Her Cookies Were to Die For

Bacon Munching Meanie

Snatcher's eyes narrowed, and he began to wring his claws. He looked agitated...and confused.

"You...looked inside me? Kid, that's a little screwed up, I have to say," the ghost finally said. "I didn't know your mask could look inside people."

"It can't!" Hat Kid squeaked. "But you're not listening to me- something is literally strangling you in there! The spiky thing is stuck, and then there's these strings that are squeezing your insides. We...we have to take it out...?? But I don't even know if that's possible....PECK!"

Snatcher was taken aback by how frantic Hat Kid was getting. He had seen Hat Kid disgruntled, sure. When he had made her clean that haunted outhouse, the little pipsqueak had been disgusted, and furious! She had been so mad at him for that- he could see it on her little face. Oh, he could almost smile at the memory. But not right now.

The kid was freaking out. Over something inside him. Was that even possible? Apparently, according to Hat, it was. But honestly, he didn't want to think about it, and decided he wasn't going to.

"Listen kiddo, that mask probably just...messed up or something. Or maybe you're just losing your mind. That seems to be more possible, given your track record of willingly falling to your death out of my trees all over something as silly as yarn."

Snatcher laughed and shook his head, yawning.

Hat Kid stamped her foot, barely missing the mask on the floor.

"No, I'm not crazy! I saw it, Snatcher! It moved! I saw--!"

"Who's ready for breakfast?"

Both Snatcher and Hat Kid turned to see Cooking Cat in the doorway once again.

"Come on. That's enough bickering then. You're probably both just a little hangry."

Hat Kid let out a huff and crossed her arms before turning her back on Snatcher and walking out her door. Snatcher caught a whiff of the bacon, and immediately pulled himself out from under the pillows and blanket. If the kid was mad at him or not, he wasn't missing out on such a delicious, greasy treat.

Hat Kid sat alone at her large captain's chair, a plate of blueberry pancakes on her lap. She simply stared at the planet revolving below her ship through the gigantic glass window. Snatcher coiled himself on the floor cozily, munching on a rather copious amount of bacon. He was a rather large creature, and Cooking Cat had certainly been aware of that fact as she cooked for him.

If Snatcher wasn't so full of pride, he would have admitted that he was very thankful for the consideration. However, he was. So no one would be getting any thanks. Not today.

Cooking Cat looked at Hat Kid, who was still turned out and staring at the sky, and then Snatcher, who seemed to not have a care in the world.

"What did you do to her, hm?" questioned CC as she suspiciously eyed Snatcher. "Do I need to take that plate away from you to get an answer?"

"I didn't do anything. No contracts, no chores, nothing. I just took a nap. That's all," Snatcher said nonchalantly, pouring the rest of the bacon in his mouth and swallowing it whole so Cooking Cat wouldn't even have the chance to take it from him.

With a cocky wink, he handed her his empty plate.

"If you weren't sick, I'd step on your tail," said the cat.

"He thinks I'm stupid, and won't listen to me even though I saw something spiky hurting him in his tummy," Hat Kid finally cut in as she slowly spun around in her chair. "He's a big meanie."

"Kid, I'm not even bein' mean! If you want, I could write up a few chores for you to do in my forest again- now that would be mean." The Snatcher laughed, hard, before wiping a nonexistent tear from his eyes.

"Now those were good times- we should do it again!"

Snatcher didn't get a response from either Hat Kid, or Cooking Cat. But he didn't mind. Honestly, he needed to get back to his forest, anyways.

"Welp, I've got lots of stuff to do today. Gotta recount my minions and make sure they're all doing their jobs. Smell ya later, kid!" Snatcher cackled before vanishing from the ship.

"Ugh. Bye," Hat Kid grumbled, spinning in her chair once more as she poked at her pancakes.

---

Once Snatcher was back in his hallow home, he picked up the gift box that had been sent to him by Vanessa, along with the note, and disposed of it. He was mad that he even dared to eat those cookies. They made him sick!

He should have known better than to eat anything sent by her. He should have known better, especially after what she had done to him years ago over the bacon. She had undercooked it, so badly that it made him very ill. Snatcher had a horrible feeling that she had done it on purpose- she always acted so weird whenever he enjoyed his breakfast.

Vanessa would sigh and watch him with a cold distant look in her eyes. Almost a look of hatred at the fact that he found so much pleasure in his favorite food...and not her in that very moment, instead.

So, she made him ill. He remembered being ill for days after that breakfast. By the time he had gotten over it, he had lost a good amount of weight- so much so that his pants were loose by the end of it. He had needed a belt.

And then...when she learned he still did enjoy bacon even after being incredibly sick from it, she banned it from the castle entirely.

All because...Vanessa hadn't wanted him to like that food, more than her...

Well I still like bacon very much, so there. Joke's on you, Vanessa.

Was it just his mind playing tricks on him, or was thinking about that time bacon made him sick making him queasy?

Immediately, Snatcher grew angry. Still feeling ill, yes, but also angry. How DARE he still let Vanessa's memory taunt him so. He wasn't weak- he didn't care about her! So why was he suddenly starting to feel so...oh god, so nauseous...?

Quickly, the ghost darted out the door of his home. As expected, his minions were stood in line for their monthly counting.

"Hey, boss!" a few of them chimed the moment that Snatcher showed his face outside.

"All of you. Go away. Scram! You get the day off, shoo!" Snatcher barked, urgently waving the minions away as he floated past them.

"Boss, what's wrong with your face?"

"You're turning blue, boss!"

"Haha, you told the kid you can't turn blue! Such a kidder! You sure showed her!"

"I swear- I will eat every single one of you if you don't go away right now," Snatcher hissed.

Nearly the entire army of minions shrugged before disbanding, cheering about how they had a day off.

Thank heavens.

Snatcher immediately made himself scarce. He went to hide in the best place that he could think to go. The place where no one would willingly go unless they wanted to die by the hands that came up from underneath ominously black muck- the bog. It was already disgusting there. Not a soul would be close by if he were to get sick again- and Snatcher felt at this point that it was extremely likely that he would.

Floating above the muck, he watched as one of the hands from beneath the water dared try to touch him. In an instant, he had given it a hard smack, sending it splashing back down into the muck.

Carefully, the ghost made his way over to one of the rickety docks, and finally lied himself across it. Maybe if he lied still enough, it would just go away. Ignoring it would make it stop, right?