Rosie

Content warning: possession, body horror

It started so innocently at first. Abby was maybe two or three when she started playing with Rosie, a small teddy bear we had gotten for her from the Goodwill. She would talk and laugh and have tea with Rosie, they shared everything including dinner. It all seemed innocent enough and my husband and I never put much thought into it. At my mother’s funeral Abby spent the whole time sitting a couple headstones away with Rosie, it kept her distracted which was a good thing given the circumstances. We went home later that day and Abby laid down for her nap. I remember coming to wake her and finding it a bit off that Rosie was sitting in one of the tea chairs despite having been in Abby’s bed when I laid them down. I shook it off, it had been a very bad day for me, perhaps a trick of the mind. I should have started paying attention then.

Time went on, more odd things like that would happen. Very rarely would Rosie stay in bed with Abby when she napped and I decided that maybe Abby had been putting her there. I brushed it off and never put more than a second of thought to it.

“Abby, honey. Why do you keep putting Rosie in the chair? Do you not want to sleep with her anymore?” I ask innocently.

“Rosie doesn’t like naps.” Abby stated matter-of-factly. She looked at Rosie and nodded to confirm. I simply nodded too and shrugged it off, at least my four year old could understand autonomy. A few weeks later though, I noticed Abby wasn’t taking her naps anymore either.

“Abby, why aren’t you taking your nap, you look so tired wee one?” I asked her and she just looked at me with big circles under her sleepy eyes.

“Rosie doesn’t like it when I take naps, we can’t play when I sleep.” Abby explained.

“Well, Rosie needs to understand that sleeping is very important for you, I will take her away at nap time if you can’t sleep with her in the room.” I warned, and I saw a bit of worry in her expression.

“No Mommy.” she pleaded and I explained that she needed to start taking her naps again, and that it was more for her so she wouldn’t be so tired at dinner time. A couple days later when Abby still hadn’t taken a nap, I took Rosie. I placed the teddy on the kitchen counter near the end and went back to doing my dishes and some other chores. I never thought to check on the bear. Then I heard Abby upstairs laughing. I went up to check and there was Rosie, tightly held in Abby’s tiny hands. I figured she had come down and grabbed her, and I pushed it from my mind. The next day I took her again, and this time I placed her on a chair in the living room. If Abby came to get her, I would see her do it. She never came down. I went to wake her up and there was Rosie, sitting on the chair in Abby’s room.

To say it rattled me is an understatement. I stayed in the doorway and stared in disbelief at the bear. There was no way, no reason for her to be in Abby’s room. Once again I found some rational explanation in my head. I should have seen it then. A couple weeks go by and every day, despite my making sure I took Rosie downstairs with me, she was there in Abby’s room every day when I came upstairs again. I never saw her move, and I never saw Abby. It became rather clear that this was something beyond rationality, but moving from room to room was harmless right?

Abby is seven now, Rosie is still at her side but things have gotten so much worse. Abby seems to be prone to accidents, but it’s more than that. A few months ago I heard Abby fighting with Rosie, telling her she didn’t want to play a certain game. A couple of hours later when I called her for dinner, she took a hard fall down the stairs. She got a concussion and a few bruises, we gave her a speech about being careful but she insisted someone pushed her. No one else was upstairs, and it was only my husband and I in the house. Then a couple weeks ago they were playing outside and Abby wanted to swing but Rosie wanted to slide. There was another argument and a few minutes later when Abby was at her highest on the swing, she fell and broke her arm.

It was no coincidence, every time Abby told Rosie no, something happened and it was getting worse. I told Abby it was time to take a break from Rosie and that maybe I should put Rosie away for a while. Abby agreed almost too quickly. So I took Rosie, and I put her away in a box of other things that Abby used when she was little. I sealed it with tape and closed up the attic. I thought that was the end of it. But here I am again in bed for the night,wide awake. Above our heads, all my husband and I can hear is the sound of that box shuffling around and thudding across the floor. Sometimes I could swear I even hear a child laughing, but I check on Abby and she sleeps soundly, unbothered by the noise.

Sometime after two a.m the sound finally stopped and I was able to get some rest. I woke up not long after to the soft feeling of Abby tugging at my arm. “Mommy, Rosie wont let me sleep.” She complained and I admit I was a little annoyed.

“Rosie isn’t here to wake you up honey, we put her away, remember?” I asked and looked at my very tired little girl. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes, and to my disbelief the teddy bear was in her hand hanging at her side. “Abby, how did you get Rosie? Have you been in the attic?” I asked, sitting up now with some fear and concern and a little frustration building as I woke up.

“No Mommy, she came into my room again and woke me up, can you take her please?” Abby pleaded and in my half awake state I reached out to hug my daughter and kiss her head before I took the bear. As soon as my lips touched the cold flesh that stood before me, I knew something was wrong. I turned on the light and the little girl that stood before me was not my Abby. I jumped and tapped my husband, trying to wake him but it was too late. The little girl’s body contorted and changed. What stood before me now was a silhouette reminiscent of a gargoyle but tall and overbearing. I swallowed hard and tried to scream but there was no sound. I closed my eyes.

This morning when I woke up, before the sleepy haze cleared my eyes, I thought it had been a dream. Then I heard my husband talking to someone, talking to me. That had to be impossible.I tried to move to get to him but I fell with almost no sound onto the floor. I couldn’t move any part of my body. Once I could see clearly, it didn’t take long for me to realize where I was. I was in Abby’s room, on my side, on the floor.There would be no sound despite how hard I tried to call out for help. The conversation between my husband and myself in the hallway continued but that thing must be out there with him. I tried to close my eyes but I couldn’t, if this was a dream it was elaborate. Next thing I knew I could feel myself being lifted by my arm and everything spun rather quickly as I was turned around. Abby was looking dead into my eyes. “Rosie? What are you doing down here?”