Short Stories

We All Fall Down

Horror warning: no gore involved, but those who are easily scared may not like this story.

    Ring around the Rosie, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down!

    A child's laughter rang through the still autumn air. A little girl, the sunlight bouncing off her red curls, twirled around, her pink and white pinafore swirling around with her. She laughed again, holding her arms out, as though someone were holding her hands and spinning with her.

    "Madeline! Time to come inside!" A tall woman called out the door.

    "Oh not yet! We were going to play more!" Madeline whined.

    "We?" Her mother looked around the yard. "There's no one else here."

    "My imaginary friend, Mommy. You can't see her. She says she doesn't like you," Madeline stated.

    Victoria rolled her eyes. "All right. You can stay outside a while longer."

    Madeline clapped her hands and turned away from her mother. Victoria lingered at the door a moment longer, before going inside. "What do you want to play next?" Madeline asked.

    Let's play hide and seek.

    "Ooo! I love that game! Can I hide?"

    Of course. Seeking is my favorite so I'll let you hide first.

    "Ok! Count to ten and I'll hide." Madeline ran behind the house. She looked around. "I'll hide under the bush. She'll never find me there!" Madeline ducked underneath a large bush that stood against the house. She heard a hushed whisper flitter through the air.

    8. 9. 10. Here I come.

    She heard crunching on the freshly fallen leaves, as though something was walking towards her. She ducked further beneath the bush.

    Where are you?

    Madeline stifled a laugh. "She'll never find me here," she whispered.

    I can hear you.

    Madeline ducked lower down.

    A black skull stared at her. I found you.

    "Wow! You're good! Let's play again!" Madeline crawled out from under the bush. The skeleton stood in front of her. It smiled.

    It's time for me to go home.

    "Aw, but I wanted to play more."

    Don't worry. I'm coming back tonight. We'll play the biggest game of hide and seek ever!

    "Ok. I guess I can wait a little bit. Bye!" Madeline skipped off to the back door of the house. She looked back. The skeleton woman was gone. Madeline shrugged and walked inside.

    Victoria was talking in a hushed tone with her husband. "They say it's like something crawled out of there. There were scratch marks and bits of torn fabric, and..."

    "Mason," Victoria jerked her head towards Madeline.

    "Oh, hello sweetie!" Mason wrapped Madeline in a hug. "How was your day?"

    "It was good! I made a new friend!"

    "Oh? What was their name?"

    "Well, she wouldn't tell me. She said you might ask that and she didn't want you to know who she was." Madeline said pointedly.