Peanut Butter Kisses | Teen Ink

Peanut Butter Kisses

September 8, 2011
By Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White


Little John bites into his peanut butter and jelly sandwich, coating his teeth and lips with brown and purple. He speaks as he munched, even though he knows Mommy doesn’t like it when he does that.

“Caroline, aren’t ya gonna eat?”

Caroline shakes her head, her blonde ringlets bouncing.

“Sorry, I don’t want a sandwich. Do you have anything else?”

Mommy pushes her chair back and gets up.

“Of course dear. I’ll make you some quick macaroni and cheese. How’s that?”

Caroline nods happily. Meanwhile, John swallows the sticky mush in his mouth.

*
*
*


John whistles as he approached his apartment door. The tune is interrupted when he puts down his professional briefcase and reaches into his pocket. After a few seconds of fumbling, he finds the right key and opens the door.

The apartment is actually more of a penthouse. John is a successful lawyer, so he can afford pretty much anything he wants. The entire apartment is spotless; a maid comes in every Friday for cleaning. The walls are whitewashed, and and a giant flat-screen TV sits in the living room. The expensive furniture is made for both aesthetics and comfort. All in all, John lives in a luxury house.

John reaches up towards his neck. He loosens his tie and exhales loudly. On the way his living room, John turns on his coffee machine, setting it in the middle of the dining table. While the machine whirs, he lies back on his pristine leather couch, satisfied. No worries, a nice job, good pay. In John’s opinion, this is all it takes to make a twenty year old bachelor happy. He picks up his remote control and turns on the TV.

CRASH!

John frowns. His coffee machine is on the floor, leaking brown liquid. With exaggerated effort, he stands up, stretches, and makes his way towards the mess.

ZZZZZT!

The TV screen splutters and goes black. John’s head swivels as he looks around wildly, his heartbeat hammering.

ZZZZZZZZT!

One of the fluorescent lightbulbs overhead begins shooting sparks. In less than five seconds, it fizzles and dies. The three other lightbulbs followed suit.

The room is hurled into darkness.

John stays relatively calm. It is a blackout, nothing else. What is there to be afraid of? A gust of wind sweeps around the room, causing John to shudder involuntarily. When did he open the window?

At the very edge of his vision, something pale shifts.

BA-BUMP. BA-BUMP.

John’s heart pounds in his chest. He whirls around to face the intruder. Nothing appears. Again, the white figure darts behind him, moving too quickly for John to establish a definitive shape. Just like before, John spins on his heel to face the opposite direction... and stares into the wan eyes of a little girl

John releases a terrorized screech. He trips over his own feet, falling backwards onto the floor. His head cracks against the linoleum, and a trickle of blood slides down his scalp. He doesn’t know this, and he doesn’t care, either; his eyes are fixated on the girl.

The form that John sees is ashen and emaciated. Her limp, colorless curls have no gloss or shine. Her skin is a pasty white. The flimsy nightgown around her droops down towards the floor, and she is wearing no shoes or socks. But John can only look at the eyes, the eyes with no color, the eyes without pupils, with irises the shade of muddied snow. When she speaks, her raspy, scratched voice grates on his ears.

“John. John, do you remember me?”

John can’t see anything past those eyes; the eyes are half-dead, barely awake, reflecting no light. His lips are glued together, and his throat is constricting on its own.

The chalky irises grow hard and silver, like broken shards of a mirror. Her lips contort into an beastly snarl, revealing two rows of porcelain teeth.

“You forgot. You don’t remember me, do you? You forgot me! YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME!”

Love? Love? John doesn’t even know this girl!

CRACK!

John’s head bangs against the floor again. This time, the girl is holding him down by his neck, strangling him, squeezing his windpipe so that no air could move in or out.

The girl’s expression darkens even more.

“Remember the night you said you loved me!,” she screams in his face.

“REMEMBER!”

*
*
*


Mommy hangs up the phone. When she turns around, the corners of her mouth are lifted into a smile.

“Caroline, your mother says you can sleep over tonight.”

Caroline squeals with delight. She grabs Johns hands and they waltz around carpet. Mommy walks over and puts a hand on each of their shoulders.

“Come on, Caroline can sleep in the guest room. Your mother said she’d bring over a toothbrush and pajamas. One hour of playtime, and both of you have to go to sleep.”

John pouts, and Caroline’s eyes grow wide, filled with hurt. Mommy gives in.

“Alright, two hours.”

The children cheer and scurry away.

*
*
*


John’s vision blurs. The infuriated, sliver eyes grow hazy. His head feels light and weightless, but imaginary claws rake his lungs.

*
*
*


“G’night Caroline.”

Caroline adjusts the blanket around her.

“G’night John. We’re gonna play again tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna have lots and lots of fun! But Mommy’s gonna get mad if we don’t sleep now.”

Caroline nods knowingly.

“Okay. See ya tomorrow.”

John starts to walk out the door. Right before leaving, he hesitates. He looks back.

Suddenly, he rushes back towards the bed. He mashes his lips against Caroline’s, not really knowing what he’s doing, but knowing that it feels right. She is surprised and thrilled at the same time. John pulls away, and both children blushing.

“I love you Caroline.”

Embarrassed, he races out the door.


*
*
*


John’s fingernails scrabble uselessly against the girl’s steel grip. His mouth opens and closed like that of a landed fish. His eyes roll towards the back of his head. Still, the girl holds on.

*
*
*


John wakes up to the sound of sirens. Screams penetrate the air. Excited and a tad bit afraid, he dashes out the door.

Just as he reaches the guest room, a gurney is carried out by two scary looking men. He tries to see what’s lying on top of it, but the figure is covered by a thin white sheet. Before he can shout or cry out, a hand grasps his arm and pulls him into the room. John wriggles and squirms until he realizes the hand belongs to Mommy. His voice comes out high-pitched and squeaky.

“Mommy, what’s wrong with Caroline? Is she sick?”

Thin red veins are visible in Mommy’s eyes.

“Listen to me John.” Her voice has a tone of urgency and just a tinge of desperation. “Something Caroline ate yesterday made her sick. Did you give her anything other than what we ate for dinner?”

John shakes his head.

“Naw, she just ate the macaroni you gave her.” A grin lights up his face as he recalls the night before. “Mommy! Mommy, I kissed her last night!”

At first, Mommy’s confused, uncomprehending. When she finally understands, she stares at her son in horror.

*
*
*


John’s limbs jerk spasmodically, once, twice, three times. His face is turning blue, and he thrashes continuously.

*
*
*


John is bored and upset. He doesn’t want to be here, in a crowded cemetery where he’s not allowed to yell or run around. He yawns, and several black-clad adults turn around to give him hostile glares. He wishes Caroline were here to play with him, but he knows it’s no good. A few days ago, after the Caroline got sick, Mommy said that Caroline’s parents sent her to a school in a different country. When he asked why, she didn’t have an answer.

Shifting in his tight shoes, John watches a big black box being lowered into a hole in the ground. At the sight, almost all the people begin to cry. Why are they crying? What’s so sad about a big black box?

A few meters ahead, John catches a glimpse of Caroline’s mother, sobbing loudly while her husband holds her against him in a tight embrace. Her voice is muffled, but John can hear exactly what she’s saying.

“She was allergic. God, if it weren’t for that stupid allergy... it was less than a spoonful, but it was enough to... to... oh God...”

Caroline’s father whispers to her soothingly, but water runs down his cheeks. When he turns around, his eyes lock onto John’s. John doesn’t understand why, but those eyes are filled with hate.

*
*
*



John’s arms fall limp at his sides. The girl lets go of his throat. A sigh, like a deflated balloon, escapes from his lifeless lips. His tortured eyes are still open, but the girl doesn’t bother to close them. She disappears, leaving the maid to discover the grisly corpse.



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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 23 comments.


on Mar. 2 2012 at 5:36 pm
JoPepper PLATINUM, Annandale, Virginia
35 articles 0 photos 782 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Freedom is the ability to not care what the other person thinks."

"Not all those who wander are lost" --JRR Tolkien

"When you are listening to music it is better to cover your eyes than your ears." --Jose' Bergamin

You're welcome I'm glad I read I don't think I could ever forget it!

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:50 am
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you :D :D :D !!!

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:49 am
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

Thanks so much! That was exactly the kind of emotion I was going for, it's awesome to know that you got it! :D

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:48 am
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

Regrettably, I have only read one King novel in my life ("Carrie,") because afterwards I was so scared I was afraid I was going to lose sleep during my exams... the fact that I lost my library card also helped... but thanks so much for the compliment, I don't write a lot of thriller so this was all pretty new to me ^o^

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:47 am
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

This was a style I was just experimenting with, I always envision my stories as movies or short films in my head, so I could sort of tell when to cut back and forth from the past to the present while writing :D Thank you for the compliment!

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:46 am
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

Thanks, this was my first thriller story ever, so that really meant a lot to me! :D

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:45 am
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

Aww, that was an awesome compliment... please excuse me while I get off my computer and run around my room screaming with joy ;D 

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:44 am
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

Thank you so much! :D

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:44 am
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

Wow, thanks! When I was writing this, I was just thinking to myself "I hope people don't trash it..." So getting all these compliments is totally awesome! ;)

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Mar. 1 2012 at 3:43 am
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

I agree that they're too young to be kissing-- but hey, who hasn't done stupid things as a kid? I know I've done plenty :P and yes, I did edit the version I had of this story on my word processor, and I'll be resubmitting it soon. Thanks for the advice, it helped a lot :D

BluBliss GOLD said...
on Nov. 4 2011 at 1:40 pm
BluBliss GOLD, New York, New York
14 articles 0 photos 161 comments

Favorite Quote:
Bella's love for Edward was like, "Omg. He's hot. He's mine because he sparkles. Now I'll brood the wholle book while I'm with him."

I think that this story would be better in the past tense. Especially the parts about John's childhood. It would make more sense if those parts were in the past tense. And the way they're speaking indicated that they're a little young to be kissing- unless that's what you intended. Other than that, I loved the plot. It's sweet, sad, and very original. Uniqueness is very important these days.

on Oct. 9 2011 at 7:21 pm
PineDoeShendoa BRONZE, Portland, Oregon
4 articles 0 photos 2 comments
Unlike others, I didn't find this scary, but very compelling and sad. To me, it was about Caroline, about being forgotten. The way you portrayed it was so true, so pursue this. 

on Oct. 4 2011 at 10:27 am
RyanTyler PLATINUM, Windsor, Connecticut
21 articles 0 photos 94 comments

Favorite Quote:
"A myth is a religion in which no one no longer believes." James Feibleman

That was really good, really sad and really powerful. Keep writing

 


on Oct. 3 2011 at 6:53 am
ZephyrVon-ZombieOverlord BRONZE, Cartersville, Virginia
4 articles 0 photos 32 comments

Favorite Quote:
The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. -Douglas Adams

This story is amazing! Bravo...

There are few people who can write horror that messes with the person guilt, and really makes them sad like that. So far i've met two people like that, and you're now the third one. Great job...


on Oct. 2 2011 at 7:35 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Wow, that was definitely powerful.  You definitely write amazing thriller short stories!  Excellent work, again!

julian GOLD said...
on Oct. 2 2011 at 2:25 pm
julian GOLD, Eugene, Oregon
17 articles 17 photos 223 comments

Favorite Quote:
The goal is not about living forever, the goal is about creating something that can.

This was incredibly suspenseful and very dark. Yet beautiful! Your writing style kept me captivated and intrigued the whole time I was reading. I really like how you mixed two separate incidents, and intertwined them in a way that makes sense to the reader. Brilliant work! keep it up!

LaceeJade GOLD said...
on Oct. 1 2011 at 10:07 pm
LaceeJade GOLD, Bucyrus, Ohio
17 articles 4 photos 136 comments

Favorite Quote:
♥ I've made mistakes in my life. i've let people take advantage of me, and i accepted way less than i deserve. But, i've learned from my bad choices, and even though there are some things i can never get back and people who will never be sorry. i'll know better next time and i wont settle for anything less than i deserve. ♥

Veryy Twisted:)

Good Work

I Felt Like I Was Reading a King Novel:)


on Oct. 1 2011 at 10:10 am
JoPepper PLATINUM, Annandale, Virginia
35 articles 0 photos 782 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Freedom is the ability to not care what the other person thinks."

"Not all those who wander are lost" --JRR Tolkien

"When you are listening to music it is better to cover your eyes than your ears." --Jose' Bergamin

Oh my God I loved it!!!! The innocence during the funeral was heartwrenching!!! Definetely keep writing!!! :D

on Oct. 1 2011 at 1:49 am
I absolutely loved this. Simply had twists and turns and...oh man it was good. No complaints, Wheatley would approve. 5/5

Steph0804 GOLD said...
on Sep. 30 2011 at 9:15 pm
Steph0804 GOLD, Seoul, Other
12 articles 4 photos 206 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you understand it better, but the frog dies in the process." -E.B. White

Haha ;P thanks for the compliment! This was based on a story my mom told me when she found out my school was banning peanut butter... My mom can be overly concerned sometimes, and she overreacts to daily news... :P