Marilyn and the Scary Movie

In honor of my mom’s birthday I wrote this for her.

Marilyn and the Scary Movie

  “Oh, for cryin’ in the sink!”

Marily declared as she took her hand away from her head and then watched as each of the five curlers she’d just put in her hair came free and fell from her head. They tumbled down and onto the napping Banshee and she WHOOFED her displeasure at being pulled from her dream. 

The fluffy white dog rolled onto her back and kicked her paws in the air before nodding off once more. 

Marilyn smiled. 

Even if she was frustrated. 

She’d been trying to get her curlers in for half an hour now and it wasn’t working. She’d watched her mother do it, had seen women on television do it, and had even looked in magazines on how it was done but she just wasn’t able to find the right maneuvers or magic words to get it to stay. 

From down the hall dad called – Lights out, kiddo! 

Marilyn did as she was told and reached over and clicked her bedside lamp out. She sat still in her room as her eyes adjusted to the gloom, the dim moon just peeking out from behind a bunch of gathered clouds. She wondered if she’d hear her werewolf friend out tonight but then remembered he was in the Upper Peninsula with his family for one last trip before school started up again. 

School. 

Marilyn made a face and stuck her tongue out in the dark. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t like school but really, who DID?

Teachers?

Gross. 

Another tongue stuck out. 

The air outside was still warm from an exhaustingly hot day and as the breeze picked up she closed her eyes and smiled. Below her, on the floor, Banshee grumbled in her sleep. Even she was happy for the breeze, marshmallow shaped husky that she was. 

Marilyn looked down at the vague pink shapes lying around her dog and shook her head. She looked to her left and saw one last roller and picked it up as she turned and looked out the window. There were several streetlights out down her street and as the moon played peek-a-boo she watched as the shadows stretched themselves out as darkness rose and fell, rose and fell. It was the night tide, the ink of night spilling out then being wiped away, spilling out, then being wiped away. As she watched she absently started putting the roller in her hair. 

Spill. 

Wipe. 

Spill. 

Wipe. 

Then a shape moving. 

Marilyn sat forward and strained her eyes to see. 

A slinking shape sneaking from car to tree to car to a large pile of furniture and trash piled across the street. 

She wondered if it was her werewolf friend, somehow back for a prowl but that was impossible, he was gone this week. 

So what was it?

A chill ran down her spine as she wondered if it was some other sort of monster. 

A lizard boy. 

A ghost girl. 

A snake man. 

A dog woman. 

Something worse…a TEACHER!

A shiver. 

The moon came out and everything was lit and she searched and searched but couldn’t see anyone, then THERE, a shadow, hunched over like a toad and spilling across the neighbor’s grass and driveway and then GONE!

Darkness returned. 

Marilyn gasped and Banshee stirred beneath her and yawned. 

Marilyn looked and saw the shape stand and start rooting through the furniture. The neighbors were moving and it was time to clean out their old stuff so they didn’t have to take it all with them. She had been over there to watch with her brother Freddy earlier in the day and had found a lovely plastic flower for her room. Freddy had found a swell poking stick. 

But who was over there now and what were they looking for?

Evidence!

Clearly. 

The neighbors were vampires and this was someone looking for proof. 

But, they weren’t. 

They were out in the sun all day. 

And Mr. Radke LOVED garlic. 

So they weren’t vampires. 

OH!

Maybe this was a trash monster. 

Something that rooted through trash for food or for things to make a nest with. 

But…there weren’t really trash monsters around this time of year. 

It was too hot and they preferred cool caves. 

Marilyn tapped her chin as she watched the figure root through the trash. Suddenly she heard a loud – A-HA! – and then the moon was out and there was Mr. Radke, standing with a baseball bat in his hand, raised to the heavens. 

The door to the Radke home opened in a rush. 

  “GARY! Get out of that trash this instant!”

  “But I found it! I found my bat. I FOUND IT!” He exclaimed as he ran towards the house, swinging the bat. 

  “Yes, yes. Your signed Mickey Mantle bat. Yes, yes. Now come inside. Let’s go to bed.” Mrs. Radke disappeared into the house as her husband hurried after her, swinging the bat like a little boy as he did. The door closed behind him and the moon disappeared again. 

Marilyn laughed and stretched and fell back onto her bed. She moved like a worm and re-positioned herself so that her head was where her feet usually were so she could look out the window and watch the show until she fell asleep. 

She loved this program. 

She stretched and yawned and her hand felt something plastic in her hair. Slowly, very slowly she moved her hand over it and realized that it was the roller. 

It was in her hair. 

It had stayed in her hair!

She smiled to herself and felt sleep closing in. 

Just as she was about to fall into the big Lake of Sleep a big white marshmallow landed in the bed at her feet with a fart and a whoof before she made her way down to Marilyn’s side and laid down. 

Marilyn fell asleep first with Banshee falling a moment later and together they swam in the Lake of Sleep. 

…c…