Scary Short Stories

Cradle.

I saw this thing on the Internet, Mary very bloody, or something like that. 

And hey, I figured why don't I try it? I rounded up a friend, and we saw what we could do.

"C'mon Poppy!" I said, calling her from my room.

"I'm having second thoughts," Poppy said, chewing her thumbnail, a thoughtful look on her face.

My face dropped, I can't believe her! She's always the party pooper! Not a single thing would she do without checking if it was safe first!

"Ok, fine, do what you want. I'm doing it, and you can't stop me," I said firmly.

"Fine," she answered, "But I'll stay near the door and come in if anything shady happens, I'll come in."

"Great," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Poppy sighed, but did as she said she would do. 

I walked into my bathroom and closed the door. I stood near my Hollywood-style mirror, with bulbed lights all around it. 

"I'm starting!" I tell Poppy, and she knocked on the door, as if saying she understood. 

Strange, I thought, Poppy is more of a talker, why's she so silent?

I shrugged it off and began.

I lit two candles and put them next to the sink under the mirror. 

"Here we go," I breathed to myself.

I clicked the lights off, and the dim light of the candles illuminated my face spookily.

I began spinning, one spin... "Bloody Mary." two spins... "Bloody Mary." three... "Bloody Mary."

Thirteen. "Bloody Mary!" I yelled.

"I have your baby! Bloody Mary, show yourself!" I yelled into the mirror, cradling my arms as if I held a baby in them.

I stood in silence, my hands still cradled. 

Eh. I guess it didn't work, whatever. I'm not going to cry over it. Guess I better tell Poppy nothing happened.

Then, something did happen. 

As I uncradled my hands, and looked at my reflection, the mirror turned red. 

No.

Smoke billowed out of the mirror, and engulfed me in a tight grasp. 

"No," I gurgled, smoke beginning to fill my lungs. "Poppy! Help!"

A lady, dressed in red, her black hair matted on her face, stood in the mirror, humming.

"Give. Me." she boomed, "My. Baby!"

"I don't have it," I managed to choke out. 

"Summon me for entertainment?" she demanded, "Then you must die."

Her smoke filled my lungs, and I took one last look in the mirror, to see her face, and realized, I'd seen that face before. Very recently, in fact. 

As I began losing consciousness, I got it. 

That face, was Poppy's.