Nightmare Fuel #10: Mister Spider-Squid Man

From the creators of JuryDuty comes a new installment full of hijinks, hilarity, and hot sauce. This season we're taking the comedy out of the courthouse and into the mountains for an annual company retreat. The catch? Everyone but the new guy is an actor. Oh yeah, and the company is fake. Season two arrives with bigger laughs, higher stakes, and the same heart that made season one a cultural phenomenon. Watch Jury Duty Presents Company Retreat streaming on Prime Video March 20th.

Learn more at adobe.com slash do that with acrobat.

Welcome to another edition of Nightmare Fuel Creeps and Peepers. I'm Dan Cummins and I'll be sharing another original short story of the fictional horror variety. This installment of this series ended up being in addition to a new standalone story, not necessarily a sequel to the first nightmare fuel, Mirrors and Dreams. But it provides some connective tissue for a possible sequel to that story and answers a big question left by that story.

Just giving you a heads up if you want to either listen to that story, re-listen to it, or at least revisit a summary of it in your mind to get the absolute most out of this story. I highly recommend noise cancellation headphones for the best, most immersive experience, and let's get started. Hope you enjoy this new nightmare.

Time now for the tale of mister Spider Squid Man. Is that enough? Isa inspected her daughter's plate. Again. How many vegetables must you eat before your mother lets you be done with dinner? The stressful query of young children round the world since time immemorial. Two more bites. Big bites. Hily dramatically sighed as if she'd been asked to repaint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, instead of needing to eat two more small spoonfuls of lightly salted canned green beans.

If you hurry, said Lily's grandpa Marco, we can play a little more kets with your new Frisbee before you have to go to bed. After I have ice cream, White, shouted Lily, excitedly reminding her grandfather of the importance and validity of her request with Mom already said I could. Well, yes, of course. Ice cream always comes first. It's near Talipin. That means my three favorite kinds and one favorite. My chocolate favorite, my strawberry favorite, and my vanilla favorite.

I see. And which one of those flavors is your favorite favorite? Chocolate. Chocolate is my favorite favorite, Papa. And vanilla. Banilla is also my favorite favorite. What about strawberry? Strawberry's my favorite too. Favorite, favorite. Lily laughed. Are you the silliest of silly little gooses? Marco asked. Yes. Lily giggled emphatically.

Don't get too silly, silly lily. Silly little gooses don't always get their ice cream, because ice cream makes it too hard for silly little gooses to go to sleep, teased Issa. Lily giggled some more before her papa Marco shot her a you better calm down or mom really won't give you your ice cream look.

She pulled herself together, fake gagged and choked down two spoonfuls of green beans, like she was eating two spoonfuls of fermented cod, opened her mouth comically wide, and stuck her tongue out to prove she swallowed her vegetables. A nightly ritual ever since she got caught spitting out some of her dinner into the bathroom sink.

and then she wolfed down her small bowl of neotolipin in surprisingly rapid fashion for a kid who had just tried to convince her mom moments ago that she was completely full. and couldn't possibly fit a few more bites of green beans into her stomach. And then it was off to the backyard for a bit of frisbee with papa.

The Frisbee cracked Issa up. She had one when she was a kid, but she never really saw kids throwing a frisbee around anymore. But Lily watched some kids playing with one in some movie, and suddenly she had to have it. Isa didn't think she'd actually use it more than once, but she loved it. And she especially loved playing it with her papa.

While Issa cleaned up the dishes from dinner, she smiled and watched the two of them through the window, tossing it back and forth so happily together in the fading sunlight of a beautiful early fall day. Marco was a wonderful grandpa. So loving and patient. Just like his son, her husband, Miguel, Lily's father. And right now, he was a lifesaver. Marco had come out to stay with her and to leave her two full weeks.

They'd just moved in to a new house the week before, and Miguel hadn't gotten the chance to spend more than a single night in his new bedroom before he had to leave town again, and for his longest work trip of the year, a full ten days in Shanghai. And as much as she wanted to, Issa couldn't even be mad at him. Well, she could be mad at him, but she shouldn't be.

She and Miguel both knew that this new promotion, a huge, life-changing one for the family, meant he'd be away from home more, which was not what either of them wanted. But also, if he hadn't have accepted it, They would have never been able to afford their new beautiful house. A painstakingly restored mid-century modern rambler with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a massive kitchen, a sunken living room, and a three-car garage. plenty of room to expand their family. And expansion was the plan.

They'd been trying for another kid the past two years and were hoping to have three ideally. And in the meantime, now they had a home office and guest room for when family stayed over. Like Marco. And Miguel wouldn't have to travel a lot forever. If he could climb another rung on the ladder, which he felt pretty confident about, he'd make even more for their family and also be able to be home and enjoy it.

Short term sacrifice, long term gain, they both kept saying. Just five more years. Five more years with nothing in the grand scheme of things. It was just frustrating that Miguel had to be out of town right now, right when they had to move. Before they even really started to unpack.

Thank God for Marco. He was recently retired and so generous with the new time he had on his hands. His wife, Gabriella, was still working, so she couldn't fly across the country to be with them, but she was happy that Marco could. And with him here, now Issa could lean on him to take Lily to kindergarten, pick her up.

And keep her busy while she got to work settling in, or nesting, as Miguel liked to call it. Marco and Gabby were such easy in-laws. She genuinely loved them both and saw them more as a second set of parents, as opposed to stereotypical in-laws. She hoped that they might move out to be closer to them, like they'd mentioned a few times when Gabby retired. Lily adored them both, especially her papa.

After Marco and Lily had played outside for close to 30 minutes, he told her they needed to head inside after just a few more throws so she could get ready for bed. And now Lily started to talk again about something Marco hoped she was done worrying about. The monster in her cluster was She said she'd thought she'd heard something in her closet talking to her the first night they stayed in the new house, five nights ago, and she claimed it had kept talking to her every night since.

He'd just heard about it for the first time last night after he got in, and he had done a thorough inspection of her closet, at Lily's request, both before and after he read her a bedtime story. Lily loved Papa Marco's bedtime stories. He had maybe a dozen memorized. Lily was convinced he knew all the best stories. He'd been either reading her stories or sharing ones he knew by heart to her since she was a toddler. It had now become a special little tradition between the two.

Papa? You're still gonna look at my closet when I brush my teeth, right? Yes, of course, princess. I will check. I promise. And you didn't see anything last night? No, nothing. Are you sure? Nothing, princess, I promise. There are no monsters in your closet. Just shadows. They can look scary. But I heard it again. It was only a dream, princess. No, papa, I heard a real voice, Lily now whispered. She nervously looked towards her bedroom window before adding, and I saw it too.

Really? You saw it? Marco whispered back. What did it look like? Lily furrowed her brow as her eyes looked up and moved around to the right, which they always did when she was thinking hard. before looking back towards her bedroom window and then speaking. Still in a whisper. It looked it looked really scary. Really scary how? Did it have big ears like this? Marko used his fingers to give himself bunny ears.

No. Did it have big teeth like this? Marco curled his upper lip over his front teeth and covered his lower teeth with his other lip, giving himself rabbit teeth. No, papa, it's not a bunny, it's a monster. Lily laughed before seeming to remember how scary this all was, and then added, Willie it is. Still gently tossing the frisbee back and forth, standing only about ten feet apart, Marco thought of a possible way to make Lily forget all about the classic little kid nemesis.

The dreaded monster in the closet that comes for most of us at some point or another when we're young and very unsure of how the world works or what might be in it. If you tell me exactly what it looks like, I'll know what kind of monster it is, and how to get rid of it. Really? Sure. Papa knows all kinds of different spells for different monsters. Didn't I tell you that? Once I know what kind of monster it is, all I have to do is say the right words. And abracadabra, it's gone forever.

You promise? Lily asked while holding out her hand. Pinky swell? Promise, princess, Marco said as he smiled broadly and locked pinkies with his granddaughter. Then he put on his business face, so that Lily knew he was taking this all very, very seriously, and he began his investigation. So what kind of teeth does it have? Lily furrowed her brow and thought long and hard. None. Hmm. No teeth at all. No, it has little fishy squid things and it's my horse.

Squid things, like tentacles? Lily shook her head emphatically yes. Marco thought about how his granddaughter had quite the imagination. He wasn't surprised. Her father, Miguel, was once an especially imaginative little boy himself. Hmm, alright. So it has squid tentacles for teeth. What about horns? Monsters usually have horns. How many horns does it have on its head? Um, none. No horns.

What about its eyes? How many eyes? Oh, two eyes and a glow. Glowing eyes. That's very interesting. Big or small glowing eyes? Small. Lily held up her right hand and made a loose fist, then looked through the space between her fingers and her palm to illustrate just how small the eyes were. Marco had to fight to keep from smiling. He loved her chubby little kid hands, but they were just about the cutest things he'd ever seen. Hm, okay. Two small glowing eyes. And what about its nose? Big nose?

Or little knows. Um no nos No's No And then Lily, after stealing another glance towards her bedroom window, walked over closer towards her grandfather, instead of throwing the Frisbee back. She grew even quieter with her whisper. And looked truly scared, before adding, like how a stelicon has no nose. I see, Marco whispered back. A skeleton nose. What about hair? What kind of hair does it have on its head? No hair, papa. It's bald. Its head looks like like a like a squid.

Like a squid, Marco repeated. These were not the details he expected. Not at all. His adorable little granddaughter was beginning to creep him out a little bit. Okay. I know about a few monsters that look a lot like this. I think I almost have. What about its body? Is it as big as me? No. Smaller. It's skinny, with willy long arms, and she whispered more intensely again. Its hands look like spiders.

Marco didn't want any more details. This thing she was describing was genuinely scary. Not like whatever Pixar or Disney monster he was expecting.

I've got it, he exclaimed. This is mister Spider Squid Man. And he is a very scary kind of boogeyman. I told you, papa, I told you he was real. Yes, you did, princess. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. It's okay. And what does he say to you? Marco asked. He'd originally intended to jump right into his banishment spell to get rid of this thing. But after everything else Lily had told him, now he was genuinely curious.

Lily suddenly looked very, very frightened. She furrowed her brow again and stared towards her bedroom window for several moments. Marco had the feeling that she knew what she wanted to say, but was afraid to tell him, afraid her boogeyman might hear her and become angry. Finally, seemingly reluctantly, she spoke.

Mimicking the monster's voice, she seemed to truly believe in. Soon I'm gonna eat you just like I've eaten so many children before you. But first I'ma make you so scared, sweet little lily. So scared. Scared you'll want to die. Just so you won't be afraid anymore. That's when your heart will taste the best. Jesus, Marco thought. He tried not to let any of the concern he was suddenly feeling to show on his face.

He hoped that his granddaughter didn't notice the goosebumps that had just broken out all over his arms. Where would she have heard something like that? he wondered. Did she watch some movie she wasn't supposed to? Did she hear it from some other kid at school? He'd have to have a talk with Isa.

Well, he said, making sure to smile and keep his voice steady, mister Spider Squid Man isn't going to be eating anyone's heart anymore. He leaned forward and down until his face was almost level with his granddaughters before adding. Because Papa is going to send him back to the place he came from, and he will be stuck there forever. Willy? You can really truly do that? Lily asked. And Marco now noticed that her eyes were a bit watery. Was she on the verge of tears?

Yes, Marco responded emphatically with confidence. And then he faced the house. Closed his eyes, and And he waved his hands back and forth, parodying some sort of wizard. Abracadabra, hocus pocus, time for me to make my spell. On this monster, I must focus. And now he must say farewell. Mr Spider Squid Man, you are banished. When I say presto changio again, you will be vanished. And now

And now Marco, quite pleased with a little freestyle spell he had just come up with on the fly, raised his voice, opened his eyes, and shouted, Presto Chango! As he pointed and wiggled all his fingers towards his granddaughter's window, as if he was truly casting a spell.

And as he continued to stare at the window, just the briefest moment, he thought he saw a flicker of shadowy movement inside. Then, just as quickly he dismissed it, figuring all the monster talk with his granddaughter had gotten to him a bit. He looked down towards Towards Lily, who stared intensely at him, her hands clasped together in an expression of please tell me that worked.

And that's exactly what Marco did next. We did it, Lily! He is gone forever! Yay, thank you, Papa! Lily squealed with joy and I love you! As she grabbed him around the waist and gave him a huge hug. As he hugged her back, Marco glanced towards her window again, squinting his eyes, looking for more movement. He saw none. But he decided he really would check her closet tonight before he read her a bedtime story, just to be sure that Nothing was in there that shouldn't be.

What are those two doing? Issa wondered as she shook her head and watched Marco close his eyes and wave his hands around like he was a magician or something. Lily was watching her grandfather intensely, like the fate of the world rested on the success or failure of whatever magic they were attempting to conjure. She wondered, based on where they were looking, if this was about Lily's monster. Poor thing. It must have something to do with their move.

She didn't seem stressed out by the move, hadn't complained once, actually, not even about missing her little friend Toba, who'd lived next door. But change is always hard, and it's often hardest on kids. Isa assumed that this boogeyman in her closet was some sort of manifestation of her anxiety regarding the move. She didn't yet have the words to express her complicated feelings, so instead she made up a monster.

Thank God Papa was here. If anyone could get her to quickly move on away from this thing, it would be Marco. And it wouldn't just make Lily feel better if she stopped talking about this thing, it would make Issa feel better as well. Isa had checked Lily's closets three nights in a row, in between Miguel heading out of town and Marco showing up. And the third night, she about died of fright. For a few moments, while looking into the simple, nothing special or odd about a bedroom closet,

She'd gotten really spooked. She broke out in goosebumps. had a bad sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and felt like something was watching her. Then she thought she saw a flash of movement, followed by a toy falling off the shelf and hitting the floor with a surprisingly loud bang that nearly gave her a heart attack.

attack. She screamed, which made Lily scream, and then she had to turn on all the lights, check the closet again, and read her daughter another story, a really long one, to get her settled back down enough to be ready to fall asleep.

And once Lily was asleep after Issa sat on her bed and gently rubbed her back for a bit. When she stood up and began to sneak out of her daughter's room, she again thought she heard something in the closet. And when she quietly walked towards it, she paused before opening the door.

Not because she was worried about waking Lily back up, but rather because she was scared. She didn't want to open up the door and look. She felt silly for feeling that, but she felt it all the same. And when she did gently Open the door and peek in, that sick feeling in her stomach returned. And one last time, just for a moment, she thought she saw something. She thought she saw a pair of beady, glowing eyes. But then before she turned on the light and

and really risked waking up Lily and ending up with her daughter in her bed for the night, those two little lights, if they were ever there at all, blinked out. And once again it was just a normal closet. And after convincing herself that's all it ever was, Issa left her daughter's room for good that night. Refocusing on the present, right before Issa was going to step outside and let Marka and Lily know it was time to get ready for bed, they were walking towards the back door.

How about you go put your pajamas on, and then, when you go brush your teeth, I'll check your closet, even though I know mister Spider Squid Man is gone forever, Marco said to Lily, as he ruffled the hair on her now happy, smiling little head. And who exactly is Mr. Spider Squid Man? Issa asked her daughter. He was a monster in my closet, mommy, but he's gone now. Papa banished him with wheel magic. Wow, he did. Yes. And banish means to get rid of forever.

Well that is the best news I've heard all week, Lily. Go Papa. Congratulations. Yeah, he's gonna check my closet tonight still though, just to be safe. Because you can never be too safe, Mom. Lily stated in that special, serious tone young children have that makes you have to work really hard and not laughing at how dramatic and adorable they're unintentionally coming across.

That sounds like a great plan, Issa stated, and she looked at Marco and they exchanged a satisfied smile. Can you help me pick out my jammies, mommy? Even though you are plenty old enough to do that yourself, I would love to. And then Issa's daughter took her by the hand and started walking her towards her room, before she added, Papa's gonna check my closet while I brush my teeth, and then he's gonna weave me a bedtime story. Right, Papa? You said.

That's right, princess, I did say. I'm gonna go to my room for just a minute, check my phone to see if Nana Gabby tried to call or text me, and then I'll come find you. Okay.

At almost the exact same time Isa and Lily ducked into Lily's room, Marco turned into the guest room. He checked his phone, no miss calls or texts, and decided to check in with his wife after he'd gotten Lily down for the night. He turned to leave his room and walked back into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water before heading to Lily's room, when he heard what sounded like something fall off the shelf.

closet and hit the floor. As he thought, what is it with the closets in this house? And made a mental note to check the floors to make sure the home was level and not settled in some terribly unbalanced is the foundation sinking kind of way? that should have been caught in the home inspection. He walked over to the closet, felt a flash of fear that actually embarrassed him, slowly opened the door, peeked his head inside, and then

Bam! The wind caught his bedroom door and slammed it shut. Oh my god! Marco cried out before laughing nervously. You okay, Marco? Is he yelled from down the hall. All good, he yelled back. I left my window open. Some wind caught the door. Sorry about that. No problem. Glad you're alright.

The same moment Issa told Marco that she was glad he was alright, he ceased to be alright. A mass of small wet tentacles shot out and encircled his mouth and throat simultaneously. At nearly the exact same moment, powerful long, thin arms Wrapped around his torso, pinning his own arms to his sides and lifting him off the ground.

Muffled sound when he tried to cry out. The creature, Mr. Spider Squid Man, his mind cried out, was incredibly, incomprehensibly strong. Frozen and unable to move anything other than his eyes, his eyes nonetheless found a small Mirror Isa had already hung in his room on the wall across from him, and what he saw caused him to immediately and involuntarily piss and defecate himself. Unimaginable horror no longer had to be imagined. His stomach sank not just for himself.

But for his granddaughter. The boogeyman in her closet she described was all too real, and now held him from behind after emerging from his own closet. Its head reminded him of a squid. Its eyes were small and glowed like small, bright.

Lights. There was no nose, no teeth, only a mass of tentacles. The rest of its body that he could see reminded him of a spider, long, spindly arms. He couldn't see its legs, if it had any. Its entire body, its grayish white skin that looked more like the flesh of an

Octopus than the skin of any land-dwelling creature was coated in a thin layer of some kind of slime or mucus. And its hands, its fucking hands, they looked more like hairless tarantulas than claws, paws, hooves, or any sort of humanoid. Appendages. Four spindly bony fingers protruded from each side of them, and from the front where human fingers should be, there was what looked like a mouth. A mouth full of, again, a mass of tentacles instead of teeth. I have to fight this thing, he thought.

Try and warn Isa and Lily. I have to save them. Those were the last thoughts Marcos had before the creature quickly and powerfully contracted the tentacles that protruded from the mouth and its head, breaking his neck and crushing his windpipe instantly. The tentacles now relaxed and withdrew.

And the thing spun Marco's corpse around so the two were face to face. And then the same tentacles now shot into Marco's eyes like a cluster of serrated knives, little barbs in the tentacles pulling the eyes back out of their sockets when they retracted.

Quickly eating his eyes, the tentacles now shot into Marco's eye sockets, where they found little openings in his skull and connected with pathways in his brain. And now this terrible creature from a world next to ours essentially downloaded Marco's entire essence.

Absorbing all of his memories and personality traits, taking in a complete scan of his physical dimensions and makeup, and creating and storing a full profile of the man in its advanced alien mind. Advanced and completely lacking in care or regard for any and every memory.

Of the human species. Next, working fast to hide the proof of its kill before its plan for the rest of the evening was ruined, the creature, Mr. Spider Squid Man, laid Marco's body on his back in the closet, stripped it of all of its clothes, and used its three mouths, one

One on each hand and one on his face, to quickly and silently tear into the flesh of his stomach and remove and ingest most of Marco's internal organs, including his heart, in no more than twenty seconds. Once it finished feeding, it had the power to change shapes and

After pushing all that was left of Marco into the closet and shutting the door, it replicated every last detail of him, and then put on all of his clothes just in time to respond to Lily, who yelled, I'ma bust my teeth, papa. Don't forget check my closet, just be safe.

And then my bedtime story Of course, princess, mister Spider Squid Man yelled back in a voice literally no one would ever think was not Marcos. On my way Before we get to Lily's bedtime story and find out if she lives or dies, time for a mid show sponsor break.

If you don't want to hear these ads anymore, please become a Robert or Annabelle on the Scared to Death Patreon and get these nightmare fuel stories and all other scared to death episodes ad free and more. This message is sponsored by Greenlight. If nearly seven years of hauntings has taught me anything, it's that there are plenty of things to be afraid of.

But money does not need to be one of them. It's wild how often financial stress adds to an already spoopy situation. Greenlight is a debit card and money app for families that helps kids learn to save and spend wisely while building real confidence. Parents can automate allowance, manage chores, and set flexible spending controls. These skills keep kids from growing into adults who are stuck in haunted houses because they are haunted by financial choices.

Our nephew is just a few short years away from getting his driver's license, and subsequently he has started to dream about his first car. In an effort to help him save for that first car, his parents signed him up for Greenlight, which is helping him learn about long term savings goals. And how to accomplish them. Start your risk free green light trial today at greenlight dot com slash scared. That's greenlight.com slash scared to get started. Greenlight dot com slash scared.

It's a real luxury to have high quality, clean, healthy groceries dropped at your front door. Thrive Market members know what I'm talking about. By becoming a member, you can unlock weekly deals, auto ship your favorite repeat items, and more. No matter what you're craving, Thrive Market offers better for you versions of the things you love. Less sugar and cleaner ingredients from some of our household favorite brands like Simple Mills and Siete.

With Dan's health needs changing this year, I have been trying to support him by buying things he can enjoy without worry that he's going to spike his blood sugar or overdo it on the carb. Thrive has made it so easy for both of us to make better choices.

we switched to IQ bars for our protein bars, supporting our brains while keeping carbs low. And Lily's chocolate has been helping us both indulge in that chocolate craving without going overboard. Ready to make some healthy swaps and become a member? Join Thrive Market with my link, thrive market.com/slash scared to death for thirty percent off your first order plus a free sixty dollar gift.

A premium wireless plan from Mint Mobile might be for you if you are sick and tired of wasting hundreds of dollars every month and are annoyed by all those extra fees. Imagine paying just fifteen bucks a month for your phone. With Mint Mobile, you can bring your phone and your phone number with you. Easy peasy. No long term contracts either. We weren't so sure about that contract part until recently.

Our son had a six-month plan because, well, he was trying out a flip phone, but he didn't want to be stuck with it if he hated it. And it turns out after six months, there were no problems with either canceling the plan or choosing to extend it. And he loves his flip phone and now we love saving on his bill. If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at mintmobile dot com slash scared. That's mintmobile dot com slash scared.

Upfront payment of forty five dollars for three month five gigabyte plan required equivalent to fifteen dollars per month. New customer offer for first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra, see Mint Mobile for details.

Thank you for listening to our sponsors. And now, what fate awaits young Lily? After passing Issa undetected in the hallway. Who thanked the monster that had just killed her father-in-law for helping put Lily to bed, and telling it that she was going to hang a few things on the wall in her bedroom before Lily started to fall asleep? Mr. Spider Squid Man walked into his prey's room. sat in the rocking chair in the corner, and Lily jumped up and sat on its lap.

Do you check? she asked with nervous eyes. I did check, quietly said the boogeyman. I checked really, really good. I looked in every corner. I moved every box to make sure there were no little cracks or holes where something could be. could come through and just like I thought, there was nothing. Mr. Spider Squid Man is gone for good. The magic worked. Yes exclaimed Lily triumphantly. I knew it. Thank you, papa. Of course, anything for my princess.

said her papa's killer, giving the little girl a big kiss on the top of her head before asking, Are you ready for your story? Yes, Lily declared enthusiastically. Can you tell me the one about the knight who saves the princess again? How about I tell you that story tomorrow night? I want to tell you a story you haven't heard yet. Okay, Papa. What's it called? It's called The Mimic.

What's a mimic, Papa? You'll find out by the end of the story. Is it an old story like the other ones you tell? Older, much, much older. This is an ancient story. older than any book, this story was being told before any one even wrote down a single word. Amen. Wow, Papa, that's so old. Yes it is. Now you just relax and listen and let Papa tell it, okay? Okay, Papa. A long, long time ago, there was a little girl who looked

a lot like you. She lived in a small village with her mother and her father. They both loved her very, very much. And she loved them. And they were all very happy. But Lily interrupted, something bad happens, right? That is right, Princess. Something bad happens. What happens is that the summer gets much too hot, and the family, who all live together on a small farm, lose all their crops to a drought. And now the little girl's father must leave their village to

To find work so that he and his family won't starve. Just like my daddy leaves for work, Lily interrupts again, to take care of mommy and me. Yes, just like your daddy. And just like with your family, now the little girl's grandpa comes. Stay with them. So we can help her mother, who still has work to do. Mommies and daddies always have work to do, Papa. They do, Princess. Does this papa in the story read a little girl bedtime stories? He does. Is he a yacht like you, Papa?

He is exactly like me, Princess. No exactly, Papa, Lily laughed. You aren't that old. Maybe I am, Princess. Maybe I'm the oldest papa of them all. Now you must try and stay quiet, so I can tell my story, and so you can fall asleep. Sorry, papa. I'll try harder to keep my questions inside my head. That's good, Princess. So this papa, just like me, he hears from the girl's mother that the little girl is afraid of a monster. But this little girl, she doesn't have a closet.

Her house is much too small for that. But she has a bed, and she keeps hearing the monster that hides beneath her bed. But it's not Will White, Lily protested. Remember, you must keep quiet, Princess. Okay. If Lily were to have stood up and looked at her papa's face in this moment, she would have seen that his eyes were glowing. Just a bit, but glowing all the same. She would also see that his

Nose is just barely starting to sink into his face. Mr. Spider Squid Man will not be able to hold her grandfather's shape for much longer. But Lily doesn't, of course, stand up. And from her seated vantage point, she sees nothing. Nothing that confuses or alarms her. This monster, it is real, Mr. Spider Squid Man continues. But the little girl's mother and father, they don't believe her. Even when she tells them she has seen it one night, they still don't believe her.

So when the grandpa comes to stay, she tells him. And he doesn't believe her either. Not at first. But soon. Soon he hears something himself. And then he sees something himself. And now the grandpa gets scared, just like the little girl.

And he worries that the monster will hurt the little girl, or worse. What's worse, Papa? Lily asks with fear in her voice as she clings tighter to her fake papa, to mister Spider Squid Man. And if she were to touch his skin, She would notice that it feels just the slightest bit moist and slimy. In her bedroom, while Marco's naked, partially hollowed out dead body bleeds in the guest room closet.

While the murderous Mr. Spider Squid Man reads her baby a bedtime story, Isa walks around with a hammer in her hand. Searching all over the place for the picture hanging kit she's misplaced. Unable to find it in her room, she looks in the living room and then remembers that she may have last hung something up in Marco's room. She quietly hurries to retrieve it before he's too far along into his story, before it's too late to drive a few nails down.

To some spots on the wall she's already penciled off. She stealthily sneaks down the hall, and neither Marco nor Lily seem to notice her. Or so she thinks. Mr. Spider Squid Man does notice. And if Issa were to have truly peeked in, she would have seen two glowing eyes staring back at her, and a nose that looks almost like it's melting. She would have seen a monster steadily filling her daughter with fear before it decides to kill and feed on her.

Which will happen soon. Isa has no idea that her home is filled with an ancient, terrible, malevolent danger, a monster that has played this game a thousand times before. What's worse than hurt princess? Mr. Spider Squid Man repeats to his prey. Why, death, of course. Papa, I don't like this story. It's too scary. Mommy says, Silence, Lily! snaps Mr. Spider Squid Man in a stern voice. If you keep interrupting.

I'll have to tell your mama you were bad, and then no more bedtime stories from papa. Lily wants to say something but stays quiet. Tears fill her eyes. Her papa has never spoken to her in this tone of voice before. She is getting scared. Scared. She can't help it, and it's his fault. Why would Papa ever tell her a story like this? She wants to protest further, but she'll be more scared if she now gets left alone without the rest of the story.

The grandpa decides to cast a spell to banish the monster, to save the little girl. And that's exactly what he does. And he and the little girl celebrate. Lily relaxes a bit. She hopes this is a story about how she was. The magic worked, and the monster is gone forever, and everyone lives happily ever after. But, continues Mr. Spider Squid Man, sinking Lily's brief moment of hope, the magic did not work. And when the little

Girl goes to get ready for bed. The grandpa is attacked by the monster. By the very real monster who breaks her grandpa's neck. Pop! Lily starts to scream before she can even get the word papa. Fully out, Mr. Spider Squid Man covers her mouth with a hand that is now definitely wet, and with fingers that feel funny. They feel a bit like fingers, and a little bit like tentacles. And something is now starting to emerge from both sides of its

Hands. Lily tilts her head up to look at her papa's face, and what she sees nearly causes her to pass out. She sees a mashup of her papa and the monster from her closet. And this mixed-up monster keeps telling her a story she doesn't want to hear. A story that feels less and less like a bedtime story, and more and more like a dark prophecy starting to come true. This monster, this wonderful, powerful, ancient, marvelous monster, after breaking.

The grandpa's neck. He plucks out his eyes and eats them. He puts his fingers inside the grandfather's brain, and he learns everything he needs to know to trick the stupid little girl. The monster rips Her grandfather's belly open and feasts. It eats the grandpa's delicious insides. His heart is the monster's favorite. His heart gives the monster strength. The strength changes shape to change into the grandpa.

And then the monster, looking just like the grandpa, goes to tell the stupid little girl a bedtime story. A story about another stupid little girl who hears a monster. The same monster. A story about So many stupid little girls, a story about her and what is about to happen to her.

Issa freezes as she's about to open Marco's closet door. She thinks she just heard Lily cry out. She stands perfectly still, listening intently, and only hears Marco. He's still telling her daughter a bedtime story to help her sleep. She can't make out the words, but it must be working, because she can't hear Lily. She's probably already asleep. Issa reasons that what she thought was some sort of scream must have been something else.

She considers leaving Marco's room and waiting until tomorrow to do any more hanging. She doesn't want to wake her little girl. But when she goes to turn around, something nags at her insides, regarding the closet door. She feels compelled to check it. She looks down at the carpet and wonders, is that a few spots of blood? Her stomach sinks. She places her hand on the doorknob and feels sick. She doesn't know what it is, but she knows somehow that there is something inside.

That she doesn't want to see. But it's important that she does see it. She swings the door open, and it's worse than she expected. So much worse. She drops the hammer she'd been holding and manages to stifle a scream at the sight of Marco's dead, mutilated body, his naked, eyeless, partially hollowed-out corpse. Her mind reels. She feels dizzy and for a moment worries that she'll faint. She wants to call 911. She wants to

Get out of the house as quickly as possible. But first, she has to grab Lily. She has to make sure Marco oh oh god. It takes her a moment to get a handle on some semblance of what is happening. If Marco is dead, then who is reading a bedtime story to her daughter? Isa bends down, picks the hammer back up, turns, and starts to run.

Lily tries in vain to get away from the monster in her room. She knows it's about to kill her, but it's far too strong. She can't wiggle. She can't break free. Mr. Spider Squid Man continues to cover her mouth with a hand that continues to mutate.

Further away from being a hand at all. She continues to stare into a face that keeps changing through tears that flow down her cheeks, a face looking more and more like the boogeyman from her closet and less and less like her papa. Mr. Spider Squid Man is focusing. All his transformative energy on keeping his teeth from turning into tentacles. Not quite yet. He wants the shape of Marco's mouth to hold just for a bit longer, long enough for him to finish his story. The monster now sits.

With the little girl in its lap. She does not know her grandpa is already dead, and that her mother will never come to save her, for she also is none the wiser. And even if she was, the monster is far too strong for her to stop it. But soon, the monster makes his story clear. And now the little girl knows what has happened to her grandpa, what is about to happen to her. The little girl tries to scream, but the monster covers her mouth. Another monster begins to change.

To reveal its true form. The little girl cries and cries. Her heart beats faster and faster with her fear. And in a moment, her heart will be perfect. And then the monster We'll rip it out. is the monster from under her bread, devouring her still beating heart.

Issa screams as she burst into her daughter's room. She knows before she even knows who or what she's up against that there's no point in trying to reason with them. Whoever is with her daughter has just slaughtered her father-in-law. And now they have her daughter. And if they haven't

killed her yet, they will soon. She has to attack, immediately, and with everything she has. It's her one and only chance at saving Lily, and probably herself as well. As soon as Issa pushed open the door, she was already raising the hammer high to slam it down. She's in

Mid-swing when she sees that the who that has her daughter is a what. She'll wonder for the rest of her life how the shocking sight of a monster wearing Marco's clothes, looks a little bit like Marco and a lot like some kind of mix of squid and spider doesn't cause her to lose her grip on the hammer to halt her swing to panic and stumble instead if anything she somehow manages to put a bit more into what she hopes is a death blow.

Mr. Spider Squid Man hadn't been truly, truly surprised in a very, very long time. But when Isa burst through the door with her hammer, she genuinely caught him off guard. He then realized it's too late. That he's gotten cocky, complacent, that it's been too many years since he's been challenged. He was so fixated on the task at hand. He was moments away from ripping out Lily's pounding, terrified, delicious heart. So close he could taste it.

His teeth were already giving way to tentacles. His hands had fully turned into spidery, octopus-like monstrous things. He was just about to take one of them and thrust it into Lily's stomach, push up into her chest beneath her ribcage, and grab hold of the

His precious prize. He was so close to his bloody climax that he didn't even hear Issa approach. And when the door flung open and he turned his head to look, he didn't see the hammer. Not right away. He only saw Lily's mother charging towards him. Him, a woman of average size, smaller and weaker than plenty of other humans he disposed of easily in years past. And he was not alarmed in the least. He knew he could easily snap her neck. He was sure he would do that.

Mere milliseconds before her blow connected, he saw that she was holding a hammer, and that it was about to hit pay dirt and land right between his now fiercely glowing eyes. And when it did land a few milliseconds later, before he was able to lash out with his Tentacles or spindly spider limbs to block it. He felt an explosion of pain, like nothing he had ever felt before in his ancient existence. And the creature, so comfortable with darkness, now felt true, absolute.

darkness in a way that terrified him. He was totally, completely blind. He was screaming, and he was afraid for his life. Isa slammed the hammer down with everything she had and amazes herself with how hard she hits this this whatever it is. The face of the hammer lands squarely between the eyes of this squid-like creature and caves its fucking head.

While somehow it survives this blow, it's clearly in a tremendous amount of pain and gravely injured. As its tentacles and arms fling about wildly, as a sobbing and thankfully very much alive lily falls to the floor, as it screams an alien scream, unlike the wall.

Like any noise Isa has ever heard before. She manages to keep hold of the hammer and rip it back out, revealing mucus-like tissue she assumes is its brain. She swings again as the creature grabs her arm that doesn't have the hammer and connects again. Not as hard as the first time. But she again hits it in the head, near where its temple would be if it were human.

In a blind panic, the creature now tries to move quickly away from Isa and slams itself into the wall, giving her time to rip the hammer loose and swing once more. It's spasming like it's having a seizure. This time she connects with the creature's primary mouth, the blow. and tears into some equivalent of a lower jaw. When she goes to pull the hammer back out, it

On some sort of bone, and then the creature twists and rips the hammer away from her. Rather than try and grab the hammer and swing back, the creature sways around more and more erratically in herky-jerky movements. One of its six or eight spider-like legs

kicks somewhat towards her. It swings an arm with a dangerous looking hand towards her as well, but doesn't come close to connecting. It's clearly blind. Its nervous system is damaged and malfunctioning. It looks like it's dying. But it's still dangerous, and rather than keep trying to attack Issa grabs Lily, who has managed to scramble away from it on the floor, and she backs up towards the bedroom door as she watches the monster find its way back.

Closet, still making a noise somewhat like a scream. A moment later, all is quiet. At least regarding the monster. Lily is still sobbing. For a brief moment, Issa considers having Lily stand out in the hallway while she ventures. Enters over to the closet to inspect it. She wants to know for certain that this monster is gone. But what if it's not? What then? What if it's not as hurt as it seems? What if it kills her? Does to her what it did to Marco? What if it then?

Joseph then does the same to Lily. That sequence of thoughts ends Issa's momentary desire for some sort of closure, and she scoops up her traumatized daughter, carries her, running into the garage, where they jump into her SUV and speed off. Into the night.

Mr. Spider Squid Man panics when he's blinded and badly wounded by the first hammer blow. In addition to not being able to see, he's in an immense amount of pain. And even worse, he's shocked and afraid. He's experiencing so many emotions and feelings.

Feelings he can't remember ever experiencing before. And this woman, she has ripped her weapon free and may strike him again. As he flails his limbs and tentacles around and tries to grab her, to kill her, she does hit him again. Another explosion of pain. And now he can't control his body the same way. Something is very wrong. His limbs spasm and convulse. He isn't even thinking about the girl. He was so ready to develop.

Few moments before. There will be no feast today. He desperately needs to escape, to get back to his world where he can heal. He tries to jump towards the closet, but he's lost his bearings and slams into the wall. He feels the weapon rip loose again, but he can't get his body To cooperate and lash out in that direction. His body won't stop convulsing. He can barely get it to move in the direction he wants.

She hits him with the damn weapon, hits him where he feeds. More pain ripples through him as the woman tries to pull the weapon free and he manages to spin away from her. Momentarily able to control his appendages, he lunges forward in the direction he hopes will lead him back towards the closet, towards the doorway into his way. them all towards the back corner of the clock. He feels the portal open when he draws near, and he slips through.

doctor John McIntyre had just about given up on ever returning to his old life. He went missing three days ago in Providence, Rhode Island, even though no one noticed, not even his wife, Angie. She still thinks he's with her, that he still sleeps in their bed. John is a man all too familiar with mimics and monsters. A somewhat similar creature studied him from behind an old mirror in his new home for days, and then stole his life.

When the Doppelganger pulled him into its hell of tunnels, monsters, and darkness, and took his place in this world. John hadn't eaten anything since he'd made it into the dark, seemingly endless labyrinth of big caverns and tunnels. but he'd almost been eaten several times himself by creatures straight out of some demonology grimoire, some humanoid, others serpentine. some appearing as mash ups of creatures from our world bats and falcons, lizards and lions, wasps and spiders,

Others that are things nearly impossible to describe. All of these things have seemed dangerous, deadly even. John has spent the past three days hiding, crawling, scurrying, and sometimes lightly sleeping. After two days, He drank some of the warm, possibly poisonous or toxic water that pools in various spots along the tunnel floor out of desperation. He now wonders what hellish microorganisms are multiplying inside of him. He's been vomiting and has had diarrhea.

He's been doing his best to survive, to somehow find a way back and find Angie, to save her from the monster that she thinks is him, or at least thought was him at first. He has no way of knowing if she's even still alive. He's been starting to lose hope, beginning to want to die, to reach an end to his suffering. But now, something new and wildly unexpected. Expected has happened.

Another monster, a squid and spider-like monster, has emerged from the wall just a few feet away. Some kind of portal has opened up, and this thing, wearing what looks like a few tattered articles of some man's clothes, has crawled out of it. And this thing, it doesn't seem to be doing well at all. It's screaming, spasming, bleeding, and it doesn't seem to notice that he's near. So, John stands up, and feeling the most hope he's felt.

Since his doppelganger smashed the mirror that connected his old home to this world, John quietly takes a few steps towards this wounded thing and Fucking head flat. And then he keeps stomping. It feels so damn good to kill one of these things, to know that these things can be killed. And then not knowing what lies on the other side, he pushes himself into the portal and ends up in a little girl's closet.

In a mid-century modern rambler with four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a massive kitchen, a sunken living room, and a three-car garage. He has no idea where this home is or who lives here. He cries out for help to alert whoever lives in the home to his And then he stumbles out of the house and into the night. He tries to find a police officer, or a hospital, or a kind stranger.

He tries to find anyone who can help him get well, anyone who can help him call Angie and warn her. Anyone who can help him get back home.

Issa calls her husband Miguel and does her best to explain the insanity she and Lily have just survived. The insanity that took Marco. Miguel, after somewhat processing the shock of his father's sudden, extremely tragic and difficult to comprehend demise, agrees that the police will not accept the truth.

That Issa should tell the officers that some man had snuck into the house, killed Marco, and then grabbed Lily and was about to kill her before Issa attacked him, and that, instead of slithering away into the closet, he ran out of the house. Whatever Lily tells them will be chalked up to a six year old being in shock. This explanation they settle on will actually work, in large part thanks to Dr. John McIntyre.

He left his fingerprints all over the house, in Lily's bedroom, in Marco's room, and on the back door when he let himself out. John will never find out that he's helped this family. He'll never know he's a suspect. The police will never question him because his prints are not in any criminal database. And even if they were, his whereabouts on the night of Marco's murder can easily be accounted for. He was in Providence, Rhode Island, at home with his wife, Angie. And that's it.

For this nightmare fuel. I hope you loved, or were horrified by, or were at least entertained by today's Mr. Spider Squid Man. Different story structure. I'm curious what you think. Today's tale was written by me, Dan Cummins, and scored by Logan Keith. If you enjoyed this story, check out the rest of the Bad Magic Productions catalog. Time suck every Monday at noon Pacific time with little short sucks now on some Fridays. And these nightmare fuel episodes on some Fridays as well.

And new episodes of the now long-running paranormal podcast, Scared to Death, every Tuesday at midnight. Please go to badmagicproductions.com for all your bad magic needs, including show-related merch, and stay scared. Security usually means extra steps and complications. But with Apple Pay, secure payments are simple. Your transactions are authenticated with face ID, touch ID, or passcode, so security

Is built in when you check out. Plus, your name isn't shared with merchants and they don't see your actual card number. Whether you're shopping in-store, online, or in app, protecting your money should be simple. Pay Terms apply. Cash Now More Later from Opendoor gives you cash up front for your home, plus all the profit later. That's no chaos now, no cash left behind later. Skip the showings now, pocket extra profit later. This is so simple now.

This is so awesome later. Or sell fast now and pop the champagne later. Cash now more later. Now available nationwide. Start your offer at opendoor.com slash radio. Profits calculation. Fees and costs eligibility and offer price may vary.