The Slender Man by Dexter Morgenstern Read Free Book Online

and walk over to her and as I get over there, she's hauling
a television set out.
    “What do you want me to do?” I ask.
    “Find me The Joy Luck Club in there? My eyes aren't the
best,” she explains. I look and see that it's a pretty old television set, and
pretty small. I wonder how she thinks even the front row students will see it
well.
    I go into the closet and sort through the mess inside. It's
full of extra textbooks, pencils, and other items for school, and with no sort
of organization. No wonder she's having trouble finding a single DVD in here. I
look around a bit and realize that there don't seem to be any DVD cases in
sight. Then I realize that The Joy Luck Club is an old movie, and that's an old
television. So I'm probably looking for a VHS cassette. After making that
realization, I see a line of VHS boxes, but a lot of them are empty. In fact,
there are a few cassettes strewn about. Isn't there supposed to be some student
body president to fix these kinds of problems? Maybe I should say something
about this to my Dad, the vice principal and see if he can get the school's
equipment up to date, or at least organized.
     I find the movie, or at least think I do. The sticker on
the tape is pretty badly faded, but I'm sure I can make out the title with what
remains of the tape.
    “Here,” I say, handing the cassette to Ms. Alder. She takes
it and puts it into the VCR she just hooked up underneath the television. I see
that some of the students are filing back into the classroom.
    “Is there anything else you need?” I ask, brushing myself
off, although the closet isn't as dusty as you'd think.
    “No that should do it. Take your seat please,” she says.
After a few button pushes, she starts the movie. She lets it run through the
previews, which I think is a tremendous waste of class time alongside a full
fifteen minute break. During the previews, Jason returns to the room, and he
stares me down for a few seconds before taking his seat. He's got some toilet
paper stuffed into one of his nostrils. So he has a nosebleed too. I guess
that's why Ms. Alder didn't render a “ What took you so long?”
    My seat is at an angle from the television, but I can see it
pretty well. After the previews though, something triggers a sense of unease
with me. At first, I think my arm is just falling asleep, but it starts to feel
more like a static tingling, and it courses through me like wind. I
instinctively look around for that static shadow, but I don't see it. What I do
see is Jason stifling a cough and the girl sitting next to him inching away in
disgust, as if she's afraid he'll contaminate her. The static wave- I should
say, is gone by now, but I see some of the other students in the class
squirming about in a similar manner, as if they felt it too.
    I turn my attention to the movie and realize what we've been
subjected to, a long, boring drama that we will probably have to write an essay
about. My body releases a yawn at the thought and I realize that I feel sleepy-
very sleepy. I wasn't feeling tired at all this morning, not with the
nervousness of being hated, so a sudden need to fall asleep at my desk comes
off as a little strange to me. The movie- or ‘feature presentation’ begins, but
as the drowsiness sets in deeper, the sound starts fading. I fight to keep my
eyelids open, and see that the sound is distorting into static bursts.
     Ms. Alder gets up and begins toggling the cords, but it
only worsens as the video starts going out. I hear a groan. Is someone really
disappointed that we don't get to watch this movie? I turn and see Jason, eyes
closed, but twitching. He groans again, and twitches a little more. I think I know
what's happening. The fit I had in the hospital when I dozed off and saw that
entity for the first time. Jason's having it now. I contemplate waking him up,
but figure someone like him probably deserves to be stuck in a nightmare for a
few minutes. I wonder if he's dreaming about shadows and