Dexter Morgenstern - The Slender Man

“Joy and life… it makes sense because if he feeds on pain and breeds death, he is no friend to life,” she says.

“But what does that mean for me? I can’t go in with a smile on my face, at least not an honest one.” She looks up at me.

“But what makes you feel joy, laughter, and full of life? And what brings those feelings to Adam. What do you have in common?” she asks.

I can’t tell if she’s hinting at the answer, or if she’s thinking aloud, hoping I will find an answer. What brings me joy? I remember painting my nails with Shana. That brought me happiness, but when she disappeared I didn’t have anything. All I had was “…my guitar,” I say aloud.

“Your guitar,” Bubbe repeats.

“His favorite song is the prayer Adon Olam. The upbeat, happy tune to that song always brought a smile to his face. Even when he was sick, or upset, he always loved that song.”

I nod slowly.

“That’s why I always played it. You don’t think…”

“I think it’s the best answer we’ve got so far,” she says.

“But last time I don’t even remember having the axe when he pulled me in, how will a guitar make it through?”

“It might, but at any rate he didn’t take your voice did he?” she asks. I shake my head.

“I think if you play your heart out on your guitar and sing your brother that song- I think that might be the only joy and life that passes through to his shadow world.”

I feel my stomach churn as the memories of the last time I was there come to me. I keep dwelling on the idea that I won’t succeed, and that I won’t even make it there, but now he’s practically- no he’s literally invited me to come in. He’s insisted that I come of my own accord. I bet now I could walk up with a chainsaw and he wouldn’t hurt me till I reach the tree. I doubt it would do me any good though. “When, when do I do it?” I ask.

She looks out her window at the night sky.

“I don’t think he’s going to let you sleep through the night,” she says, brutally honest.

“Alright then,” I say, voice cracking. I hate the idea of going back out there, but not as much as I hate the idea of leaving Adam there to suffer. I hate everything right now, and I especially hate the fact that I can’t even cry it out, because that will only help him. His static presence rings through my ears. He’s probably overheard our entire conversation. He probably hears every thought coursing through my mind right now.

Bubbe stands up and I feel her hand on my shoulder. I look down and see she’s holding something in her other hand, something I haven’t seen until now.

“I found this thrown on your floor,” she says. My eyes widen in shame as I see what’s in her hand. It’s the Star of David necklace she gave me, the one that’s practically ancient treasure. She didn’t even pass it down to Mom and here I am throwing it in the floor.

“I’m sorry, I—” I say, trying to apologize, but I silence myself as she clasps the necklace around my neck and hugs me. I hug her back tightly.

“I’m sorry you have to do this. I feel like it’s my job to stop you, but I know there’s no other way. I wish I could go in your stead, but just promise me something,” she says.

“What?” I ask, crying.

“Don’t make me lose both of my grandchildren,” she orders. I nod.

“Alright good—”

“Don’t say goodbye either, because you’re coming back with Adam in your arms,” she says.

I nod again. Right-O.

“What about Mom?” I ask.

“Didn’t I say you were coming back?” she says. I laugh a bit.

“Go get your guitar.”

I let go and slowly walk to my room, planning out my actions. Surely I’ll at least get to see Adam while I’m in there, and all I should have to do is escape with Adam in my arms. If he wants me so badly, then he’ll probably try to attack me instead of Adam if we run together. Last time I felt that he could only take one of us at a time, and he and I both know that I’m the one he wants. I pick up my guitar and take one long look at it. It’s worn, but the light brown body is still very shiny, despite being completely covered in finger prints and smudges. I’ve only ever had to change the strings once.

I sling the guitar around my back and slowly creep downstairs. I can see Dad is still on his chair, and I see Mom’s legs from around the corner, and a big blanket dangling to the floor. She must have crawled in with him, lights on and everything. I blow them a silent kiss and creep out the door. I shut it as quietly as I can behind me.

I walk down to the end of the driveway and turn around. This might be the last time I see my house. I take in the beige coloring and look up to see my broken window, but with the curtain you can’t see inside my room. I guess that’s how I didn’t know it was broken until now.

I turn around and head straight for the woods. I only stop to go through my routine of stretches at the end of the sidewalk. I’m not planning on running in, but I bet there will be a lot of running involved in getting back out, and now would be the worst time of all to twist an ankle, although my stretches haven’t prevented me from stumbling before. I take my time, and I can feel Slender’s impatience with me. I get my hamstrings, quadriceps, and even my arms in twenty second counts. I wish I hadn’t pick jeans to wear, because they will really limit my flexibility. It’s not too late to go back and change, I think but shake it off. That’s just a way to delay the inevitable.

I march into the woods, as confident as I can be. I’m not in very deep before the woods begin to get very dark, only moonlight guiding my path. I wonder if it will be darker in the shadow world, because at least there I have light radiating from my own body, although it grows dim very quickly when Slender has me.

As I find my way up the first slope I hear something in the distance. It’s a scream. There’s a girl screaming in pain. I shudder, and move on. I almost want to close my eyes but I won’t be able to find my way to the tree if I do.

I hear another scream, it’s coming from far behind me now. It’s male this time, but I still don’t recognize who it belongs to. Slender is trying to drop my morale. I won’t let him. As I hear a third scream, this one ahead of me, I pull my guitar from my back. I have to walk more carefully as to not hit it against the trees, but it’s worth it.

I pick a scale and repeat it. It’s more of a string skipping exercise, but it keeps music in the air, and I don’t have to worry too much about messing up the tab from a song. I keep playing the notes and then I hear another scream. I have to close my eyes for a few seconds at this one. It’s so long and drawn out that I find myself playing random notes on all strings in order to drown it out. Lionel’s cries of agony ring out. Slender knows this one is bothering the most, so he keeps playing it.

I have to play a song now, a happy one. I try to think of most of the music I listen to, but a particularly happy song seems to escape my mind at every corner. I flip through bands in my head. Chevelle? No. Avril Lavigne? No. Paramore? I can’t find one. I know so many cheerful songs, but they seem to be blocked from my memory. It’s as if he’s in my head, making sure there’s no joy. I’ll fight it. I begin playing a random riff. I don’t know if it’s one I’m pulling from one of the forgotten songs lost in my subconscious, or if I’m making it up as I go along. All I know is it’s a mellow, soft-acoustic song, and as I play it, I can barely hear the screams.

The screams play louder, no they’re closer. Now it’s both Lindsay and Lionel- brother and sister, screaming. I wonder if he’s hurting them together. Does Lindsay have to watch her brother writhe in pain? I shake the thought by playing more loudly. I’m almost there, I tell myself in my mind, even though I’ve just barely crossed the halfway point. The screams are louder and more frequent, and it’s as if I hear the screams of every child I’ve known him to take - excluding Shana and Adam.