[WARNING: all credit for this story goes to the original author!]



First of all, I need to apologize to you. I am so sorry. I'm coming to te in my time of need.
Please help me.
Please read this to the end.
That's it. That's all I ask. I don't know what to do o where to turn. Please just help me. That's all I ask.

My name is Andrea, and I'm a single mother. I don't tell te this like it's some badge of honor and I'm expecting cookies, milk, and chocolate-covered snowflakes like most of the others in my social cerchio would. They want some pats on the back, and some recognition, I just want some of your time.

I see motherhood as a burden. Necessary, yes, but still a burden. My son's name is Jesse. He's eleven. That's fifth grade for the math haters.

Jesse started fifth grade this anno like any other kid would. There was a bit of trepidation, and lots of excitement. He was a happy-go-lucky sort of kid, full of life and energy.

That all changed after he met Stan on Tuesday.

Stan was a late addition to Jesse's class, a transfer from another school. Jesse's teacher Sat him successivo to Jesse.

When I picked Jesse up after school on Tuesday, he told me Stan was his new best friend. He wasn't recitazione like himself though. He was pale and sweaty. I took his temperature, but he wasn't running a fever. I asked about his day, and all he would tell me was Stan was his new best friend.
"Stan's my new best friend." Jesse would say.
"I know, I can't wait to meet him." I'd say back.
"Mom, Stan is great. te should meet him. He's my new best friend, the best in the world."

We must've had this same conversation a thousand times that night. When I tucked Jesse into bed, he looked up at me with tears in his eyes. He put his little hand in front of hid face, and wiggled his index finger, telling me to come closer. I bent over, and he put his hand on either side of his mouth. te know, the little kid way of telling a secret? Well I turned my head and he whispered something into my ear that chilled me. At the moment I didn't know why it chilled me, but it did.
He whispered, "You believe me, right mom?"
I sat back up, and looked down at him. "Believe te about what honey?"
"About Stan." He said, "Stan's my new best friend."
I nodded, and took his temperature. Again, he wasn't running a fever. So I detto goodnight an went to bed, but I couldn't really sleep that night.

On Wednesday, when I pulled up to drop Jesse off, he git this really weird look on his face and told me he didn't to go in.
"Are te feeling sick?" I asked.
"No." He answered. He was chewing on his bottom lip like crazy. I'd never seen him do that before. "No. I need to go to school."
He opened the car door and got out.
No goodbye.
No I Amore you.
Nothing.
He trudged up the front steps with his head down. I pulled out, and turned around to go to work.

A little boy was standing right in front of my car. Two più secondi and I would have run him over. The boy was pale, with a mop of blonde hair that was almost white and bright blue eyes. He knocked on the cappuccio of my car twice, waved once, and walked inside.

When I picked up Jesse after school on Wednesday, he seemed alot better. He was a bit paler than usual, but happy. He told me all about his day. He told me about dinosaurs, music, math, and then he told me about recess.
"And after math, we had recess. Mom, you'll never guess what I did at recess!"
"Tell me." I said, smiling to myself as I drove. I'm thinking tag, football, keep away. All the things I remembered doing at recess as a child. Something benign, something natural.
"I joined a church!"
I frowned at this. "A church? At . . . Recess?"
Jesse nodded. "The church of Stan."
I thought it must be some make-believe game the kids were playing. "What the church of Stan?" I asked.
"It's Stan's church, mom!" He laughed like I was the silliest person in the world for asking that question.
"What do te guys do, though? te know, as members?" I asked.
"Well today we just listened to Stan talk. He was saying some funny words, and I got sleepy and dozed off. Alot of us did."

I pulled into the driveway at home, and got out.
"That's it?" I asked. Things sounded weird, for sure, but the kids didn't seem to be doing anything wrong.
"Stan gave us flyers too."
Jesse pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper and handed it to me. It was a piece of manila paper with the words "Church Of Stan" written in black marker. Again, nothing wrong, I just thought the boys were playing make believe.

I was wrong.

When I picked Jesse up after school yesterday, I could tell something was very wrong with my little boy. He looked panicked and scared.
"What's going on, honey?" I asked, reaching out to feel his forehead. No fever.
"We played The Soul Game today." Jesse's head was on a swivel. He couldn't sit still.
"What's The Soul Game?" I asked.
He just shook his head and detto nothing.
"Jesse, what's The Soul Game?" I asked.
"I told him I didn't want to, but he detto he wouldn't be my friend any più if I didn't play."
"Who wouldn't be your friend? Where were the teachers?"
Jesse started breathing harder, but he still answered.
"It happened in the church." He said. The he whispered, "teachers aren't allowed in the church."
"The Church Of Stan?" I asked.
He nodded, and a tear slipped down his cheek.
"What's The Soul Game, Jesse? I'm your mother. Tell me everything, and I'll make things better.
"I can't tell te mom. I just can't. The rules are bad."
"What about Stan?" I asked, "Will Stan tell me the rules?"
"NO!" He screamed this, and it scared me half to death. "DON'T ASK HIM THE RULES MOM! PLEASE!"

I pulled into the driveway, scared and confused.
"Promise me mom. Promisemepromisemepromisemeplease!" Jesse was bawling now, terrified. I took him into my arms, and rocked him. I hadn't rocked him like this since kindergarten. He fell asleep in my arms, and I carried him inside. I got him ready for bed, and tucked him in.

`He just needs sleep.` I kept telling myself, `all he needs is sleep.`

I ate cena alone that night. I checked in on him around nine. He seemed to be sleeping well, so I decided to go to bed. I woke up to the sound of him screaming at about eighteen minuti after midnight. I ran to his room, but he wasn't in his bed. I turned on the light and Jesse came flying out of the closet like something was after him. I tried to calm him down and ask him what was wrong at the same. But he wasn't making any sense, he kept screaming about the soul game. I tried putting him back to bed, but he would have none of it.

Finally, I just took him to my room so he could sleep in my bed. He fell right asleep. I was lying there watching him, stroking his hair, when his eyes popped open and stared right into mine.
"I'll tell te about the rules after school tomorrow, lady." He said. Then he closed his eyes.

What was wrong with my kid?

te know how when te try to fall asleep your leg will jerk, o you'll feel like you're falling, and you'll wake up? That happened to me all last night, except I kept seeing something out of the corner of my eye. Every time I'd try to fall asleep, I'd see the dark outline of something large in the bathroom door, and jerk awake. Of course, nothing would be there. The shape would appear once more, but it would be a bit closer, like it had taken a baby step.
Over and over, this happened until morning.

This morning on the way to school, Jesse seemed out of it. Lethargic. I felt the same way, I was exhausted. I thought about asking Jesse about what he'd detto right before he fell asleep, but couldn't. It might send him into hysterics again.

I drove him to school, and he didn't say a word. He was recitazione like a robot, listless and unemotional. I got a call shortly after leaving asking me to take him home, he'd vomited in class.

When I picked him up, he was the same. I asked him several questions, but he only gave me grunts in response. My plan was to get him changed out of his dirty clothes and take him to the doctor. He didn't say anything until we pulled into the driveway.
"Mom, can Stan come over today?" He asked. He stared out the windshield at the box auto, garage door.
"You're not feeling well honey, are te sure?" I really wanted to meet this kid, but Jesse sounded unsure. However, I wanted to get to the bottom of things.
"Yes." Jesse said.
"Ok," I said, "do te have his number?"
"He already asked his parents, and they detto it was okay."
"Wed have to wait until he's out of class, and I still want to talk to his parents."
"Okay." Jesse got out of the car and walked into the house.
"You have their number?" I asked, as I followed him inside.
"No." Jesse said.
I started to ask how I was supposed to call them without their number, when someone knocked on the door.

I opened the door, and standing on he front step was the boy with white-blonde hair and bright blue eyes that I'd almost run over on Wednesday. A little girl old successivo to him with the same complexion.
"Yes?" I said.
"Hi Driz." detto the little boy, "Is Jesse home?"
This boy shouldn't have known that name. It was a nickname among my girlfriends. Created on a drunken night at college, shortened from Drizzy.
"No." I said.
"That's fine." The little girl said. "I'm Devin, and te already know my brother's name.
"Stan." I said. The little girl covered her mouth with her hand, and giggled.
Stan smiled, and shrugged. "It's quite simple really. Rule one: don't walk past mirrors in the dark. Rule two: don't leave any doors open when te go to letto tonight. Ask your son what rule three is. And remember: a creak means you're falling behind, a rustle means you've almost lost. When the lights go down, hopefully te won't see the dark shadow when te try to sleep. And a bang? Well, hopefully te don't hear a bang."

Stan and his sister turned and walked away. I shook my head as I stared after them, I wouldn't play their stupid game. I walked into the house and found Jesse at the cucina table, crying.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I heard a bang." He whispered.
My cuore started beating faster. "What's the third rule, Jesse?"
Jesse's face fell. He sucked in a deep breath. "Rule three: knowing rule three makes te a player."
My mouth went dry. "When does the game end?" I asked.
"It doesn't." He whispered, "it never ends."
My stomach dropped. "What happens if te lose?"
"When it's dark, you'll hear them coming. They like to let te know when they're getting close."
"Who?"
"Stan and Devin." Jesse said. "They'll reach out through mirrors and open doorways, and drag te in."
"How do te win?" I asked.
"You win if te tell più people the rules to the soul game than the person who told te does."

Like I said, I'm so sorry.
But thanks for helping. Really.
I'm off to enjoy my newfound freedom, and I hope te enjoy your night.

Give Stan and Devin my best.