The Toy Thief

Lucy had tried to explain to her mother that Pippa was stolen, not lost. Lucy knew this because she had left Pippa sitting on a bench on the edge of the playground, during recess. When Mrs. Campbell had blown the whistle, Lucy returned to the bench, but Pippa was gone. Someone had taken her.
Mom wasn’t convinced. She told Lucy that she’d probably misplaced the doll and that it would turn up eventually. She even chastised Lucy, saying, “You should have never taken her to school in the first place.”
But it had been Lucy’s turn for show-and-tell! What else would she bring? Besides, Lucy could never forget about Pippa or leave her behind. They went everywhere together. The two were inseparable, ever since Nahna had given Pippa to Lucy when Lucy was a baby. She couldn’t even go to sleep without Pippa cuddled beside her. Now that Pippa was missing, Lucy lay awake at night, staring at the ceiling. 
The day after Pippa’s abduction, Lucy returned to the bench on the playground to search for clues. She found none; Pippa had vanished. Lucy turned her eyes to her classmates. All of them were suspects, and she scanned each of the other children in hopes that one of them would give up the secret. It was probably Rachel; she was always stealing Lucy’s crayons. 
Lucy watched from the bench, the scene of the crime. As her eyes tracked Rachel across the playground, she heard the sound of whispers behind her. She whirled around and frowned. There was no one there, only the chainlink fence that separated the playground from the woods beyond. 
Lucy turned back and tried to find Rachel in the crowd of students. As soon as she was facing away, the whispers came again. This time Lucy stood as she turned towards the woods. Her eyes widened. 
There, atop one of the posts of the chainlink fence, sat Pippa. The petite doll was distant, but her button-eyes and red-yarn hair were unmistakable. 
“Pippa!” Lucy exclaimed. She ran towards the fence. She could hear Mrs. Campbell yelling after her, telling her to come back. No one was allowed that far away from the playground. But Lucy didn’t stop. She ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her, trying not to stumble. As Pippa came more clearly into view, Lucy beamed a great smile. She would be able to sleep soundly tonight.
Just as she was about to reach the fence, a hand caught her wrist. Mrs. Campbell spun her around and stuck a bulbous nose in Lucy’s face. 
“Lucy! What are you doing? You know the rules, and I told you to stop.”
“But my dolly! Pippa!” Lucy pointed towards the fence. Mrs. Campbell stepped aside, and Lucy’s stomach felt ten pounds heavier. Pippa was gone. The post she had sat upon was barren. 
“Lucy, there’s nothing there. Come, let’s go back to the rest of the class.”
“But she was right there! I saw her!” Tears welled in her eyes. Mrs. Campbell took her by the hand and led her back towards the playground. Lucy glanced over her shoulder to the edge of the woods. Pippa was nowhere to be seen, but Lucy could have sworn she saw the tree branches rustling. 
That afternoon, Lucy had to sit down with her mother and Mrs. Campbell about “listening and following directions.” They said it was for Lucy’s safety that she not go near the woods. But what about Pippa? No one else seemed to care. 
When Mom tucked Lucy into bed, Lucy started to cry. “I can’t sleep without Pippa!” she screamed. Mom scowled. 
“Well, I can’t sleep if you’re crying all night long!” she said, then sighed. “Lucy,” she started, softer, “Wherever Pippa is, I’m sure she’s fine. And I’m sure she misses you just as much as you miss her. But would Pippa want you awake all night worrying about her?”
Lucy sniffled. “No,” she whimpered.
“Exactly. Now let’s dry those tears, and try to get some sleep, okay?”
Lucy nodded. Mom switched off the light and closed the door as she left.
Lucy stared at the ceiling again. No matter what her mother said, she wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight. How could she, when Pippa was alone, out in the woods somewhere? Or maybe she was stuffed in Rachel’s crumby backpack! Thinking about all the terrible things that could be happening to her friend kept Lucy awake. 
But as the hours ticked by, Lucy’s eyelids grew heavier. Just as her eyes drifted shut and sleep was clouding her mind, she heard a sharp tapping on her window. 
Her eyes slammed open, but she didn’t move. She waited, listening.
There it was again! The tap, tap, tap. Lucy sat up in her bed. The curtains obscured whatever was beyond the window frame. Only a sliver of moonlight pierced her bedroom. Shadows danced in and out of the beam of light. 
Lucy timidly removed the covers and slid to the floor. The ground was ice-cold as she crept towards the window. She reached out a hand, and with a sudden burst of courage, she pulled the curtain aside. 
Through the glass, Lucy saw a clear view of her backyard, all the way to the wall of trees and shrubs that formed the barrier between the lawn and the forest. She scanned the grass and gasped. In the middle of the lawn, sat perfectly upright, was Pippa.
Lucy didn’t know whether to be excited or terrified. All she knew was that she needed to rescue her friend. She sprinted out of her room, through the house, and into the backyard. The door slammed loudly behind her. She ran through the grass to where she had seen Pippa moments before. She was gone, again. Lucy whirled around, her eyes looking for any sign of Pippa’s bright red hair. At last, she saw a spot of red near the edge of the forest. She started towards the dark cluster of foliage when her mother scooped her up off the ground.
“Jesus Christ, Lucy, you’re gonna give me a heart attack!” she yelled. She started to haul Lucy back inside. 
“Mom! Look! It’s Pippa!” Lucy’s head peered over her mother’s shoulder, just in time to see a ghostly-white hand reach from within one of the bushes and snatch the doll. The hand retracted into the darkness of the woods. 
Mom turned around, but not soon enough. She didn’t see anything.
“Honest to God, Lucy,” she said, “This needs to stop.”
They marched back inside, and Mom flopped Lucy back in bed. “Do not leave this room,” she said and slammed the door. 
Lucy didn’t leave the room again that night. Instead, she lay frozen in fear, awaiting the tap, tap, tap. The sound never came, and it wasn’t until the sun had risen that Lucy finally fell asleep. 
She woke around noon. It was Saturday, which meant no school. She was relieved. Lucy didn’t think she could have sat through a class today.
She knew she couldn’t tell her mom about the hand that had grabbed Pippa. Mom would accuse her of lying, and she was already in enough trouble.
She tip-toed out of her bed and into the kitchen where Mom was unloading groceries. 
“Look who’s finally up. Come here, help me put this stuff away.”
Lucy did her best, but many of the shelves and cupboards were too high for her to reach, so Mom ended up doing most of the work anyway. While they worked, Lucy said, “Sorry about last night.”
Mom sighed. “It’s okay, sweetie,” she said, “I’m sorry I got so angry. I know you miss Pippa, but you really scared me.”
Lucy was quiet for a moment before she said, “Do you think Nahna could come over for dinner tonight?”
Mom thought for a moment before saying, “You know what? I think that is a great idea. I’ll call her.”
Lucy smiled. Mom might never believe her, but Nahna would. After all, she was the one that had given Pippa to Lucy in the first place. She would know what to do. 
When Nahna arrived that evening, Lucy was in the living room. She had spent the day drawing what she saw last night — the spectral hand reaching from the dense forest. As soon as Nahna walked in the front door, Mom ushered her into the kitchen. Lucy could hear them talking in hushed tones.
“Need you….. talk to her….. she’s scaring…. won’t sleep…. please…”
Soon Nahna strode into the living room and sat beside Lucy on the couch.
“Hello my dear!” she said, engulfing Lucy in a tight hug. 
“Hi, Nahna.”
“I heard that Pippa has gone missing. What happened?”
“Somebod— she was stolen,” said Lucy. She had decided that whatever had taken Pippa was not a person. 
“How do you know she was stolen?” asked Nahna.
Lucy sighed. “I left her on a bench during recess. When I went back, she was gone. But I keep seeing her! On the fence at school, and last night I saw her in the backyard!” She spat out the words like bullets. She wanted so desperately for her grandma to believe her. 
“Well if you saw her, then where is she now?”
“Promise you’ll believe me?”
“I promise.”
Lucy showed her the picture. “A monster took her.”
The drawing wasn’t as good as Lucy wanted, mostly because many of the crayons she’d wanted to use had been taken last week by Rachel. Still, she had done her best. The drawing depicted a white hand with spindly fingers reaching out of a bush. Nahna stared at the scribbling on the paper and frowned.
“You saw this? Last night?”
“Yes!” Lucy was close to yelling.
“But your mother, she saw nothing?”
“The monster was too fast,” said Lucy.
“I see.” Nahna didn’t take her eyes off the picture. Lucy watched for a reaction, trying to gauge whether or not Nahna had believed the story. Eventually, she couldn’t wait any longer. 
“Do… do you believe me?” she asked. 
“I do, sweetheart, I do. Now, listen carefully. No matter what you see, no matter what happens, you must not chase after Pippa anymore.”
“But—”
“No!” she said, before her voice dropped to a whisper, “The thing that has Pippa, it is very dangerous.”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “You know what it is?”
Nahna nodded. “It is called the Lektoya. Its name means toy thief.”
“Lektoya,” Lucy repeated. The word felt strangely familiar as it played across her lips.
Nahna grabbed Lucy’s face with both hands. “Promise me, child. Promise me you will not chase the doll anymore. Pippa is gone. You must not fall for the Lektoya’s trap. Do you understand?”
Lucy did not understand, but she said, “Yes, Nahna, I promise.”
Dinner passed with an awkward silence around the table. After the meal, Nahna said, “Margaret, I’m too tired to drive all the way home. May I spend the night?” 
“Of course, mah,” Mom replied, “I’ll make up the guest bed for you.”
At night, Nahna read Lucy a bedtime story. When she tucked her in, Nahna whispered in her ear, “Remember your promise, Lucy. If anything happens, I’ll be right across the hall.” Then she left, switching off the light. 
Lucy tried her absolute best to fall asleep. She didn’t want to break her promise to Nahna. She tossed and turned, but without Pippa by her side, she couldn’t keep her mind calm. So, when the tap, tap, tap rang across the windowpane once again, Lucy stood up instantly. In a split second, she had pulled the curtain aside. Just as the night before, Pippa sat upright in the backyard. 
Lucy hesitated. She knew Nahna had warned her, but Lucy’s fear was suppressed by the desire to save her best friend. 
As she snuck from her room, Lucy instinctively grabbed her wooden sword. Nahna had given her this toy too. Now she would use it to rescue Pippa. She left her room, careful not to make a peep as she meandered through the house. Past Mom’s door, then the guest room where Nahna slept. She opened the back door, careful not to let it slam shut. Then she was in the grass. Pippa had retreated closer to the woods, just like the night before.
Lucy took one step, then another. She held the sword in front of her, and it wavered as she moved. The dewy grass was bone-chilling. The coldness nipped at her bare feet, but she did not stop. Closer and closer she moved towards the edge of the forest. 
The silhouette of Pippa retreated even further, off the lawn and into the woods. Then, a voice came from beyond the trees.
“Lucyyyyy, come and find me.” The voice sounded exactly how Lucy had always imagined Pippa’s voice in her head. With a renewed urgency to save her friend, Lucy took three deep breaths and marched promptly beyond the tree line. The darkness of the woods surrounded her. Still, she kept going, following the voice.
“Lucy, please help me!” yelled Pippa.
“I’m coming, Pippa!” Lucy answered. She shoved and ducked through the vegetation, and soon found herself on the edge of a small clearing. 
In the middle of the clearing was Pippa. When Lucy took a step forward, a figure emerged on the opposite edge of the clearing.
The creature was the size of a large dog. It crawled on all-fours out of the shadows. Lucy was frozen in place. She knew now what this creature was.
The Lektoya. 
The Lektoya had misshapen, humanoid limbs. A single strand of moonlight breached the canopy of trees to reveal its features. Its bleach-white skin was stretched tight over a rigid skeleton. Its hands ended in long, sinewy fingers adorned with pointy, black claws. Its mouth was row upon row of jagged teeth, dripping with saliva. But none of the monster’s visage was as striking as its eyes.
They were enormous. Giant, round pools on either side of two slits of nostrils. The eyes were a consistent color — metallic, so shiny that Lucy could see her own reflection in them. They were magnets, and once Lucy’s gaze fell upon them, she went limp and her feet moved of their own accord. The sword dropped limply towards the ground and hung loosely in her slackened hand.
She inched further towards the Lektoya.
“Lucy…” The Lektoya spoke in such a familiar voice — the voice of Pippa, that Lucy had heard in her head her entire life.
“Pipp-pa,” she stammered.
The eyes drew Lucy closer and closer. Lucy didn’t feel afraid. She didn’t remember where she was, who she was. All she wanted was to swim in the silvery ponds that called to her. Her own face looked back at her through the mirror of the creature’s eyes, but she didn’t recognize herself. She only pressed forward, mouth agape. Her body felt both heavy and made of air. 
When she was just over a foot away from the Lektoya’s cavernous maw, she registered movement in her periphery. The next moment, the spell was broken, and Lucy blinked to see a kitchen knife lodged deep in the Lektoya’s left eye. Nahna was beside her now. She shoved Lucy away from the monster. 
“Run!” she ordered, “Back to the house!”
Lucy was eager to escape this nightmare, but she’d come here for her doll. She ducked under Nahna’s arm and plucked Pippa from the ground. She spun to see the Lektoya writhing in pain. Black fluid oozed from its wound, and the creature howled. It thrashed on the ground, but Lucy wasn’t sure how long it would last. 
Nahna moved more quickly than Lucy thought possible. She wretched the kitchen knife out of the monster’s eye socket and drew it across its throat. The Lektoya hissed and swiped at Nahna, but Lucy’s grandmother ducked and dodged every attack. Soon she had landed several blows on the creature, and was dripping in black ichor. 
The Lektoya locked eyes with Lucy as she cowered behind her grandmother. Then, the monster turned and darted into the woods. 
Now they moved, Nahna running as quickly as she could, pushing Lucy along whenever her pace lessened. Soon they were out of the forest, and sprinting across the backyard. They only stopped once they were safely inside the house, and the door was locked behind them. 
After several minutes of heavy breathing, Nahna spoke, “You broke your promise.”
Lucy looked at her feet. “I know. But I couldn’t leave her. I’m sorry Nahna.”
Nahna sighed and knelt beside Lucy. “I’m just glad you’re safe, love.” She paused. “Do you remember your uncles, Marcus and Warren?”
“I think so,” Lucy replied, confused.
“Well, I’m not sure if your father ever told you, but they work as…. exterminators. For pests like Lektoya. I’ve already called them. They’ll make sure the creature doesn’t try to hurt anyone else.”
“What about Mom?” asked Lucy, “Does she know… about the pests?”
Nahna shook her head, “Your mother was never one for believing without seeing. Do you think we can keep tonight our little secret?” 
Lucy nodded.
“Good. Now, that you’ve got Pippa back, why don’t you get some rest, child. You’ve earned it. In the morning, I’ll make waffles.” Nahna smiled and escorted Lucy to her bedroom. 
Under the covers, Lucy held her friend close. Outside, the neighbors would hear what they all assumed was a coyote, howling at the moon. Lucy’s ears were deaf to the noise. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and fell easily and happily to sleep.
Category:Beings
Category:Dreams/Sleep