Babysitting's the way I make money to buy stuff. Clothes, make-up, and books - I love to read horror. Especially true crime and what makes those killers tick. It's fascinating that they would think or do such things.
However, recently I was called to babysit at the Nelson's. They were new to me, two boys and a girl, a comfortable house, somewhat old but clean. Mr. Nelson told me to make myself at home, watch what I want on TV after the kids go to bed, help myself to anything in the fridge, just don't touch the jar in the back of the fridge.
My curiosity found myself peeking into the fridge right after I got the kids settled in front of the TV for a cartoon. There was a big jar on the bottom shelf, way in back, like one of those huge pickle jars. It was wrapped in what looked like plain brown butcher paper, with a rubber band sealing the rim. I shut the fridge. Creepy. What on earth could be in there?
Due to my personal crime library my imagination wanted to go wild - but I told myself it's probably just one of the kid's biology experiments from school.
I crashed on a recliner and watched cartoons with the kids until their bedtime. They went to bed really easy, without a fight. After the tuck in and story I felt like having one of those free snacks. My mind wandered back to the weird jars.
I was trying to remember what he said, did he say don't eat what's in the jar or don't touch it?
I remembered clearly that he said don't touch it. Which of course made me want to take the thing out and peel the brown wrapper back a little bit...so I checked the stairs, made sure none of the kids were coming down, then I went into the fridge and moved the milk out of the way, and got down on my knees so I wouldn't have to move the jar at all, just peek a little...
I pulled down a bit of the brown paper without ripping it and saw a red area and a white area, like maybe meat and the bone? I was about to put the paper back gently and heard a noise behind me. I banged my head on the shelf above because it freaked me out so bad.
I hoped it wasn't the parents back already.... I turned around it was the cat. I started getting this weird creepy feeling though, and put the paper back the way it was on the jar, and hoped the parents got back soon.
The next Friday night they asked me to babysit and I found myself saying yes, even though the memory of that jar creeped me out, I told myself it was nothing and I needed the money. This time I was to arrive later, the kids were all lined up in their pajamas ready to go to bed, so all I had to do was sit and watch TV while they slept.
I said goodnight to them and their mom tucked them in before she left, so I just stayed downstairs and watched TV. During a commercial I went for a snack and couldn't help but notice there were now two large jars in the back of the fridge covered in paper. I was trying not to let my imagination get away with me when the news came on and there was a breaking story about a teenage girl who had gone missing last Friday, and she was finally found hacked to bits in an alley dumpster.
I'm thinking, Oh my freaking God! Now I was convinced I had to see what was in those jars and maybe even call the police...so I get up and go take a look. I make a mistake of not turning on the kitchen light, so the large room is incredibly creepy I realize with just the light of the fridge showing some of the floor and the walls - I am thinking to myself someone could be standing in the corner and I wouldn't be able to see him.
I shudder and look into the fridge, partly with terrible fright and partly with morbid curiosity about what could be in the jars. Partly thinking I am overreacting and partly thinking I need to do this...
I reach in and rip off the front paper on one of the jars and all I can see is a long white hunk of meat like the skin of a person and that same red I saw before, surrounding a white circle on the end. I rip part of the other jar's paper and I see skin and some hair...long hair.
By now I am peeing my pants and hoping I can call the police before they get home.
The front door clicks from the sound of a key turning and I know I am screwed. In a panic I wanted to bolt out the back door and I knew it was locked, and it was dark back there so it wouldn't be like I could get out in a hurry. I stop my urine stream before it gets to be a waterfall in my pants, and head back to the living room.
Mrs. Nelson smiled at me pleasantly and asked if everything went okay. I smile and say yeah, and look at the TV. Phew, that awful news about the murder isn't on anymore.
She tells me I am welcome to finish my show here if I like and I say no, I really need to be going now. The understatement of the year!
I was heading towards the door, not even caring if they even paid me, and Mr. Nelson says, "Please stay a moment. I'd like to talk to you about those jars of ours. I really hope you haven't touched them." His eyes are a little bit beady and weird as he's saying this.
Holy crap! I bolt out the door which he still left open and ran like hell and never looked back. I called the police when I got home, but the Nelson's conveniently were gone by the time the police arrived at their home, with no jars in the fridge of course.
