Babysitter

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Serena King

 

Channel 0.4c

I watched from my living room

The character’s dead feet, tired and limp 

Millions of millipedes scutter 

From the debris piled in the corner 

Tickling the tips of their fingers

 

Don’t look away from the screen

48 stuffed animals 

Round plastic balls gaze through the static

Princess ponies and possessed porcupines

Sadistic snakes and sanctimonious sharks

 

The oak wooden couch cracked

As the bitter cold started to run in 

The sound of a frozen cube in hot tea

The brisk snap of the lights

One second ago, light, now black

 

I worry, they can’t cuddle them all 

To keep them safe and sound 

They walk away to open the door 

I stand and yell, don’t turn your back!

They’re coming for you fast!

 

Hearing the shudder of the antennas 

48 stuffed animals, parched and crushed 

The pitter patter of their paws 

A stampede of hopelessness 

Rushing towards freedom, their demise

 

I clicked the button

The character lies limp on the brittle couch

The stuffed animals are nowhere to be found

It’s quiet as I stare at the screen

Channel 0.5d

 

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Serena King is a senior from West Orange, NJ, majoring in psychology with a minor in creative writing. She writes, “It has been my passion to write since middle school and one of my goals for the future is to publish a fantasy fiction novel. During my free time, I like to write, play video games and cosplay for fun.”