“And is that nana’s cane?” Our mother crossed her arms in disapproval. “You know better than to remove it from its case.”
“No, it’s the asking stick,” my sister replied, balancing it across her shoulders. “And it’s not like anyone’s using it. It just sits there collecting dust. I’m doing it a favor today, I’m giving it purpose.”
“Its purpose is being the only keepsake your father has of his mother’s. He’ll kill you if he finds out you’re playing around with it.”
Our father peeked in the room, standing behind our mother and wrapping his arms around her waist. “Who am I going to kill?” he asked, nuzzling his face against hers. “Because it’ll have to be quick, we’re going to be late for the movie.”
My sister waved her hand, shooing them away. “Then go! Don’t worry, we’ve got it handled.”
“Curb your creativity,” our mother said. “I don’t want you two giving Jude and Lara nightmares. And tomorrow is the first day of school, so bedtime is—”
“This isn’t the first time we’ve babysat, mom,” my sister said, rolling her eyes. “Just go enjoy date night.”
“Come on, honey, Mona and Nadia know what they’re doing,” our father said, pulling our mother away. “Just put the cane back in its case,” he called over his shoulder. “My mother didn’t like us playing with her things when she was alive, let’s not disrespect her now that she’s passed, you hear?”
“Yes, dad,” the four of us called out.
After we heard the front door close and lock, Jude turned to Mona and me. “I want to ask a would-you-rather!”
Mona shrugged and handed him the asking stick. “Go ahead, ask Lara.”
He grinned and turned to his little sister, poking her in the stomach with the asking stick. “Would you rather turn into a cockroach or a rat?”
Lara grimaced and shoved the asking stick away. “None of them.”
“You have to pick one!” Jude said, pouting. “That’s the game!”
“No, I don’t!” Lara turned to Mona and me. “Do I?”
“Yes, you do,” Mona replied in an authoritative tone. “Those are the rules. If you don’t choose one, then you forfeit your right to play.”
Lara’s lip trembled, and I nudged Mona and whispered, “Mona, chill.”
“Fine,” Mona sighed. “Lara, how’s this? You can ask Jude to answer first.”
Jude didn’t even wait. “I would rather turn into a cockroach. That’s because they can survive anything. I learned that in school. They’re like super bugs.”
Lara looked at him, quizzical. “Super bugs?”
He nodded, excited to share his trivia. “They can eat anything, so they’ll never starve. They can hold their breath for over thirty minutes, so they’ll never drown. They are super fast, so they’ll never be caught. They can survive nukes so they’ll never die. They can even live if they lose their heads! And I’m going to choose to be the one with wings so I can fly!”
Lara stared at him in awe. “I want to be a super bug. I choose to rather a cockroach with wings too.”
“Hey, you can’t copy me,” Jude said, frowning as he turned to Mona and me. “Can she?”
“Yes, she can,” Mona replied. “It’s called ‘would you rather’, not ‘first come, first serve’.”
Jude wrinkled his nose in confusion. “Huh?”
YOU ARE READING
Revealing Glances: Unsettling Short Stories & Their Making
Horror[Ongoing] A collection of unsettling or unusual short stories. Some have monsters, some have humor, some draw tears, some make you think, and some have artwork. Each is a revealing glance of someone's life. Every writer has their own methods of comi...
Would You Rather
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