The Yo-Yo

“This,” Derren threw a hand toward an ornate wooden yo-yo in a bowl of keys, “is my inheritance.”

Maria paused, one mahogany leather boot dangling in her gold-choked fingers. “A yo-yo?” A cackle leapt out of her as if the situation had slapped her in the back of the head. “Your millionaire old vampire of a mother left her only child, a yo-yo? What did she do with the rest? Leave it with the cat sanctuary?” Another cackle forced its way out, this time a really guttural howl. 

“The Parrot Zoo Trust, actually,” said Derren slowly so that Maria could follow, “and be quiet. Sarah’ll be asleep by now." He tossed his keys into the bowl and took up the yo-yo. It was light, pine he guessed, and was covered in tangled engraved patterns. When he squinted, the patterns looked like little letters, but trying to focus in on them made his brain feel twisted and bent. With a sharp sigh, he slipped the knotted loop over his middle finger and dropped the body of the yo-yo. It spun silently and still by Derren’s knee. “Get me some water, would you?”

Maria calmly placed her boots in the middle of the hall and moved quietly to the kitchen. 

“I’ll put these away then,” Derren mumbled, catching his new toy and grabbing Maria’s boots. 

Maria was stood just inside the kitchen, making Derren jump and drop her boots as he passed through the door. Water was dripping from a small pool in her cupped hands in front of her, leaving a damp trail from the sink. 

“Maria?” Derren asked, picking up the boots. 

Maria blinked as a light switched on behind her eyes. She cackled. It was a quiet cackle, the kind of cackle directed inwards, as if she was telling herself that something was funny. “Got you some water,” she said, pulling out her best joke smile. 

Derren reflected an uncertain grin, then decided to laugh. “Your sense of humour,” he shook his head, “you must be ahead of your time because I don't get you. I thought it was weird that you did what I asked for a change.”

“I am ahead of my time,” she said, turning up her nose and shaking off her hands. 

The two spent the evening watching Maria’s choice of scripted reality TV. Usually, this meant Derren could read his latest book, only occasionally looking up to pass judgement on Maria’s least favourite character of the day, but after they’d sat down, Derren realised that he hadn’t picked up his book. Instead, the yo-yo was in his hand. While Maria cackled and scoffed at the TV, Derren ran his thumb over the engravings. He slipped the knotted loop over each of his fingers. He tried to read the engravings. 

“Look at this tool,” said Maria. 

Derren turned the yo-yo. The two sides were like identical twins - identical at a glance, but you could tell they weren’t quite the same. 

“Derren?”

Derren turned the yo-yo on its side and looked into the gap. It was just wood and string, no engravings, but he felt certain that he was missing something.

Maria’s voice tightened, “Derren.”

The high pitched rattle and squeak of the letterbox was punctuated by the thud of a heavy letter. Derren’s head snapped towards the door. 

“Oh good,” said Maria, “I thought you were going deaf.”

“Sorry,” said Derren, “I think I’d better get that.”

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” Maria asked, but Derren was already out of the room. 

The envelope was sealed with purple wax, stamped with the family crest. Derren broke the seal with a light crack and watched purple dust float to the floor. Inside was a slip of card on top of a folded vellum parchment. Derren read the card.

My Derren,

I instructed my boy to deliver this to you on the night of your inheritance. I trust it has reached you well. I shan’t be gentle, you need to know the facts.

I am sure that by now you have realised the toy, which I know to be in your hand, is not ordinary. It is hypnotic. I was given it as a child, inherited from my father. It killed him, as it did every man above me in our known bloodline. My father had no son, so it was left to me.

I had a thousand toys, but never touched another after this one. With it, I could make all the other children give me their toys, even if I didn’t want them. I had my teachers give me any grade I liked and, when I was finished with school, I had security at the biggest firm I could find direct me to the CEO. He gave a job selling whatever he needed selling to whoever had the biggest bank balance.

Now it is yours, but understand, the yo-yo has two sides, one hypnotises anyone you like, the other hypnotises you. The parchment enclosed has been passed down with the yo-yo. Read it and you will understand how to use it safely.

All the best,

Mum

Derren snorted. She did lose it in her old age, he thought. Tossing the envelope, parchment enclosed, into the bowl of keys, he eyed the yo-yo curiously, pulled the string over his finger and dropped the body to the floor.

The yo-yo spun silently above the ground until it was ready, then it lowered itself. The instant it grazed the wooden hallway floor, with barely a click, it drove Derren to the stairs, transitioning seamlessly onto carpeted steps and leading him up into the dark landing. Derren didn't steady himself as he followed the yo-yo into the darkness and as his eyes drew level with the crayon ’S’ drawn on his daughter’s door the yo-yo skipped up to spin silently again for a second before dropping back to the landing.

Derren awoke in his office. Nothing seemed right. The great wooden beams that usually hung far above his head seemed unusually close, and his window, overlooking his mother's moonlit vineyard, was unusually low. He realised his pen was in his left hand. He knew he couldn't have been writing, because he was right-handed. Perhaps he was tidying. He would fall asleep tidying and Sarah had told him for months to dust off the beams, but it was so late. It must be mother's death doing something to his mind, he thought, a good night's rest and he'll be back to himself.

He noticed the yo-yo in his right hand, but in the darkness could not see the string. He was stood on his desk chair, to reach the beams, he assumed. He stepped off.

He had barely dropped an inch when the splintered thread ran sharply across his neck. The loop of the string was pulled over his right middle finger. The string extended over a beam, under his neck, and into the body of the yo-yo, which hooked over the string by his right hand.

He opened his mouth in terror, then in pain, as he felt like barbed wire was tightening around his throat. As he strained and twisted in the air, the yo-yo slowly turned, the beam creaked, and the string tightened. The moon grew red, the sky faded to white, then the world went black.

Sarah woke to the sun kissing her face. Skipping across the landing she sang, "Good morning, good morning, what a lovely day! I look forward to my breakfast, to start it the perfect way!" She came to the landing, furrowed her brow, and ran down the stairs.

"Please, Sarah," said Maria, "it's barely..." she looked at the clock. "Six A.M.?" she cried, "Go to sleep you little monster."

Sarah picked up a piece of paper to hide her grin. It was heavy and smelled funny against her face.

"Aunty M?" She said.

"Yes, dear."

"What's this?" Sarah handed the vellum parchment to Maria.

"Something your dad was sent yesterday. Go find him, would you? He left me all alone last night." Maria dropped the parchment and fell back to sleep before it hit the floor.

Sarah picked it up and ran upstairs to find her dad.

Maria awoke to find Sarah in the living room reading a piece of paper.

"Where's your dad?"

"Asleep in his office," Sarah didn't look up from the page, "he's so sweet, he fell asleep writing me this letter. I think he knew he would because he wrote it on the floor."

Maria snatched the page from Sarah and began to read.

My Sarah...

"You shouldn't snatch," said Maria, rising to her feet "my daddy is so much nicer than you. Look, he bought me a toy too."

Maria looked up. Sarah dropped the yo-yo.