Come closer, girl

 "Come closer, girl" - grandma's voice sounded sweet as maple syrup, and it felt every bit as viscous. Her fever was finally gone. She was out of bed for the first time in weeks. "What's that wonderful smell?"



Heavy curtains allowed very little light inside. The room was dark. Suzie stretched out her hands with the trey mom prepared downstairs. "Oatmeal, eggs, bacon, ham, jam on toast" - she explained. Grandma's back was hunched as she stepped out of the shadow. Tilting her head she smelled around like a dog. The whites of her eyes were pink and reflected light in an eerie way.

"No, not ham. Not bacon either. A sweater meat. Yes. I smell a delicious little girl!" - she let out a growl-like sound and launched for Suzie with her fingers curled into claws, mouth open wider than it should be possible. Then she closed it with an audible clack of her teeth. Suzie dropped the tray, let out a shriek and ran downstairs shutting the door to grandma's bedroom with such force that lille cracks appeared around the door frame.

"What was all that comotion" - asked mom, down in the kitchen. "Grandma snapped at me!" - Suzie's eyes were filling up with tears. She was shaking. "Snapped? What did you do to her? She's just tired by how sick she was, maybe even confused by the fever. She's not the one to go snapping at people for no good reason. That's not the kind of person your grandma is!"

Suzie was sobbing. She wasn't sure that grandma was even a person at all, anymore.

Upstairs, the guest bedroom door let out a long, high-pitched creak.

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