Flash Fiction Friday - Giggles

Why do I hear laughter coming from the attic?

Before I post the story, I should let you know the reason behind the image. I am part of a group called The Midnight Monster Club, and I have been sharing flash fiction posts there every day though the month of October. This was my Day 23 entry…

GIGGLES

It all began innocently enough, or so it seemed. Little bumps and knocks from overhead that could easily be dismissed as the sounds made by a house settling at night. More imaginative minds might well have thought that dancing demons of the damned were hosting a house party up in the attic, but Ben Jones was not an imaginative man.

Ben readily dismissed the strange sounds as normal, but when he heard the first laugh, things began to change. The first one was little more than a muffled giggle, as little laugh that could have come from a child playing outside. The fact that it happened at 3 a.m. made that idea borderline implausible.

Night by night, the laugh grew clearer, more distinct, and when it was accompanied by a tinkling music box tune, Ben decided it was time to investigate.

Flashlight in hand, Ben climbed the steps to the attic, the laughter and music growing louder, as though egging him on. When he played the beams of the light across the dusty space, the sight of the black-eyed girl holding the Jack in the box sent him falling backward.

Doctors said that Ben would never be the same again, the impact of his head on the hardwood floor jarring loose his flimsy hold on reality. Ben remained mostly mute, but when he does talk, he always says the same thing…

“Black-eyed Betty is in my house, playing with her toys, quiet as a mouse.”