Board Thread:Writer's Workshop/@comment-32318193-20170726174512

When I was little, my mom enjoyed scaring me. Not by reading the original Grimm brothers’ fairy tales or even classic ghost stories, but by coming up with her own scary stories. Every night she would tell me a new story she made up about a monster or a cursed object or whatever. Eventually I got used to her stories and stopped being scared. My mom seemed to sense this, too, because one night she told me a story I would never forget.

“Time for your bed time story,” my mom told me as I climbed into bed.

“Mom,” I said irritably, “your stories don’t scare me anymore. Stop it.”

“This one will,” she promised.

I wasn’t convinced, but I nodded reluctantly.

“Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved antelopes,” she began. “She had antelope books, antelope toys, and antelope pictures in her room. She lived happily with her parents and sister, but the house they lived in was old and beginning to fall into disrepair. One day, the girl’s family decided to move.

“While the family was packing, the girl was digging through the basement. As she neared the corner of the room, the girl came across a golden box decorated with fake jewels hidden beneath the clutter.

“What could be in here? the girl wondered.

“She opened the box. Inside, she found a golden necklace with a picture of an antelope on the front. The girl squealed happily. She ran upstairs to ask her parents if she could keep the necklace.

“When she found her parents, the girl showed them the necklace. They both looked confused and said they had never seen the necklace before. When the girl asked if she could keep it, they said yes.

“Not long after discovering the necklace, the family moved away. At first the girl had trouble getting used to the new house, but this changed when her parents bought her and her sister a swing set. Soon the girl was spending her every waking hour on the swing set, and every hour, including when she slept, she kept the antelope necklace on.

“One night, the girl couldn’t fall asleep. She lay in bed for hours, trying to sleep before eventually giving up. Feeling annoyed, she snuck outside to the swing set. She had just started swinging when a large, horned animal came running past her. The girl looked excitedly over her shoulder, trying to see if the creature was what she thought it was. By that time, however, the animal had disappeared.”

“Hold on, mom,” I interrupted. “I thought this was supposed to be scary.”

“I’m getting there, Jason. Be patient,” my mom replied.

“Okay,” I said grudgingly.

She continued, “The next night, the girl again went outside. This time she brought a flashlight with her so she could see the animal if it appeared. She sat down on the swing and waited. Soon, a large animal with two long, straight horns on its head ran towards her. The girl pointed the flashlight at it, and sure enough, it was an antelope.

The girl squealed with delight and ran after it, but it disappeared into the darkness. The girl frowned and kicked the dirt. I’ll find it tomorrow night, she thought. She went back inside.

“The next night, the girl went back outside, flashlight in hand. This time she stood right in front of the place where the antelope had appeared. She waited, and soon the antelope arrived. It ran over to where the girl was standing, paused, and then went around her.

“‘Wait!” the girl shouted.

“The antelope skidded to a stop. It turned around and looked at the little girl. “‘Hello, little girl,” it said.”

“Wait a minute,” I interrupted again. “Talking animals? What is this, a Disney movie?”

“Hang on, Jason,” my mom sighed.

I closed my mouth and let her continue.

“The girl’s mouth fell open. “You can talk?” she asked.

“‘Yes, I can,” the antelope replied, smiling. “If you want, I can be your friend forever, but you must never tell anyone about me, or it will not end well for you.”

“The girl nodded, squealing excitedly. The antelope then disappeared, leaving the little girl alone.

“From that night on, the girl would sneak out and talk to her friend, the antelope. For the first few years things went okay, but then the girl reached her teenage years. She started to hate the rule that the antelope had set about not telling anyone. One day she told her family about the antelope, but of course they didn’t believe her.

“‘But it’s true!” the girl shouted. “There really is an antelope!”

“‘Don’t lie to us! There are no antelopes in Texas!” her dad yelled.

“‘But there is!” screamed the girl.

“‘Enough!” her mom shouted. “If you don’t stop lying to us, I’ll take away your antelope necklace.”

“The girl gave up and went to her room, crying. Later that night, she snuck out once again to talk to the antelope. She was never seen again. The end.”

I felt annoyed. “Yeah, really scary mom,” I said. “Oh, I forgot. I have a couple things to show you. Hang on.” My mom left the room. I felt curious in spite of myself.

My mom came back a few minutes later carrying two things. One was a golden necklace with a picture of an antelope on it, and the other was a copy of an old newspaper.

“Here’s the antelope necklace,” my mom said handing it to me, “and here’s the newspaper announcing the girl's disappearance.”

I looked at the headline. Annie Jameson, 13, disappears, it read.

“Annie Jameson!” I shouted in surprise. “That’s my aunt’s name!”

I looked at the picture. The girl had my mom’s smile and was wearing the antelope necklace.

“Read further,” my mom said. I read on, and soon came to this part; Annie’s sister, Ashley, says her sister was sneaking out to talk to a talking antelope the night she disappeared.

“Mom, that’s you!” I yelled,  my eyes widening.

My mom nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “Yes, and I’m very sorry I didn’t listen to Annie when I had the chance.”

She left the room, taking the necklace and newspaper with her. I lay in bed, unable to sleep from thinking about my aunt. 