Chapter Eleven: Look At My Shadow!

I couldn't tell if what we were experiencing was really happening to us. Or all a part of some wild, crazy dream gone horribly wrong. I didn't know what to expect after Mom and I made it home later that night. 

Mom yawned and stretched. As she turned on the kitchen light. "Don't worry about anything, kid," Mom said. Opening the refrigerator, Mom grabbed a cold diet soda pop can out of it. And popped the lid open and took a long drink from it. "We'll figure out what's going on with us," she said.

I nodded and understood Mom. But I wasn't ready to ignore the fact we are not going to get any sleep tonight. Being a shadow felt so strange. "We'll go back to the magician shop tomorrow afternoon, okay Mom?" I asked, politely. I knew she didn't want to stay like a shadow, forever.

"Of course, my son," Mom said, taking another long cold drink of soda pop from the Coke can. "I feel so naked without my body attached to my shadow!" Mom complained. Taking one more long drink from the diet Coke can, Mom crunched the soda can in her grasp. Then, tossed it into the wastebasket next to the kitchen counter table.

I stared at the front door in the living room. It was still broken and on the ground. Lightning flashed outside, making more eerie shadows dance on our walls. "Mom, what are we going to do if the shadow menace returns?" I asked, worriedly.

Mom and I walked over to the broken front door. Where we watched as cold, ghostly fog started rolling in the house from the air outside our front lawn. Mom and I desperately used our strength to grab hold of our broken front door. And prop it up against the wall next to our open front door.

The ghostly fog kept coming in. Looking out at our front lawn, Mom and I didn't see anybody suspicious lurking around our property. We shrugged it off and continued trying to prop the broken front door against the wall to keep the cold fog from coming inside our house.

Sighing, Mom and I looked cautiously at the fog swirling around us in the house. "It's nothing to worry about," Mom promised. "We need to get some sleep. So we can go see the old magician at the magic shop tomorrow afternoon again, okay?" Mom said. 

Stepping through the foggy living room, I stopped and turned to look at the TV turned off. "Can I watch a little of the TV before bed, Mom?" I asked, politely. "I just want to watch some dateline news and situation comedy shows," I said. "It will help me fall asleep better," I said.

Mom yawned and nodded. "Go ahead, dear. I'm already tired and I don't want anything supernatural to happen to me or you again, tonight," Mom said. "We got to stay safe and keep the haunted shadows from taking control of our lives," she said.

"I'm going to fix some hot chocolate to get me to concentrate on what I'm watching on TV tonight. Is that alright, with you, Mom?" I asked, my shadow blew and shifted in the ghostly haunted fog around us.

Mom smiled and nodded. "I don't see why not? But don't stay up too late, dear. We have to go to the magic shop tomorrow. And get some answers from the wise old magician before we fade away from existence," Mom said.

I gave Mom a hug and she squeezed my shoulders tight. Then, she floated up the stairs to her bedroom. I turned and looked around the cold, foggy bedroom. I walked over to the closed refrigerator. Getting out a jug of half-empty milk, I quickly shut the refrigerator, quietly.

Putting the jug of cold half-used milk on the table counter, I grabbed a small plastic cup out of the kitchen cabinet. I knew this would be good for me to calm my nerves from getting too anxious.

I opened the brown wooden pantry door next to our little refrigerator. Then, I grabbed a box of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows inside of the packaging. And torn open the packaging. Pouring the brown chocolatey mix into the white plastic cup, I popped open the microwave on the kitchen counter table. For a few seconds and waited while my hot chocolate was being brewed.

After I waited a moment, I jumped at the sound of the television set in the living room, turning on by itself. I cautiously walked into the dark living room. Where I thought I was alone. I jumped out of my skin! Because I watched as I saw a little stuffed clown marionette doll jumping up and down, excitedly on the love couch in front of our TV!

I gasped, and hid behind the wall in the hallway next to our living room. He was back! I could hear the laugh track going off from the audience in the TV sitcom, the stuffed clown doll was watching in the living room. I could tell Fabulous was enjoying himself.

I wanted to run and tell Mom we had a little uninvited visitor staying with us. But I knew she wouldn't believe me. And I didn't want to bother to wake her up, either. Suddenly, the microwave made a loud ding sound. My hot chocolate was done.

But then, this made the overexcited stuffed clown marionette doll turn the TV on the mute button. Everything was quiet. I held my breath. And waited for the clown doll to ignore me. He was growling and his eyes glowed red.

Putting the black TV remote control aside on the couch, the little stuffed marionette clown doll jumped off the love seat. He didn't see me in the dark hallway, as I watched him look around the empty kitchen. He growled some more, and hopped away back into the living room. And then, he turned the volume back on the TV again. He started laughing at whatever was happening on our big, widescreen flat TV mounted on the wall.

I had to stall and get rid of him. I didn't know what to believe. If he was some kind of figment of my imagination. Or was he some kind of playmate who knew I needed a friend in need? I didn't want to distract the little funny, looking clown doll. Because I didn't know if he was friendly or on my side. It was hard to tell what this mad clown wanted from me.

I continued to look out for the little guy, completely enthralled over our little smart TV. He didn't seem like he would be dangerous. But I didn't want to find out or get too close or attached to him, either.

The house creaked in the walls, making the little stuffed clown marionette doll jump. He shrugged it off and continued enjoying our smart TV set. I couldn't do just nothing to get rid of this ornery little creature from taking over our lives.

I slowly started to walk toward the hyper little clown doll who was now watching some action, superhero animated cartoon on the television screen. When he saw my shadow on the wall, next to the wall by the TV set, Fabulous angrily turned the TV on mute with our remote control. And turned around to look right through me!

He frowned and turned to look at me with his eyes glowing bright red at me! He started growling and drooling in his mouth. "What are you doing here in my house?" shouted Fabulous angrily. "You don't belong in Supernaturalville with the shadows who don't exist without having everlasting life to keep them from disappearing!" he explained. He started jumping up and down on our love couch.

Watching the fog in the living room, swirling around the couch, started making me feel dizzy and incomplete. "You have to leave us alone!" I said, barely loud enough to be heard. "Mom and I are the only ones who can stay here. I don't believe you are real! Why can't you get out of our lives? Never to bother us again?" I demanded, getting frustrated.

Taking out his magic crystal ball from his coat pocket, the clown marionette doll held it out in front of me. It started to glow. "You are under my power now, kid," said Fabulous. There was a flash of green lightning coming from the magic crystal ball in his hand. 

I was suddenly paralyzed with fear and couldn't move. The little stuffed clown marionette doll laughed and jumped up and down on our love couch. There was nothing I could do, but watch with horror. Fog swirled around me, making me hate Fabulous even more. He was making our lives difficult. He made it complicated for us.

 I noticed my shadow on the wall was different somehow. And not in a good way, either…

THE END?!