Timothy Crips Little Black Book

Timmy explores a small room in his closet. He opens the chest and finds a little black book with white pages. Putting it aside he continues scrummaging around the chest and finds a box with a surprise. He crawls back into his room and goes running to find his mom. Stopping when he sees her in the kitchen.

"Mom, I found a box full of money," his mom ignores him and continues organizing the cups in the cabinet. "Really mom I found money. Come look."

His mother lets out a frustrated sigh and follows him to his closet where there is a small door.

“This better not be another one of your jokes or you won’t get to play your video games for a month.”

Timmy impatiently crawls into the small room and points at the box. His mom opens the box and gasps. She takes it to the study room to show her husband.

“There’s 20,000 in here,” he says incredulously after counting it.

“What should we do?” The mother asks.

“Well, it was in the house, so it belongs to us now, after all this house has been abandoned for 50 years.”

His father looks at him and says, “Guess what Timmy we will get whatever you want for dinner.”

“Pizza!” Pizza!” Pizza!”

After dinner, Timmy goes upstairs to feed his hamster, Rocco.

Soon the night comes, and he hears something underneath him. Timmy ignores it, but the next morning his hamster went missing.

Still, it won’t stop screaming, so he lifts up the mattress and grabs the book.

Again, the book screams, “Meat.”

Timmy tries to feed it bologna, but it won’t eat.

“Well, how do I feed you if you won’t eat?”

“Alive,” it screams at him. So, Timmy finds a frog in the backyard, catches it, and asks. “Will this do?” And its long tongue comes out and snatches the frog from his hand.

Timmy tries to keep it hidden in the dark attic, but every night it called to Timmy and now he hadn’t slept in a week, he had dark rims around his eyes, frustrated he pulled the ladder down and rushed up. Angrily yanking the screaming book from its cardboard box prison, marked Timothy’s Old Books, and brought it back to his room.

“What do you want?” Timmy seethed as he held the book in front of his face.

“Meat,” it replied.

Timmy muttered aloud, “Of course.” He puts the book into his backpack.

In homeroom the next day, Timmy looks around and quickly places the book inside Jason’s desk. After all, Jason had taken to bullying Timmy on the first day of school.

The teacher was doing the roll call and Timmy was anxiously watching Jason.

“Timothy Crip-,” Mrs. Becker called out when she gets to his name. “Here,” Timmy answered not taking his eyes off of where the book is. And before she could call out the next name.

“Something bit me,” Jason screamed as he jumps back from his desk. His hand bloody and mutilated by strange, jagged teeth. The students screamed and Mrs. Becker passed out. Everyone was sent home early that day.

In the confusion, Timmy takes back the seemingly harmless book hiding it away in his jacket.

Wondering what he’ll have to feed it next. After all he’s never had a pet before. Especially a pet book. He finds a cardboard box to keep it under his bed.

During the night he could hear the book trying to get out and occasionally asking for food.

“Shhh,” Timmy says quietly. “I’ll feel you before breakfast.”

The book went quiet.