Episode 18: "Jump!"
Episode description
This is Drabbletober, the podcast of tiny fiction.
Hello, and welcome to Drabbletober. This is episode 18, for Friday the 18th of October 2024, and I'm Elizabeth Guilt.
Your one-hundred word story for the day is:
Jump!
"Jump!"
She clambered onto the windowsill, her small fingers clutching the frame. When she looked down, she whimpered.
"I don't want to, Billy."
"Hold my hand. We'll jump together."
Billy's strings trailed from his wooden arm.
"It's so far down. I'll die."
"You're going to jump, Judy."
"But I'm scared."
His painted black eyes grew darker.
"Jump. Now."
She stared, dazed, at the people screaming below.
"Jump."
Sobbing, she grabbed Billy and stepped into empty air.
Judy landed in the net the firefighters held, and loving parents scooped her up.
"Judy! You're so brave! And you even saved your puppet!"
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I think puppets and dolls get a really raw deal in horror stories. Painted porcelain faces or wooden joints are invariably cast as creepy. But sometimes, your childhood toy is urging you throw yourself from a high window with the best of intentions.
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Take care, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow for episode 19.