My one-eyed teddy bear

The single button eye on the teddy bear’s face reflected the glossy warmth from my nightlight. 

“There,” Dad said after he placed it on the highest shelf. “Now he can keep his eye on you.”

“It’s ugly,” I murmured. “Where did you get it?”

“A garage sale. The owner said that even though Teddy only has one eye, he sees everything.” 

I shuddered as I looked back at the toy. The stitched smile was way too wide.

“I don’t want it.” 

“Listen,” Dad said, ignoring me, “You have your own room now, but that means you have to be more responsible. Make sure you brush before bed, and don’t stay up past your bedtime. I’m going to ask Teddy if you broke any rules in the morning. Good night, princess.”

“G’night,” I said automatically. 

“Remember,” Dad said with a creepy smile, “Teddy is always watching.”

Then the door was shut and I was alone with the toy.

His one eye glared at me. I stuck my tongue out at him. “You can’t see anything,” I muttered. I was so tired of Dad treating me like a baby. I was old enough to know that toys couldn’t see or talk to people.

I pulled my phone out from under my pillow. The parental block was on, but I easily entered the password. It only took me a few days to guess the code my dad chose. It was the year I was born. Not a very good password.

I bounced slightly in my bed as I played my favorite mobile game. Now I could finally play as long as I wanted and only had to go to sleep when I was actually tired. 

After a while, I yawned deeply and looked at the time. It was over 2 hours past my bedtime. 

My eyes widened. I didn’t realize that much time had passed. I didn’t mean to stay up that late.

I then remembered teddy and glanced back at his shelf. 

Maybe it was my imagination, but his stitched smile didn’t look as wide as before.

The air conditioning kicked on at that moment, and I felt a shiver. I turned over in bed and pulled the covers over my face.

***

The next night, I entered my room just before bedtime. I had forgotten all about teddy and his creepy eye until then. I frowned when I saw his ragged face. I ignored him and climbed into bed. 

I was too tired to brush my teeth but had just enough energy to play my favorite game for at least an hour. I was almost at the final level, and I knew I could unlock it by tonight. I pulled the covers over my head and started playing.

It took over an hour, but eventually I unlocked the final level. “Yes!” I whispered and pumped my fist. Just when I did, I heard a low and deep moan.

“Euuuughhhhh.”

I jumped up and pulled the covers off my head. 

I looked all around the room, but the only thing that caught my eye was Teddy. I stared at the bear while my heart raced. I was afraid to move an inch or even breathe.

“Teddy bears can’t talk,” I whispered to myself after forever. That sound must’ve somehow come from my phone or outside. 

Teddy wasn’t actually watching me. He’s just a toy.

In the dim light, I thought I saw a drop of liquid fall from Teddy’s eye like a tear.

I pulled the covers over my head and forced my eyes shut.

***

The next night, Dad visited me again just before bedtime.

“Need anything before bed?” he asked. 
“No, I’m okay,” I replied. 

“Did you brush your teeth?”

“Yes,” I lied. 

“Okay, you have 10 more minutes, don’t stay up later than that. Remember, Teddy is watching.”

I smiled. He didn’t know I had been staying up without brushing my teeth. That meant that Teddy didn’t tell him anything. It was just a stupid toy after all. “Good night, Daddy.”

I waited until I heard his footsteps disappear down the hall and his bedroom door shut. Then I pulled out my phone.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Teddy. My eyes darted to him. I shivered as I remembered that creepy sound I thought I heard last night. 

I got up and walked over to the shelf. I climbed up it like a ladder and grabbed Teddy. I walked him over to my closet, threw him inside, and shut the door. 

Then I returned to my spot under my blankets and returned to my game. Tonight was the night I would finally beat the game. 

After dying to the boss for the hundredth time, I rubbed my eyes in frustration. I tried to turn up the game’s brightness, but it was surprisingly maxed out. I rubbed my eyes more. Why did the game seem so dim?

I glanced at the time on my phone. It was past midnight.

I gulped. I had never stayed up this late before. I knew that I should go to sleep, but I was so close to finishing the game.

After a few more minutes, the game looked so dim I could barely see anything. 

The room felt cold, and my hands were trembling. 

I slowly removed the blankets from my head. Everything looked gray and blurry. The front of my face was pounding in pain. I turned to my side, and my heart skipped a beat.

Teddy was sitting on the pillowcase, inches away. His smile was wider than ever.

I yelped and swatted him away with the back of my hand. He flew into the wall and bounced onto the floor.

When I turned to look at my face in the mirror, my heart stopped.

I saw a large button eye like teddy’s where my right eye used to be. Where my left eye used to be was now a hollow eye socket with a line of blood streaming down from it.

I opened my mouth to scream but choked. 

Inside my mouth was nothing. My teeth were all gone, leaving empty gums like an old lady. 

I tried again to scream but instead retched and threw up something soft. I looked down to see a pile of stuffing soaked in blood.

I turned to where Teddy landed but he was gone.

I turned sharply back to my bookshelf. Teddy was somehow back up at the very top. But his face was replaced with something much more horrific.

His missing eye had been replaced with one of my eyeballs, and my full set of teeth was jutting out of his stitched mouth in all directions.

I tried to scream once again, but all that came out of my mouth was more blood. I coughed and choked and fell to my knees. 

“Ellie!” My Dad called from somewhere.

I blinked. The room was now fully dark. I felt a sheet over my head and pulled it off. My Dad was standing at the side of my bed with a crazed expression. I realized I was screaming and stopped to catch my breath.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “What happened?!”

“Teddy! He stole my eyes and teeth!” I cried. Dad looked dumbfounded and took a minute to respond.

“Listen, you had a nightmare. Come sleep in my room tonight.”

For the next few nights, Dad tried to convince me that it had just been a dream, and that teddy looked the same as he always had. 

But from then on, I always brushed my teeth before bed and went to sleep on time.

Even if Teddy wasn’t in the same room, I knew he could still see everything.

When I was too scared to fall asleep, I did my best to lie still and look as asleep as possible.

Because I knew what I saw wasn’t a nightmare.

It was a warning.