Tell Me a Story

"Tell me a story, Uncle Jimmy!" Young Will asked excitedly as his Uncle Jimmy helped him into bed.

The boy got under the covers and sat up, wide eyed and awake, smiling as his Uncle Jimmy smirked and handed him his favourite stuffed bear.

"Maybe one." Uncle Jimmy said with a chuckle. "Which do you want?"

He reached over to the shelf beside the small bed that was filled with all sorts of children's books; all of which Will had heard him read a dozen times before.

"'The Kittens Lose Their Mittens'? 'Frank and Bean Visit the Gas Factory'? 'Hank the Crabby Tyrannosaurus'?" Uncle Jimmy named off some of the boy's favourites.

"No, no, Uncle Jimmy!" Young Will protested playfully. "Tell me a new story, one of YOUR stories!"

Uncle Jimmy gave a tired sigh and shook his head.

"You don't want to hear my story, Willy." Uncle Jimmy smiled knowingly. "I really only have one good one and I'm sure you wouldn't like it. Now, let's see, what about 'Snootles Loses Her Noodles'?"

Will pouted and crossed his arms in a huff. "No, Uncle Jimmy! I wanna hear YOUR story! Please tell it to me! Please!"

Uncle Jimmy put on a frown and shook his head sternly. "No Will. You really do not want to hear my story."

"I'll hold my breath unless you tell it to me!" Will stated whinily and puffed out his cheeks while holding his breath in protest.

"Will, don't be a suck." Uncle Jimmy said annoyed. "I won't tell you ANY story if you don't stop that right now."

Young Will kept right on holding his breath; arms crossed stubbornly.

Uncle Jimmy gave an exasperated sigh and put up his hands in surrender.

"Fine, Willy. Fine." Uncle Jimmy ceded. "You want to hear it, I will tell you."

Will let out his held breath and giggled as he clapped his hands excitedly.

"But only if you REALLY want me to." Uncle Jimmy warned with a finger held up to point at Will.

Will nodded his head fiercely in agreement. "Yes! Oh, boy! I bet it's a good one!"

"Ok then. If you are really sure." Uncle Jimmy asked one last time.

"Yes, I'm sure! Tell me!" Will rocked back and forth with anticipation.

"Alright," Uncle Jimmy ran his hand though his thick hair. "I wasn't going to tell it to you until you were a little older, but if you insist."

He leaned in closer to Will and beckoned for him to do the same.

The night lamp on the bedside table cast their long shadows on the wall beside them as they huddled in.

"You see, the thing is," Uncle Jimmy started almost at a whisper. "The thing is; you don't really have an Uncle Jimmy."

The glee on Will's face was replaced by puzzlement as jIMmY's smirk returned.

Slowly, JiMMy motioned with his pointed finger for Will to look over to the far wall's mirrored closet doors.

The puzzlement was then replaced with sheer terror as Will looked at the reflection he saw in the mirror.

An ear-splitting scream fell out of Will's gapping mouth for a moment and went silent.

When his mother and father rushed into the room, they found Will, alone, leaned back in bed, wide eyed and stiff.  Dead from the fright of seeing whatever he had pointed to in the mirror's reflection.