Hi! So tonight I'll be coming over to your house for a sleepover. Hope you don't mind. Anyway, here's a list of rules for you to follow to ensure the safety of you and your child:
1. When I arrive, everything should be ready and clean. The monster that the residents send with me doesn't like untidy places, and I don't want him taking out his disapproval on poor creatures such as yourself.
2. You will likely have a black cat inside the house. If you see it, it means the cat likes you. If you don't, it doesn't matter. The cat is not going to be helpful to anyone other than the child they love. Either way, do not hurt the cat. I can extend your torment in ways the monsters never thought possible.
3. If at any point during the sleepover I see proof that the child is being abused mentally, physically, or emotionally, I will destroy the person responsible. And no, 'destroy' is not another word for 'kill'. You'll be begging for death by the time I'm done with you.
4. Make sure to always carry salt at all times during the sleepover. And carry a source of light at all times. Fire is the best (read Agrippa's Book of Natural Philosophy if you wish to know why), but any light should work. If you use flame-based lights, please use natural beeswax candles. It's clean and not as pollutive. Or matches. Matches are fun to play with.
5. Do not attempt to hurt me in any way. This is for your own safety.
6. If you feel an unnatural urge to reorganize everything in your room, resist it at all costs. This is the monster. It doesn't feel comfortable in your home because the energy is twisted around, so it'll try to reconfigure it. Problem is, the new design choices can be a little...maddening.
7. Most of the sleepover will be normal. The problem comes after I've fallen asleep.
8. After I fall asleep, the house will begin to move around. If you ever come across a room that has been noticeably altered in any way, throw a handful of salt onto the changed object. But be careful. You can't get more salt, so make sure you haven't just forgotten something. It would be a shame if you lost your first line of defense as soon as the game began.
9. Once you're confident you have searched every room (and for the love of all that is holy, check every room. Even the ones that aren't supposed to exist), the game has begun. Every thirty minutes, you are to look outside ever window and peephole in your living room until you see something.
10. When you see something, say the following words:
"She who was born in the darkness,
Sailing the night in her barque.
The dark maiden of the shadows.
The one weaving spells in the dark."
After this, you will have five minutes to cover all your windows and peepholes in every room other than the bedroom in which me and the children will be staying in. If you are unable to do so in time, please exit your house. Your children will need a house to stay in after you leave.
11. When you have covered all the windows, walk to your bedroom and create a circle of salt. During this time, you will likely hear weeping. If so, the salt is effective. If not, I'm afraid my presence has obliterated any properties the salt may have. I'm sorry.
12. When you have created the circle, illuminate the space around you. If there is nothing in the room, exit the circle immediately and create another one as soon as possible. Then try again until you see it outside the circle instead.
13. If you have done the previous step correctly, you will see a figure hunched over, its face covered by long, spindly fingers. Ask it why it weeps. It will have three replies:
"Hell is Knowledge. Paradise is Ignorance."
"The life before you is stricken with horrors."
"I have seen all things and known all things. But none so wretched as the things I know now."
If the creature replies with either the first or last line, it has offered you its services. If it replied with the second, do not attempt to interact with the creature. Skip any rule that tells you to do so if this is the case.
14. If the creature has offered you its services, ask any question you desire. It has no choice but to answer truthfully. Just make sure you can really deal with its answer. Some monsters don't have claws. They have a voice. And that is all they need.
15. Once the being in the room leaves, you are to exit the circle and walk into the kitchen. There you will find the cook. It isn't supposed to leave my house, but it likes me too much. It will be making something. Be polite and offer to help.
16. Aid the cook in any way you can, but do not comment on the food or ingredients. Do not ingest anything he gives you.
17. When the cook is done, he will ask you to leave. Leave, and do not turn back, no matter what you hear.
18. Once you're back in the living room, turn on the TV. If it is pure static, you're fine. If you see anything inside, run as far as you can, all the way to the end of the house. Do not open any doors. If you fail your mind will begin to rot from the inside-out.
19. If you saw anything in the TV, open the door on your left. Whether or not there was a door before is irrelevant. Skip to rule 21.
20. If you didn't see anything in the TV walk to your bedroom. Shine a light on your bed first before falling asleep. If you see something move or hear whimpering, the little one decided to follow me. Ugh. Sleep on the floor.
21. If you saw anything in the TV and opened the door, you will come face-to-face with darkness. Open your mouth as wide as you can and allow the shadows to come inside. They will purge you of what you saw. Close your eyes when this happens. No need to suffer more than you must.
22. After purging, you will find yourself inside your bedroom. Follow rule 20.
23. Before falling asleep, put a salt circle around you. Put it around the bed if the little one isn't around. If it is, put it around the spot you decided to sleep. Make sure no part of you is peeking out, and also make sure it isn't so large you've trapped yourself with something you weren't meant to see.
24. If all is done correctly, you will wake up when the sun rises. If not, you won't wake up at all. At least, not in this world.
25. Congratulations! You survived the sleepover! Any problems with your life you may be experiencing now or in the future will be repaired to the point you will forget you had them in the first place. Your life will be easy and without effort. You're welcome.
YOU ARE READING
Stories Written In The Dark
HorrorA collection of original short horror stories guaranteed to keep you up at night. Because who needs sleep anyway? Oh, and maybe just ignore the dolls staring from the corner of the room. I'm not touching those.
