by Caroline Geary
pumpkin spice latte
‘Hi Claire.’ Marcus draped himself round Claire’s skinny jean clad legs,
his mop of unruly hair just level with her hip
‘Hi you,’ she said, ruffling his hair. He only came up to her waist, but
he was certainly growing. She was sixteen now, and she had baby sat six year
old Marcus for the last two years. She had lived next door to the Johnson
family for the last ten, and her parents were great friends with Mr and Mrs
Johnson. Claire found Marcus a slightly odd child; he could actually be a bit creepy.
He was pale, and sombre in character. Something behind his eyes made him seem
older that his years. Claire found it hard to make eye contact with him and he
had a habit of making her feel uneasy, but ultimately, he was no trouble and it
was a bit of easy money. Money that she pretended to her parents she would be
saving for University, but actually she spent on cigarettes and the odd can of
cider that she shared with Barry at their clandestine meetings in the
park.
Mrs Johnson greeted Claire with an overbearing perfume scented hug and a
heavily lipsticked grin. Knowing Mrs Johnson it was probably some super
expensive designer brand but its cloying odour reminded Claire of a mixture of
rotting roses and stale air. Claire stiffened in the embrace.
‘You know our number,’ Mrs Johnson said turning towards the hall mirror
and patting at her heavily sprayed hair. Claire noticed that it barely moved. ‘As
always, please call if you need anything. Anything at all’ she said.
‘Sure,’ said Claire, dropping her bag to the floor as Mr and Mrs Johnson
shrugged on winter coats and headed to the back door.
‘He’s had dinner,’ said Mrs Johnson over her shoulder ‘But there are
plenty of snacks in the fridge and a nice pizza you can pop in the oven if you
like’.
‘Thanks’, Claire nodded.
‘We’ll be back around midnight; that is okay isn’t it? said Mrs
Johnson.
‘It’s fine.’ Claire smiled. ‘I’ve bought some college work to do.‘
The Johnsons nodded and left, the hall door swinging shut behind them.
The house feeling somehow colder in their absence.
However, college work was the last thing on Claire’s mind. She had
planned for her boyfriend Barry to come over. The Johnsons would not allow this;
they had a strict no friends policy that was more than likely aimed towards
boys.
She reached into her handbag and pulled out a huge bar of chocolate. The
Johnsons weren’t a fan of unhealthy food and this was a sure-fire way to get
Marcus on side.
‘Marcus’. She called. She jumped as he appeared in front of her out of
nowhere. He looked up at her. She noticed he was now sporting some pyjamas. ‘This
is for you,' she said waving the chocolate in front of his face.
‘Wow,’ he said. ‘My mum hardly ever lets me eat chocolate. Is that really
all for me?’
‘Yes,’said Claire. ‘On one condition.’ Marcus looked up at her with huge
dark eyes. ‘You have to keep a secret’.
Marcus nodded.
Claire leant over towards him and said in a lowered voice.
‘I’ve got a friend coming over later, but you mustn’t tell Mummy and Daddy.'
Marcus’ eyes darkened.
‘You’re not allowed boys round here,’ said Marcus pouting.
‘I know,’ said Claire doing her best to sound sincere ‘So I didn’t want
to tell your mummy and daddy as it would only annoy them. But it just to study
and studying is very important, isn’t it?’
Marcus’ face looked oddly pale. He could be a real creepy kid at times.
‘Oh, come on,’ said Claire trying to lighten the mood by waving the
chocolate bar. In his face.
The small boy folded his arms.
‘No,’ he said firmly. ‘No way. You're here to babysit me. And that means
playing with me and not sending me to bed early cos you have a friend round. I
don’t want a stranger in my house.’
‘Fine’ said Claire spitefully, breaking off a chunk of chocolate and
popping it in her mouth. ‘No chocolate then?’
‘I don’t care’ said Marcus stamping a foot and running off upstairs.
Claire threw herself onto the lounge sofa with a sigh. She clicked on
the television and munched the chocolate bar, devouring the whole lot. She
shivered; the Johnsons’ house was always so cold. She texted Barry. ‘Sorry
babe. Kid being a brat and says he’ll tell parents if you come over.’
She shivered again. She did not fancy being here on her own until
midnight. The house was very old fashioned. Dark wood doors and unusual
paintings. Eerie portraits whose eyes seemed to follow you. One was of a lady
with flowing long hair and a dark cloak. It reminded Claire of a witch and she
made a point of never looking at it as she walked by. The house had a long dark
hallway too that gave her the creeps and a winding staircase which made you feel
exposed, there were too many hiding spaces. Eyes watching you between banisters.
She had made herself feel slightly nauseous eating the chocolate and
stood up to go and get a glass of water. Despite the television being on the
house felt very silent. She wondered what that little brat Marcus was doing.
She walked out into the dark hallway and jumped. A small pale face looked out
from between the banisters above and down at her.
‘Jeez Marcus’ she said ‘You gave me a heart attack’.
‘I’ve got a wobbly tooth,'' said Marcus not smiling just giving it a
wiggle. ‘If it falls out tonight, I’ll get money from the tooth fairy.’
Claire scoffed.‘The tooth fairy isn’t real Marcus; you know that at your age, you're
not a baby’
Marcus’ small mouth formed a surprised ‘o’ shape.
‘Don’t give me that look,’ said Claire. ‘If you're old enough to tell me
what I can and can't do then you can take a home truth like that!! Suck it up.'
Marcus stood up then. The shock turning to anger. The dim light of the
hallway giving his face an unearthly pallor
‘You shouldn’t have said that,’ he said raising a shaky finger and
pointing at Claire. ‘You will wish you never said that.' He looked so angry it
took Claire's breath away. She could see the whites of his eyes and for a
fleeting second, he reminded her of a wild animal. He then turned and fled up
the stairs
Claire shuddered and rolled her eyes although by the time she had poured
herself a coke she was feeling a bit guilty about things. And also, she had
realised he would tell his parents what she had said about the tooth fairy and
how it all happened. She cursed herself, she was going to end up in trouble and
she had not seen Barry either. She would have to talk Marcus round.
She turned on the hall light and went up to Marcus’ room. The light was
off and the room was silent. She wondered if he was already asleep.
‘Marcus?’ Claire said softly not wanting to turn on the main bedroom
light in case he was asleep. ‘Marcus?’ She stepped further into the room and
tried to make out if the lumpy shape on the bed was Marcus’ sleeping body or a
bundled-up heap of duvet and pillow. Claire felt the hairs on her arms prickle
and her mouth became dry. She was just about to take a step nearer then,
‘Claire.’
She spun around and Marcus was standing right behind her. She let out a
gasp as she noticed a trickle of blood journey down his chin. He then held up
something in his fingers and smiled a wide grin that didn’t meet his eyes,
revealing a gap in the row of small front teeth.
‘Oh you lost a tooth!’ Claire couldn’t help smiling in
relief, although why the relief, she wasn’t quite sure. ‘Rinse it off and we’ll
leave it for the tooth fairy’ she said kneeling down to Marcus’s height
spotting an opportunity to put things right.
‘Sorry I teased you it was a silly joke, just a joke. Of course the tooth fairy is real’.
‘I know,’ said Marcus, his small jaw set in a serious manner.
‘You do?’ asked Claire ‘And yes, you’re right’.
Marcus nodded.
‘I am right. I saw her even though you’re not supposed to see her.'
‘Saw who?’ asked Claire
‘The tooth fairy,’ said Marcus solemnly.
Claire smiled - slightly unnerved by Marcus’ odd behaviour but also
quite pleased the tooth fairy issue seemed to have been resolved. She nodded
encouragingly.
‘ ‘Well, that’s great, it
was just all a silly joke wasn’t it? And now it’s sorted. All we need to do is
put the tooth under your pillow and ta da!’
Marcus did not mirror her excitement. Instead, she heard him say. ‘You’ll
be sorry’ under his breath, so low it was barely audible.
‘Sorry?’ asked Claire. Marcus looked her directly in the eye.
‘She said you’d be sorry for what you said.’
Claire shuddered god this kid could be creepy.
‘Well, I am sorry’ she said ‘I’m really sorry. Would you like a story
before bed?’
‘Yes please,’ said Marcus. So they had two stories but the atmosphere
remained tight and tense. The tooth went under the pillow and Claire went
downstairs.
She found an old TV comedy to lift her mood and lay down on the sofa to
watch. Soon she found herself drifting off into a fitful sleep then jerking
awake again, clutching her teeth, her mouth feeling raw and sore and full of
blood, and then the sweet relief of realising it was a dream.
When her eyes snapped open at just after 11.00 pm, she became aware that
she needed a pound coin to sleep under Marcus’ pillow. She looked in her wallet
and was relieved to see there was one there. She stood up and gasped. She was
certain a dark figure had moved past the door.
‘Marcus?’ she asked. She stuck her head round the door but there was no
one there. She started to make her way up the stairs. The air felt cold and
still. She listened outside Marcus’ door but there was no tell-tale rustle of
covers, just the rhythmic breathing of a child sleeping.
Walking into the room, being careful to be silent. She slipped a hand
under Marcus’ pillow. At first she couldn’t find the tooth. she deftly slipped
a hand further under the pillow, so far that is was almost under Marcus’ head,
then she found the tooth, small and sharp, but as she deposited the pound coin,
and went to smoothly withdraw her hand, her fingers felt another tooth. As she
felt around and tried to make sense of what was under the pillow her fingers
found another tooth then another, and another, and then another. Confused, she
grabbed them all and moved out into the light of the hall to see just what she
had in her hand. Not wanting to wake Marcus by putting the hall light on she
moved to the bathroom and pulled on the light. The room flooded in harsh
fluorescent light and Claire was confronted by the ashen gaze of her own
reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her lips were covered in blood. She hadn’t
noticed before but now she could taste the thick salty liquid. She looked down
in her hands to see what she was holding. It was a handful of bloody teeth and
almost certainly adult teeth. She looked back in the mirror and raised a trembling
finger to her lips. She parted them slowly and stared in the mirror. She saw
then, which her tongue had already suggested. All her teeth were missing.
About the author
Caroline is a Creative Writing student who writes quirky fiction and short stories with a twist.
