Saturday's Storyteller: "Johnny realized that the candy he held in his hand was not actually candy."
by Belinda Roddie
Johnny realized that the candy he held in his hand was not actually candy. It was, in fact, Formula 91X - a concoction created by scientists to replicate the symptoms of lycanthropy as told by the folk tales. It was a sick, twisted equation of science and corrupted wisdom that could ultimately be manipulated by those with power bristling from their hair to their heels. And Johnny had let his younger brother, Timmy, eat some.
Jamming the brightly colored tablets back into his pocket, the boy tried desperately to seek out an antidote. The laboratory he had snuck into was dark and dank, and he was pretty sure his brother was starting to fret outside. And knowing that once the sun set, the full moon would be out, he had to be fast. His fingers brushed against the shelves feverishly, knocking over bottles and jars. One crashed to the ground and oozed red jelly.
No peanut butter for that stuff, he thought with a heated head, before reaching for a syringe and staring at the label. The print FOR DOCTOR'S USE ONLY was odd to him. He tossed it to the side and withdrew a bottle. COUGH SYRUP. For God's sake...
He heard a sudden howl from outside and jumped back, his shoe slipping in the jelly as he fell to the ground. He felt the jab of the syringe needle in his left buttock and jolted upright, eyes bulging. The lights burst alive with a sudden static energy, filling the room with gold and silver...
Johnny realized that the candy he held in his hand was not actually candy. It was cough suppressants, red and green, and his mother had given them to him. She took his hand as they walked out of the movie theater, his brother trailing behind them as the werewolf howls and mad scientist laughter trailed behind them. Johnny double-checked Timmy's face just to make sure he wasn't growing a snout.
The prompt for this week's Storyteller was provided by Jocelyn Roddie.
Johnny realized that the candy he held in his hand was not actually candy. It was, in fact, Formula 91X - a concoction created by scientists to replicate the symptoms of lycanthropy as told by the folk tales. It was a sick, twisted equation of science and corrupted wisdom that could ultimately be manipulated by those with power bristling from their hair to their heels. And Johnny had let his younger brother, Timmy, eat some.
Jamming the brightly colored tablets back into his pocket, the boy tried desperately to seek out an antidote. The laboratory he had snuck into was dark and dank, and he was pretty sure his brother was starting to fret outside. And knowing that once the sun set, the full moon would be out, he had to be fast. His fingers brushed against the shelves feverishly, knocking over bottles and jars. One crashed to the ground and oozed red jelly.
No peanut butter for that stuff, he thought with a heated head, before reaching for a syringe and staring at the label. The print FOR DOCTOR'S USE ONLY was odd to him. He tossed it to the side and withdrew a bottle. COUGH SYRUP. For God's sake...
He heard a sudden howl from outside and jumped back, his shoe slipping in the jelly as he fell to the ground. He felt the jab of the syringe needle in his left buttock and jolted upright, eyes bulging. The lights burst alive with a sudden static energy, filling the room with gold and silver...
Johnny realized that the candy he held in his hand was not actually candy. It was cough suppressants, red and green, and his mother had given them to him. She took his hand as they walked out of the movie theater, his brother trailing behind them as the werewolf howls and mad scientist laughter trailed behind them. Johnny double-checked Timmy's face just to make sure he wasn't growing a snout.
The prompt for this week's Storyteller was provided by Jocelyn Roddie.
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