For Freddy, the last five nights had been intense.
Not that he could tell his family. The other kids wouldn't believe him either. It was just too unbelievable of a story, a hamster from outer space terrorizing you every night.
Yet terrorize him it did.
Freddy Fairbank was a small, wimpy looking lad no greater than 8 years old. His dark eyes showed a lack of sleep, his hair was combed back neatly saved for one curl in the front. In his grey and black striped pajamas he had a hint of a drooping potbelly. Gotten from the cookies and other snacks he would squirrel away to his room. He needed something to keep his strength up during the nights when the terror from Gerbert Gerbil & the Cosmic Crew came to scare him.
Freddy wasn't like other kids his age. To anyone else, it would have been awesome living just down the block from the space themed family restaurant. Not for Freddy. He hated Gerbert's. He had always been scared of the place, even his first memory at the location was unnerving.
"It'll be okay, Moolia." Freddy hugged the cow plushie closer to himself for comfort. The only thing Freddy liked about Gerbert's was his toys, although those toys were a scant few. The tri-colored spotted cow was the only survivor.
Gripping his flashlight, Freddy passed the beam over each entry point to his room. His was at the end of the hall and there was a door to either side of the room leading to different halves of the house. Just when he thought is was quiet again the chiming of the clock in the hall startled him. Three chimes. Three am. Yet there was another sound behind the chimes. Thumping. Something was coming this way.
Every nerve wanted to keep Freddy bound at his bed. Yet he got up, stepped lightly towards one door. For a tense moment he strained to hear what was beyond the door. Ultimately he risked it and cast out his flashlight down the hall. Nothing. Just the pictures on the wall, the grandfather clock and closed doors. It was quiet. Too quiet.
That's when Freddy heard the monster creeping up behind him.
Freddy turned to late to dodge the claw that grabbed him by the shoulder. There was a horrid fuzzy face with its mouth open, long teeth ready to gnaw off his nose. Its fur was mangy and its eyes covered by white film. A broken astronaut's helmet framed the monster's face.
Freddy screamed and screamed. His legs gave out from under him as he passed out, unconscious.
The next morning Freddy awoke on the floor, cold, his stomach in knots with a sour sick feeling. His neck ached from the poor position he had slept in after collapsing. Panic raced through his mind as he remembered the fright of the monster that followed him home from Gerbert's. The feeble light of day was enough to cast the fears to the side for now. His tummy rumbled, his teeth felt like moss was growing on them. To replenish his nerves he ate one of the snack cakes from his stash, then fastidiously hid away the rest of the snacks and empty wrapper.
Freddy hoped for a good morning. He crossed to his closet, opening the doors to get dressed for school.
The monster astronaut hamster burst out of his closet!
Freddy had spent all of his screams last night. He crumpled into the fetal position, holding his legs against his pooching belly as he cried into the carpet. He hoped the monster wouldn't hurt him.
Then Freddy heard the laughter. Familiar laughter.
"Ha ha hah, you're such a crybaby Freddy." The little boy looked up at his tormentor. He recognized the voice, the build, the true face behind the horrid mask once it was removed.
"Chuck!" Freddy cried.
"You peed your pants again, crybaby?" His brother Chuck Fairbank, older by a few years, stooped to check. Chuck was a beefy kid and the effort of scaring Freddy had worked up a bit of a sweat. Freddy recalled the embarrassing memory from the second night of this terror. His first attempt at staying awake was to drink a lot of soda. That proved to be a terrible idea, as the moment Freddy had been scared he lost control of his bladder, wetting the bed.
"Chuck. Freddy. Breakfast time."
"Not a word about this, right crybaby?" Chuck prodded his prone brother with a foot. Then he hurried off to breakfast. Freddy stayed in his room, trying to dry his tears until he was called for breakfast the second time. His mean bully of a brother had Freddy plenty scared. He couldn't say a word about being frightened, of the revelation that Chuck had been the one scaring him in a Hamster Louie mask for the past five nights. Freddy could only sit there at breakfast chewing on his food, trying to find some comfort, eating his fair share of toaster waffles close to the number that Chuck scarfed down.
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