The Creepy Grandma

The night I spent at my grandma’s house was the scariest night of my life. Mommy and Daddy had gone on vacation and left me at my creepy grandma’s house instead of taking me with them. Initially, I felt betrayed and wanted to cry; but Mommy said I was a big girl and she knew I could take care of myself. I still felt betrayed, but I didn’t cry.

My stay at Grandma’s was mostly uneventful until late one night when I got up from my bed to go to the toilet. I sat down to pee. My sleepy eyes were squinting from the light in the bathroom. When I got up to wash my hands, I saw something that no four-year-old girl should see. I screamed and began sobbing. I ran out of the bathroom my heart tight with horror, vision blurred by tears, face contorted,hands reaching out for comfort,reaching for something safe and normal. My Uncle Roy, who still lived with grandma, came out of his room, saw me and immediately asked what was wrong. I tried to explain but the sobs that issued from my throat robbed me of any intelligible answers. I screamed in frustration. Then I had an epiphany, I pointed. As a baby I had been taught sign language effectively and if there was any time to use it, this was it. I lifted my finger and with all my might I pointed in the general direction of the bathroom door. I couldn’t see,every thing was liquid and moved about of its own will. This phenomena in itself was usually frightening, but preoccupied with what had been on the sink, I had hardly noticed until then. I screamed and sobbed some more. I couldn’t see Uncle Roy clearly, but I had a feeling he had that expression that adults got whenever I was upset. With me in his arms he began walking in the direction to which my finger had pointed. Every step seemed like it took a year and with every one my uneasyness grew tenfold. When we reached the door I screamed. I doubted the stability of my heart under the pressure of all this fear.

“Is it the bathroom, Mia?”

I sobbed. Of course it was the bathroom. How could he not know. Mommy would have known. Despite that I forgave him of his cluelessness and nodded. He stood there for an eternity. I wondered what was taking him so long. I had buried my head in his shoulder in order that I might not lay my eyes on the offending object. Now I realized that I must show him since as I had recently noted, he was not as sharp as Mommy. How horrifying that I would actually have to point it out to him. I steadied my heart as much as I could. It was decided. I mustered up all of my willpower and courage and swiftly turned and pointed. When I saw it again I couldn’t hold out, I cried. I thought myself a coward but, was comforted by the knowledge that I had done my duty. I had done what I had had to do. When Uncle Roy next spoke his voice gave the impression that he was stifling a laugh.

“On the sink, Mia?”

I nodded. He began chuckling, then laughing. Did he not see it, after I had put in all that effort, did he not see it? I felt like a fool. I should have known he couldn’t be trusted.

I sobbed. He started carrying me away from the bathroom. I screamed. I still had to wash my hands. Mommy told me to wash them everytime I used the bathroom. What was I to do. Uncle Rob brought my sobbing self downstairs. I thought he’d take me to the kitchen to wash my hands but, no. In a couple minutes we were standing outside Grandma’s room. I was confused at first as to why such a measure would be necessary, but it occurred to me later that she might know what to do in a situation such as this. Maybe that was why Uncle Roy still lived with Grandma.

He knocked on the door. She appeared before us wearing a robe.

“Ma, Mia found your dentures on the sink. They gave her quite a scare.” he chuckled.

Dentures? What are dentures? I’d never heard that word in my life but Grandma apparently had, because she smiled. I screamed and began crying again. What was this? What had happened to Grandma. First I find someone’s teeth in a cup and now Grandma doesn’t have any. Were they Grandma’s teeth? Who could do such a thing? Would they be after me next? At this thought I sobbed harder and screamed louder. Would Mommy come back and find me with no teeth?

Upon seeing my reaction they brought me back to the bathroom. I didn’t want to go. What if the teeth thief was in there. I kicked and screamed. I threw a tantrum, but when we got to the bathroom Grandma did something amazing, and I stopped. Grandma put the teeth in her mouth, and looked like her normal creepy self again. She took them out, put them in and smiled at me. I was appalled. How was that possible. I couldn’t do that with my teeth... could I?

I reached into my mouth and pulled. Nothing budged. Maybe Grandma had done that to herself. I decided that Grandma was more creepy than I had originally imagined and could do nothing more than stare at her suspiciously. I started crying again.

After some futile attempts to comfort me, Uncle Roy brought me back to bed. I still hadn’t washed my hands, but that didn’t matter anymore. Then and there I decided that never again would I stay at Grandma’s house without Mommy around. It was just too scary.