally, my adopted little sister and my best friend ever. I would do anything for you."
Sally smiled and closed her eyes, snuggling down under the covers, holding Charlie bear to her chest. Ben leant down and kissed her hair, then turned and left the room, silently shutting the door behind him.

He walked down to the kitchen to grab a snack. Toby was already there, butt up in the air and head in the cupboard. Ben heard a faint crunching sound.
"Busted!" He yelled. There was a bang and Toby stood up, rubbing the top of his head. He had a guilty look on his face and a half eaten waffle in his hand. His mouth guard was hanging around his neck and his goggles were sitting on the top of his head. His face showed his relief as he noticed Ben standing there with an amused expression.
"B-Ben, you g-gave me a h-heart attack!" Toby gasped. Ben smirked and walked past Toby to stick his own head in the cupboard. He rummaged around for a bit, before coming out with a jar of Nutella. He walked over to the drawers to retrieve a large spoon. Toby watched him as he crunched on his waffle, slipping another one out of his bulging pockets as he finished. Ben unscrewed the jar and dipped the spoon into the chocolatey goodness. He brought the spoon to his mouth, sighing in ecstasy as the deliciousness hit his tastebuds. Toby laughed at the elfin boys face. Ben stuck out a chocolate covered tongue at Toby and laughed. The pair walked to the living room and turned on the tv. Ben had an idea. He glanced at the twitching boy beside him.
"Hey Toby, do you wanna see something?" He asked cheekily. Toby raised an eyebrow at him, and shrugged.
"Uh, s-sure!" He stuttered. Ben smiled wickedly and closed his eyes, concentrating on the tv screen. The screen flickered. Static appeared for a minute, then it cleared. An image showed up on the screen. It was a bedroom, clean, with a few items of clothes on the floor. Ben snickered as he felt the vibrations of the floorboard coming closer. He looked at Toby's face just as realisation hit him.
"Wait, t-that's c-clockworks room!" He squeaked, turning to Ben just as he disappeared into the television screen.
"Ben! Turn it off!" He heard Toby hiss as the terrified boy searched for the remote. Just then, Clockwork came around the corner, and caught sight of the screen.
"Toby?! You little creep!" She shouted, smacking Toby across the back of his head.
"Aargh! Clocky, it was Ben, not me- ow!" Toby helped as Clockwork smacked him again. Ben laughed to himself from just inside the television cables. He raced up the glowing connections, coming to the laptop screen in his own bedroom. He laughed as he touched down, returning to his normal form again. He pushed the pile of clothes and broken computer parts off the end of his small bed and flopped back, still snickering. He knew he would pay for that later, but god it was worth it! He only wished there were camcorders in the mansion that he could film these pranks with. He sighed and closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

Sally crept into the small room. She knelt by the bed that was pushed up against the furthest wall. The young boy on the bed was sound asleep. As he murmured, a pale smoke drifted across his sleeping figure. As it cleared, the boy's pointy ears changed, rounding to a more normal shape. His eyes that could just be seen beneath his long eyelashes changed too, the red irises turning blue, and the inky surroundings turning white. The smoke cleared completely, and Sally smiled.
"Thank you!" She said to a small, mysterious, hunched figure at the window. She waved to the figure and crept out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind her. The now-human boy remained undisturbed, not knowing the magic just performed upon him. He slept on. The mysterious figure at the window took one last look at the sleeping boy, and turned and jumped out of the window.