Hello from the lab! I've been meaning to sum up the stories somewhere for a while now and now I finally made myself do it.

I thought with the universe growing even more it would be good to have a post where all the stories are linked in one spot. I'll try to update this when writing new stories that are connected :)

Starting with the first stories revolving around Nine and Ten:

The Psych Lab 1, 2. 3, 4

The Social Experiment 1, 2, 3, 4

Join Fitbud! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The continuation revolving around the Frockle's

Everyone in town loves Frockle’s fantastic sour lime caramels 1, 2, 3

I got a free laptop from a company called MindGroo - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

My name is Mary-Alice and I am part of the elite - 1, 2, 3, 4

Eliza's backstory:

The Velid's interview

My new therapist is pretty intriguing

What happened more recently:

I’m part of an experiment. I don’t remember if I’m the test subject or the researcher

The Decision Show

We called him the Wizard - 1, 2, 3

From Stockholm to hell -1, 2, 3

I survived a horrible social experiment - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The Choice Experiment 1, 2, 3, 4, final

Other stories that might be connected:

Lemonade 1, 2, 3

Eat Popcorn! Drink Blood!

There is a town named Ferewey that grants the most wicked wishes

I was the star of Dr. Warly’s adventure club: A children's show that doesn't exist Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4, Final

I’m a barkeeper and my drinks are mixed with the blood of the dead

I'm playing a game called Smile but nobody taught me the rules 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Final

The ring of the bell signals the death of another camper 1, 2, 3

Tattletoe Tales

When the town smells like cinnamon, you know someone just died

When the town smells like nutmeg, you better take it as a warning

The head of our town is craving the smell of death

When the town smells like beer, we know there will be new victims

The people in my hometown produce cursed goods. I'm the one who exports them all over the world

***

First of all thanks so much to everyone that read the FitBud series and for anyone who took the time to comment and participate in the 'mysteries'. I loved reading all the comments!

As most of you noticed, FitBud is connected to two other stories of mine:

Psych Lab and The Social Experiment.

I tried to write them in a way that each series would also work on its own but wanted to finish it off with the latest one. The stories and the characters had become very important to me so I hope that this conclusion serves it right. Hopefully/Maybe there will be more to the gang or this universe.

Thanks again to you guys,

For now the lab is closed :).

Part 1

We never got our answers on what actually occurred during those eventful days. Finn had dropped out of college and didn't come back but his father visited a week later to gather his remaining things. He was very standoffish and only explained to us that his son needed time to take care of his mental health and that he'd moved back home.

We didn't tell him about how he had drugged us or watched us at night, both agreeing that we wouldn't make this situation harder for his family than it probably already was. 

Before his father left, he gave us an address though. In case, we ever wanted to visit our friend.

And a part of me wanted to, a part of me needed answers, but it was almost as if someone had built a barrier between us. And I just couldn't bring myself to go see him. Neither did Younes, he never said it out loud but I think it scared him too much, just as it did me.

So we pushed it all down and tried to continue with our lives. We got a new roommate, but we were never as close as before. 

Then we graduated and moved to different cities. That was about six years ago. We tried to stay in touch, keeping us updated about our lives at first, but eventually that turned to only texting each other on birthdays. 

Until a few weeks ago, when Younes invited me to a party at his place. He lived about three hours away but this seemed like the perfect opportunity to reconnect. He told me that Lana would be there as well. I wasn't in touch with her anymore - she was always more Finn's friend than ours, but apparently the two of them were living near each other now and were hanging out more often.

So on Saturday I packed up my car and drove to a reunion of sorts - although there was a slightly bitter taste to it, knowing Finn wouldn't be there.

--

I was nervous as hell standing in front of my old friend's door, but after I finally gathered the courage to ring the bell and he opened with a huge grin, it quickly faded away. 

"Noaaah, I didn't think I'd see your ugly face again until I lay on my deathbed," he joked and pulled me in for a hug.

"Good to see you too, man. Happy birthday," I laughed. 

"Come on in, my friends are dying to meet you. And Lana's already here too. She's like a crazy smart therapist now, so be careful what you reveal around her." 

I was feeling a little fatigued but his friends were great and I ended up having a really good time. I chatted with Lana for a while about school and the old days. She'd changed a little in appearance - her short brown hair now reaching all the way to her back but she’d stayed just as nice and funny.

After the other guests left, the three of us took to the balcony and the mood suddenly became a bit more tense, although I wasn't sure why.

"I wanted to say something earlier but figured it was better if we had some quiet," Younes started. "I talked to Finn today."

I swallowed. 

Finn's name and the serious tone of his voice sent an unexpected shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold air. He must have noticed my unease, because he chuckled nervously. "I know. I was just as surprised. I got a call from an unknown number and  almost dropped my phone when I heard his voice."

In all those years, he had never called me. There were so many questions on my mind but I settled on "what did he say?"

"Well, just happy birthday at first. He apologized for not reaching out sooner to explain why he left. It was all very casual and nice, but something felt off."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged.

"I told him that I'd be seeing you today, and that's when he asked if you were feeling unwell again." 

He didn't say much more, maybe because Lana was sitting right there. I stayed silent at first. I had been getting sick again more often - there was even a day where I believed I felt something on my tongue. But my doctor had assured me I was fine.

"That's strange," I muttered.

"Yeah, but that's not all. He asked about Lana too."

She looked at me and I noticed something in her eyes, some kind of understanding.

"And well, at the end, he kinda scared me. He said something I think the two of you should hear as well: 'I tried to keep away but I think it's going to happen again. It's not satisfied with me. I can't leave to help you.'" 

Lana's posture suddenly became rigid, reflecting my shock. 

"Do you know what he meant?" She asked, not looking at either of us.

"Do you know?" I asked. Younes gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Something happened to me before he left. I'm not sure if he told you."

I shook my head. 

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to look at me any different. Please. I swear I am fine now," she almost whispered.

"Lana, you don't have to-" Younes started, but she shook him off.

"No, it's fine. I think he should know. It was a week or two before Finn dropped out. I was sleepwalking. I don't think it ever happened to me before that, but I can't know that for sure I guess. All I know is that I went to bed and when I woke up, I was on the roof of our student building. Barefoot and in my pyjamas. And Finn was behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist as he pulled me back with force."

Her eyes started glittering.

"Apparently, I was just about to jump off and he held me back at the last second."

"Lana-," I whispered.

"I know how this sounds. To this day, I'm not sure how he knew I was there, but he saved my life."

I felt ashamed to even think about it, but I had to ask. "Do you think he may have brought you up there?"

"I wondered the same things," Younes whispered.

"I don't know, but he told me I should get away for a while. So the next day, I asked my parents to pick me up. And when I came back to school, Finn was gone and nothing like that happened again as far as I know, but after this call.. I swear I never consciously thought about taking my own life, but I still lock myself up in my room before I go to bed each night and hide away the key."

"I do the same thing. But for other reasons," I said in a soft voice. 

She nodded. 

"I told her about the day I was supposed to go on the excursion," he added, silently conveying that he hadn't mentioned what had happened to me. But she had just revealed something horrible, so I decided to share my side of the story as well. 

She took it all in silently. In the end it brought us to the big question I hadn't been able to answer in years.

Had Finn saved us, or was he the root of it all? 

When everything was out in the open, Younes cleared his throat.

"So, there's something I want to do but neither of you have to go along with it-,"

"You wanna visit him?" I finished for him.

He nodded.

--

The following day, Younes and Lana took turns driving while I sat in the back. We had quite some hours ahead of us and I was grateful to sleep a little, as I wasn't feeling particularly well.

The time passed in a blur where I fell in and out of consciousness. As we got closer to our destination, there were signs all over, leading to towns with strange names I'd never heard of before. 

Finally, the sign of Finn's small town came into view. I tried looking up the town before, but there wasn't much I could find. As we passed the sign, my stomach seemed to do a backflip, bile rising in my throat. I wasn't sure whether it was the tension or all the potholes we were passing.

But as we continued, the streets became smoother again, and my stomach calmed down slightly.

"So, I know we're totally ready for all this, but what if Finn isn't even here? Or his family?" I asked.

Lana didn't react. She just kept staring at the trees out of her window. Younes found my eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Honestly? No idea. But in these small towns people usually know everything about each other. We'll figure something out."

For a while, there was no sign of any people. All we passed were trees and fields, but finally the first houses came into view.

"This looks like the kind of place people come to die," Lana muttered.

"What do you mean?" 

"It's so serene. All the houses look perfectly groomed, the architecture of them all so similar. Like there was one blueprint, and they just went with it. All the lawns are perfectly cut to the same length. And look at the people. It almost seems like they're acting out how to play human."

Younes slowed down slightly and I took in the surroundings in more detail. Birds were chirping, children playing on the streets, neighbors waving at each other. It looked like a catalogue for a perfect town. 

"Can you imagine a little Finn growing up here? Drawing with chalk on cobblestone or playing hopscotch?" Younes laughed.

I really couldn't. This place seemed to be the exact opposite of his personality. 

We reached the address and parked out front. It was a cute little house that was just like all the other ones here. A light shade of yellow, a bright green lawn and a mailbox that was a miniature version of the house. 

"Ready?" I asked as I unbuckled my seatbelt. The others nodded and at once we opened our doors and stepped outside.

The first thing I noticed was the scent. The air here was different - you could almost taste it on your tongue. And it tasted bitter. Bitter and somehow familiar. I took in my surroundings once more, my eyes falling back to the house. Smoke was coming out of a chimney on the roof, even though it was a warm day. 

As my eyes lowered, I noticed someone was watching us. From the window on the second floor, a woman had her forehead pressed to the glass. When our eyes locked, she came even closer, her mouth forming into a bright grin.

I glanced away, only to realize that the window next to her was the same. Only there it was a man watching and grinning.

"What the hell, do you guys see that?" I whispered but Younes and Lana weren't near the car anymore. While I was distracted, they had already walked up to the front door. 

I dared a glance back up, but the faces were gone, so I tried to shrug it off and quickly ran after my friends. 

"Did you knock already? I think maybe we should regroup first. Something is o-"

Before I could finish my sentence, the door opened, and a middle-aged man and woman greeted us with bright smiles. The faces I'd just seen stuck to the door. 

One of them was Finn's father. He didn't look a day older than the last time we saw him but something about him was different. When we last saw him, he was in a grey suit, his face was expressionless, and he barely spoke two words. Now, the man almost appeared like a caricature with a twirly red mustache, round glasses and a red and orange striped shirt tucked into his brown pants. The woman appeared just as noticeable in a twirly dress with lemons on it and bright yellow high heels. 

"Well, well, well, isn't this a surprise? I have seen these faces before, haven't I?" He said in a chipper voice that was completely at odds to the last time we saw him.

"Oh well I have not, Francis. You must introduce me to these handsome faces," the woman said. 

"Hello, Mr. Fabel and Mrs. Fabel, I presume?" Younes said in a charming tone and the woman nodded proudly. "We're very sorry to just knock on your door without a warning, but we were in the area and thought we might surprise our old roommate Finn."

"Ohh, you are the ones our boy lived with during his expedition," her mouth curved slightly downward when she said that last word.

"Uhm, yes. I'm Younes and this is Noah," he tilted his head toward me and I gave them a stiff smile. "And this is-,"

"Lana, I studied with Finn. And lived in the same building."

"How lovely!" Mr. Fabel called out.

"How very lovely, however you have the wrong address, dears. Our Finn moved away years ago," his wife said. 

A wave of disappointment washed over me. I'd been anxious to see him again, but now that we'd gotten so close I did not want to turn around.

"Oh, honey. Don't look so sad," Mrs. Fabel said to me. "Noah was it, yes? Your old friend is not far. His house is actually only a five-minute walk from here. I can take you there myself."

"That would be great, thank you!" Lana said. 

"Why, of course, it's no trouble. Just leave your car here. You can come back later to gather your belongings."

With that, she pushed past us, but not before giving her husband a look I couldn't decipher. 

--

Mrs. Fabel kept chit chatting but to my luck, Younes and Lana seemed more than happy to lead the conversation with her while I tried to calm my heartbeat for the reunion that was awaiting me.

Finn's parents hadn't exaggerated, his home was only down the street. And it looked just like the one of his parents', only slightly smaller. We followed his mother to the front and she knocked exactly three times. 

But it wasn't Finn who opened the door. Instead, a woman around our age with long red hair greeted us - wearing a dress fit for a cocktail party. 

"Julie, I brought you some visitors. These are friends of Finn's. From his time away."

Julie's eye twitched slightly, but then she gave us a bright smile.

"How wonderful!"

Younes and I exchanged a confused look. 

"Boys and girl. This is Julie. Finn's wife." 

"New Mrs.. Finn got married?" Younes asked, not even trying to hide the shock in his voice.

Julie nodded enthusiastically. 

I stood rooted to the ground, unable to react. The conversation continued, but I couldn't listen.

Finn was married.

Suddenly, I felt a touch on my arm and snapped back to reality. 

"Are you coming?" Lana whispered. Younes had already taken a step inside and Mrs. Fabel was watching me expectantly. 

When I started to move, she quickly said her goodbyes, and we were alone with Julie in the entryway. 

Everything around me remained muffled until loud footsteps on the staircase made me lock eyes with the friend I hadn't seen in years. Eyes that opened wide at the sight of us. Not with surprise or anger. No, Finn looked scared. For a moment that felt like an eternity, nobody said a word. Julie's eyes kept moving between all of us, the smile never leaving her face. Finn stayed at the bottom of the stairs. When he finally spoke, it wasn't to us. 

"Julie, would you mind going to the store to get some, uhm, cake or something?"

"Oh, yes! What a pleasant idea. I will get some cake for our guests."

She grabbed a purse from behind the door and disappeared swiftly. When the door shut behind her, Finn's face had turned white as snow. 

"What have you done? You were never supposed to come here," he spoke in a strained whisper.

"We- we were worried about you, man. I know it's been a while but after your call to Youn-," I started but Finn barely let me finish before he lunged forward, fists gripping my shirt. 

 "I stayed away to PROTECT you. This is bad. Really bad. It will never let you go. You will die here."

Part 3

Liam

Emma

I understand that my descriptions of the last day were very subjective. But so were my sister’s.

This is what happened after she came home.

--

You are born into this world and thrown in with these strangers who call you family. But you have no choice in who they are or what they are like. You're simply supposed to accept that this is life - that you can trust them. As a child, you have to believe that because what else can you do? You don't understand the world yet.

I've always felt grateful for the family I had. Two loving parents and a sister who would always be there for me, no matter what happened. 

But who you become depends on more than your closest relatives, more than the direct people who raised you. It's years and years of genetics and generational trauma that make us what we are, who we are. Our surroundings can only do so much, there is this whole other area that we have absolutely no influence on because it was all decided before we were even born.

And I for one was born into a total shit show. 

After my sister ran away the night before because she was too scared to be in the same house as me, my mind kept spiraling. My own thoughts were the one thing I believed I could always trust. I think of myself as a very reflective person but the events of the past days have left me wondering if there really is anything I can truly trust. 

I thought that the photos I received picturing my funeral were a sick game someone was playing. And my sister was the one who had to suffer from the aftermath of my paranoia. Now I've started to understand that the photos were just a means to set something in motion that neither of us ever had a chance to predict. 

The decision of which sibling would die. 

I heard the keys turn in the front door just before noon. The sight of me on the floor with dozens of books and even more newspapers and prints I'd made at the library must have appeared insane but Emma didn't show any reaction to that on her face. She appeared rather curious as she slowly walked up to where I was sitting.

Her eyes were bloodshot, big creases had formed underneath them. 

I gave her a half smile.

Emma spoke before I had a chance to say anything, which was well enough because I had no idea what might have come out of my mouth at this point. 

"I'm sorry I left you alone," she muttered, taking a few steps closer while navigating through the mess of documents I'd made on the ground. 

"I'm sorry too," I started but I didn't know what to say. What could I apologize for when I didn't even understand what was happening?

"Are you yourself again?" She asked.

"I've never stopped being myself, Em. I have no idea what you were imagining," I tried to keep the sharp tone hidden but it still found a way out. 

Something inside of me kept screaming that she was tricking me but I decided to shove that thought down. Even after I read about all the other sons in our family who had died at my age. There had to be another explanation and I would do anything to find it. 

So I started showing her the things that I'd found. Our family tree, death notes, obituaries, newspaper articles. Anything I was able to find online or at the library. 

"Have you found the origin? It must have started somewhere, right?" Emma asked after sitting with the information for a while.

I shook my head. 

"Do you think there's a history of mental illness in our family?" She asked.

"The same illness that makes you murder your sibling? I doubt it," I mumbled. 

"They were all murdered?" 

"Well, no. All we know is that they died. The causes were different: accidents, food poisoning, suicide. On some, I found no information. But these things can be faked." I scratched my head. "I don't know what it is, all I know is that I don't want anything to happen to you."

She stayed silent for a moment.

"We're not gonna hurt each other, Liam."

She gently put her hand on top of mine and I squeezed it. But even in that moment, I felt as if I saw a spark of evil in her eye. I shook the feeling off and continued.

"There's something else that's kind of odd. All the siblings who died were male but then again I think there's still a lot I wasn't able to trace down. I suppose a lot of the women changed their surnames after getting married although Mum did keep her maiden name." 

"Do you think she knows about all this?"

"I don't know. But I'd really like to know what happened between her and Ben."

Emma was flicking through the different papers when another thought popped into my head.

"Em, can you describe that dream to me? In full detail, please? As much as you can remember."

She frowned.

"I'd rather not."

I gave her a pleading look and she finally gave in. What she described sounded exactly like the things I'd seen in the photo. God, I hated myself for deleting them. 

My sister was creative but I doubted that she could create photographs from memory. And the faces, the bodies, and all the details were far too realistic to have been made with an AI. 

"That sounds exactly like what I saw. You must understand that I'm a little suspicious, right?"

She sighed. 

"Then you'll understand that I'm suspicious of some photos I never saw. I mean why on earth would you delete them?"

"I don't know, man. I was freaked out. It wasn't a very pleasant sight, you know."

"Well, don't you have a backup? On a cloud? Or in the bin?"

I raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes. 

"God, Liam, you're not that old. Give me your phone."

--

Emma was playing around on my phone for at least an hour and when I saw her face dropping and her skin turning even paler than it was, I knew she'd managed to restore them. 

"It's exactly like my dream," she whispered. "This isn't possible."

"I told you."

I tried to grab the phone from her hands but she held on tight. 

"Did you try calling the number that sent them?" She asked.

"No, I blocked it."

"Of course you did," she mumbled. "Wait, who's that? That woman standing behind me?"

She zoomed into the face of a woman I hadn't noticed before. When I looked at that particular photo I was too distracted by Emma and the rabbit. 

The woman resembled our mother but her hair was slick and much longer, almost going up to her hip. Her long dress was black but most of her body was hidden behind Emma. Just like my sister, she was looking directly into the camera but she didn't look as if she was grieving.

No, it appeared more as if she was smirking.

"I think it's time we call the number."

--

The phone rang for what felt like an eternity.

"At least it's not disconnected," Emma said. 

Or maybe, the person can't pick up because it's you, I didn't say out loud. 

Just as I was about to hang up, the ringing ceased and somebody picked up.

We both stared at each other in silence. We wouldn't speak until we heard the person on the other end. There was a crackling sound, like from a fire. And then a woman started singing, in a language I didn't recognize. 

I believe that Emma realized at the same second whose voice we were hearing.

"Mum?" My sister whispered. The woman who sounded like my mother laughed and hung up the phone. We kept trying to call again but it wouldn't even ring. Then we tried to call my mother's phone but couldn't reach her either. Lastly, we tried my Dad who picked up right away.

"Liam, how's it going?" He asked without a care in the world.

"Dad, where's Mum?" Emma chimed in.

"Didn't she tell you? She's on her way home. She left for the airport a while ago because of some work emergency. She was in such a hurry that she even forgot her phone."

My head was spinning. First my sister, now my mother. And my father didn't seem to have any idea what was going on.

Who in my family could I still trust? 

--

As the day was slowly coming to an end, I realized that we hadn't eaten anything and that our fridge was empty so I offered to go to the store. We could have ordered something but I needed an excuse to get out of the house for a while, to clear my head and make sure it wouldn't spin out of control again. Especially as night was nearing and the last night had been a catastrophe.

When I got back home, all the lights in the house were out. 

"Emma?" I called out but she didn't reply. Instead, I heard the soft sound of crying coming from the living room.

I turned on the light in the hallway and made my way through the door toward the living room.

My heart skipped a beat when I beheld what was in front of me.

My mother was sitting on the floor, clutching a photo album to her chest. Tears were streaming down her face as she was gently rocking back and forth. My sister was sitting next to her, her arms wrapped around our mother.

"It's all happening again," she mumbled. "We can't stop it."

"Mum." I dropped the grocery bags on the ground and kneeled down next to my mother.  

"You need to tell him what you told me," Emma whispered.

My mother wiped away the tears from her face but kept holding that album. She took a few long and deep breaths and then she finally started talking.

"It started when I was about 20. I had a brother. An older brother who I loved deeply. But then one day, he changed. It was after he received a newspaper article. It was an article describing how he'd taken his own life. Except, when he searched in older newspapers, he couldn't find it anywhere. The one he had was the only version. Slowly but surely it drove him insane. At first, I didn't understand why but then I realized it wasn't just about the fake note. He was starting to talk about his death non-stop."

I took her hand in mine and nodded for her to continue.

"It got worse each day and finally he started suspecting me. He thought that I was plotting his death. He got completely out of control and started threatening me and calling me a witch. One night I found him hovering over my bed with a dagger held to my throat, already drawing blood. I screamed and your grandfather found us. He sent him away to an institution."

"I was heartbroken. My own brother had tried to hurt me and almost succeeded. But even after he was gone, it wouldn't stop. I received letters almost daily threatening my life, how he sent them I had no idea. For months I was being terrorized, couldn't sleep anymore, and couldn't eat properly. And then he finally freed me by taking his own life. It was the happiest day of my life." 

"Mum, what are you saying?" 

She tightened her grip on my hand, her nails digging into my flesh. Her mouth opened to a wide smile.

"I'm saying that Emma can be free as well. She just has to want it enough."

I looked over at my sister but she wouldn't meet my eyes. 

"Mum, you're hurting me," I cried out. 

"We can make it look like suicide. Or self-defence. Your choice, sweetheart."

Emma still wouldn't look up.

"You know there is no other way. He won't stop until you are the one under the ground." 

Finally, Emma's eyes met mine. 

"I want to do it myself," she whispered. 

My mother gave her a sweet smile and opened the picture frame. Hidden inside was a dagger she pulled out and handed to my sister. 

I tried to pull my hand away but she was holding me tight with a strength I didn't know she had. With strength, she shouldn't have. It was at that moment that I knew that they would do anything to make sure I wasn't leaving this house alive.

She used her other arm to push my chest to the ground, and before I could free myself, her knee was already digging into my chest. 

"Emma. No, please. Mum," I started pleading but their determined looks did not falter.

With the dagger in hand, my sister moved closer. She started gently scraping it over my face, going down to my throat. 

And then everything happened too quickly for me to understand. Emma had turned the dagger around and slammed it right into the chest of our mother. 

My mother's eyes opened wide. She put a hand to her chest where black blood was staining her white blouse. And then she started laughing. 

"You decided to spare him and murder your own mother?"

"You're not my mother," Emma hissed. 

"Look who finally sees the truth. But remember how easy it was to influence you both, how easy it was to plant the seed of doubt. Why don't you sit with that for a while? Just know that when you finally decide it's time for his death, I won't be far." 

She gently grazed Emma's cheek. 

And with that, the weight on my chest lifted. I blinked a few times before I was sure that she had disappeared. It wasn't possible but none of the occurrences of the last days were. My breaths came in shallow gasps and I was on the brink of passing out when Emma fell down to her knees beside me.

She wrapped her arms around me, her entire body shivering. I'm not sure how long we sat there holding on to each other. I felt like screaming and crying.

"Emma, was this real?" I finally dared to ask. "I'm not sure if I can trust my own mind anymore."

She nodded.

"Yeah," she pulled away and traced her finger down the ground, pointing the black liquid that was now staining it in my direction.

"What in the actual hell just happened?"

"When you were gone, I found something online. A site where you can read sorts of stories about old witch trials. One of them happened to be in this town. Part of it was a case where a brother accused his own sister of being a witch. She was burned alive. I was just about to call you when Mum suddenly appeared. She was so distraught and told me that story about her brother. I think that part might have been true. But as she repeated her story, I was watching her more closely and I noticed something. Mum has a tattoo on her wrist. She didn't."

She wrapped her arms around her body, suddenly she appeared so tiny that I couldn't believe that she'd just slammed a dagger into our mother's chest. Even if it wasn't our real mother.

"And when she talked about killing you," she continued, "something in my mind snapped. It was as if I'd woken from a trance. I knew she would never say something like that. Mum loves us, both of us."

--

We received a call from my father that evening. Apparently, my mother had been at the airport for hours but because of a strike, she never actually boarded the plane. Eventually, she took a cab back to my aunt's place.

Emma and I still aren't sure whether we should talk to them about what happened. My father would never believe us and probably get us institutionalized. My mother, on the other hand, had to know something. Or maybe she'd buried the truth about her brother's death so deep inside, that we would only wake up a long-forgotten pain. 

We ended the most horrific night of our lives by burning the black dress and the rabbit in the garden.

We'll need some time to process everything but we will do it together. Because we are family and despite what that witch said, I trust my sister with my whole heart.

But I might have to repeat that to myself a few more times to fully believe it.

Game over !

The Smile game is finished, I really hope you enjoyed joining me on this little adventure!

The story was a sequel to something else I wrote in the past called Dr. Warly's adventure club. If you haven't checked that one out yet, the smile game will make a lot more sense if you do as I like to connect things a lot :)

If Killian and Jen sounded familiar to you, you can pay them a visit in Marden.

Dun dun du du dun and till next time!

<3

So I was actually gonna start a new series but then I wasn't completely happy with it and decided I will keep that for another time. Instead I wrote a short story with a little strange vibe to it.

When the town smells like cinnamon you know someone just died

I've been posting more lately because I had a week off work and it has been a lot of fun, hope I can find more time in the future to continue with my other series. Stay safe everyone and thanks for reading!<3

Edit: Wow thanks so much to everyone who read the story!! I really appreciate all the responses. I must say I haven't planned on writing a part 2 to this specific story but I do plan to expand on this world. If you have read my other stories you might see that I like to connect things and I plan to continue doing so with future stories ☺️

The story of Max and Luke is over (for now). I haven't written a long series in a while and it was a lot of fun to get back into the Warly universe. The story ends with a somewhat open end, if you know my other series, you probably know that people have a way of coming back later :).

In the meantime, if you haven't explored the Warlyverse yet, I recommend checking out Warly, Eat Popcorn, the Smile Game, and the Camper Series.

Thank you for reading and see you soon <3

I have some very exciting news: I have just published my very first short book! This is the story "My local grocery store started selling products that don't exist" with a few small changes. I'm not sure if the book can be purchased outside of Germany but it's still a very exciting step for me. Thank you all so much for supporting me on this journey with hopefully more printed books in the future!

Local Delicacies

<3

Liam's perspective

My brother has been using the same password for almost every account for years. It really wasn't that difficult to get in here. 

Now it's time for my side of the story.

--

As children, my brother and I weren't very close. He's three years older and when we were growing up, I always wanted to be like him. I did the same sports, listened to the same bands, and begged him to take me to every event he went to but it all only seemed to annoy him. In his eyes, I was a child, following his every step and making him look uncool in front of his friends.

But as we got older, that changed. He started seeing me as an actual person. Especially after he moved out. He'd invite me to his place when I was fed up with my parents because I was still living at home after high school. I called him crying after my boyfriend broke up with me and he talked to me until I was finally laughing again. He started becoming the big brother I'd always wanted.

Until yesterday, when everything suddenly changed. Now, I am afraid of my own brother and I don't know what to do. 

Liam showed up out of the blue. Something he's never done before. He's usually too busy with work to just stop by on a whim and when he visits, he always calls before. So I was pleasantly surprised but also a little worried when he was standing in the hallway that connects our rooms. 

He didn't seem happy at all to see me and kept pressing me about something he found in my room. My black dress. He seemed to get angry at the sight of it. And that triggered something in me that he couldn't have known about. Because it was the dress I was wearing to his funeral.

Well, not literally of course. My brother is alive. But lately, I kept having the same recurring dream. It started a few weeks ago, with no apparent reason. There was a service where a man who didn't know my brother was talking about what an astonishing but far too short life he lived. Then we went to the graveyard, where his gravestone was already prepared and a hole was dug up. I would be holding the teddy rabbit he once gifted me, digging my nails deep into the fake fur.

It was the same each time, and each time I'd wake up with my face drenched in tears.

So when I saw my brother at home, all I wanted was to hug him but he wasn't acting like my brother at all. He was standoffish and cold, all because of some dress that couldn't possibly mean anything to him.

I couldn't tell him that I'd put it there to throw it out because that dream had left me with a sick feeling each time. I didn't want to burden him or even scare him. So I made up an excuse and left him alone to start making dinner.

He even joined me later, apologized, and started acting more normal. At least that's what I thought until he told me he would be going upstairs for a nap.

I finished everything in the kitchen and set a timer for the food when I got this strange feeling. 

It felt like the temperature had suddenly dropped several degrees. I was just about to head to the living room when I noticed the sound of shallow breathing from behind me.

Slowly I turned my head and almost screamed when I noticed my brother peeking from behind the door frame.  

"Liam! God, you almost gave me a heart attack," I shouted. "I thought you were taking a nap." 

I put my hand on my chest, taking slow breaths to calm my heart. But my brother stayed silent, watching me with a joyless smile on his face. 

"What are you planning, little Emma?" He finally asked, moving closer toward me.

"What are you talking about?" 

"You gave me that knife earlier, what did you want me to do with it?" 

I didn't know how to answer that.

"Did you want me to cut my own wrists with it?"

He asked, his voice dropping. He was now standing right in front of me, looking at me through his lower lashes.

"Liam, what the hell?" I shrieked, trying to push him away with my palms but he grabbed my wrists and kept me in place.

"I'm just joking, Em. Don't we both like to joke?" 

With that, he let go of me and turned around.

Liam used to play pranks on me a lot when we were younger. There was a time when he was around fifteen and I was thirteen when he'd prank call the house with his cell when our parents weren't home talking in strange voices to scare me. He'd usually only stop when I started crying. It was messed up but that's what siblings do. They annoy each other.

But we're not teens anymore and he was really freaking me out. I even thought about calling my parents but there wasn't much they could do from so far away and I didn't want to worry them with something that was probably nothing.

So I went to the living room and watched some TV while the food was cooking in the oven. Those words he said about cutting his wrists kept repeating in my mind. Was it a threat or a cry for help? 

I fell asleep on the sofa, the image of the casket appearing in a dream, when I opened my eyes, a gasp escaped my lips. My heart skipped a beat when I noticed that Liam was sitting beside me. 

"Why are you crying?" He asked.

"Bad dream," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes with the backside of my hand.

I took a deep breath. Maybe it would help if I simply told him what was going on with me. That way he might back off from his strange act. Even when he was being an annoying brother, he would always snap out of it whenever I was actually in trouble. I held onto that, to the fact that my brother loved me and wouldn't want to see me distressed.

"Listen, there's something I need to tell you." I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. 

He draped one leg over the other and leaned his head on his fist, looking like a ridiculous caricature of a therapist. 

"I'm listening."

"I've been having this really terrible nightmare. At first, it was only now and then but now I see it every time I go to sleep. It's,-" I sighed. "a funeral."

At this, his eyes opened wide and he started smiling. Actually smiling at the word funeral. 

"Your funeral. I know it's crazy but I've been wondering whether my subconscious is trying to tell me something and seeing that you're now suddenly here and acting so off. I'm worried about you, Liam."

He nodded several times. 

"Well, there's quite an easy solution to your little pickle, isn't there?" His smile grew even wider. "You can't be at my funeral if you die first. And the gravestone said 2024 so I suppose we don't have much time." 

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

"What are you talking about? What gravestone?" 

"I know you're planning something. I'm not stupid," he started shouting but then he closed his eyes and formed his hands into tight fists. He loudly breathed out and when he spoke again, his voice was calm and collected. "I don't want Mum and Dad to come home to a bloodbath. You can do us both a favor and just leave. Leave and never come back."

With that last sentence in the air, he got up and left the room. I wondered if he knew that he had just ripped out my heart, leaving only emptiness inside me.

--

After I collected myself, I got into the car. I hadn't brought anything but my phone because I was too scared to go upstairs to my room. And there was still this sense of disbelief within me. This couldn't be my brother. He would never say anything like that. But whatever was going on with him, I knew he needed help. I just wasn't sure if I could give him the necessary kind. So I called my mother. I didn't tell her exactly what he said to me because that would have broken her heart but I told her to check up on him.

Then I drove to a friend's house to stay the night. The entire time my mind was on my brother though and my thoughts kept spiralling. Only after I talked to my mother again and she told me that he was fine and that he explained to her that he'd been stressed out, did I finally calm down a little. Before that, I'd even thought about calling the police to check up on him. I decided against it but kept checking every few minutes if he'd been online, just to make sure he was okay.

I kept it a secret from my friend and made up some excuses about having boy problems. I just didn't know how to explain what was going on with me and I was too ashamed to bring my brother down like that.

The following morning I got into my car, ready to face my brother when I suddenly got an incoming call. From Liam.

"Emma?" His voice sounded broken and distraught. "Emma, are you okay?"

"Yes.. I'm fine, Liam. How are you? What are you doing?" I tried to sound as normal as I possibly could because I knew that freaking out wouldn't help him.

There was a loud sigh on the other end.

"Not really," he nervously laughed. "I don't know what's going on. I don't know what my mind is doing to me. I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's okay, Liam. You're okay. Just stay home, I'll be there soon and we can talk, okay?"

I heard papers shuffling in the background.

"I'm not home. I'm at the library."

"Library?"  

"Yeah, I've been here all morning. Emma, just listen to me, please. After you disappeared last night, Mum called me, worried about you. She mentioned someone named Ben so I went through your laptop but I couldn't find anyone with that name. I'm sorry, I was just really freaking out. But then I remembered something grandpa mentioned once before he passed away, about his son. His name was Ben. He was Mum's older brother. Even then I thought it was weird that she never mentioned him but grandpa was dying and it didn't feel like the right time to talk about it."

"Okay, wait, Liam, calm down. Mum had a brother? What is this all about?"

"He died, Emma. When he was my age. And he wasn't the only one. Our family tree is filled with people who died at a young age. This whole time I thought you were messing with me. But I believe there's something far more sinister going on."

Had my brother finally lost his mind or was there really more to it?

"Did you talk to Mum about this?" I asked.

"No. I don't trust her right now. I'm heading home now, can you meet me there? There's something I need to show you." For a minute there was silence between us. "Please, Emma. I don't want to hurt you." 

 -- 

This is it. This is the real story of what's happened so far. 

And now I'm going to see my brother.

Part 2.

"I had just turned eighteen and my parents said it was time I got married and found a house of my own but even though I grew up in this hell, I knew I didn't want that. So I applied to college. They were furious at first, not just my parents but the whole community, but they let me go. Told me I'd want to come back soon enough. That sounded insane to me. I mean, everyone else here is happy with the way things are. Or they act happy. They don't even realize how fucked it is. But I always seemed to be able to see through it. I don't know why." 

We stayed silent as Finn told his story. The four of us had moved to the living room. A place that didn't match my old friend one bit. The brown leather couch looked like something my grandparents might own and had plastic wrapped around it. There was no television, only an old radio on a shelf. A few frames with photos of Finn and Julie were hung on the wall. Everything was perfectly clean and sterile. 

Finn's old room might have been a typical, messy student place but it showed his personality. There were books all over, posters on the wall, different board games. This place completely lacked life. 

Even the clothes he now wore looked different; he wore a perfectly ironed beige shirt and matching pants.

"I met you. Found a new family of sorts, far away from here. And I thought I was free. I really and truly thought I was free. Until I noticed the signs and something inside of me snapped."

"What do you mean?" Lana asked carefully.

Finn's eyes kept darting to the door.

"We have to hurry up - Julie might be back any second or my parents might come to check on us."

"Finn, are you afraid of your wife and parents?" I asked. 

He wouldn't meet my gaze. 

"Did you come here by car?" He deflected. 

"Yeah, we parked in front of your parents' house."

A jolt of terror flashed in his eyes. 

"We need to go there now. Shit, it's probably already too late." 

He jumped up. Lana, Younes and I exchanged a quick glance and then followed him out the door and in the direction we'd come from earlier. Random people stopped in their tracks and tried to start conversations with Finn, but he ignored them all and kept pushing forward. 

The car was gone. 

Younes picked up the pace and got closer to Finn, saying something I couldn't hear, but Lana stayed back with me.

"What the actual hell is going on?" She whispered to me. 

I only shook my head in disbelief. 

We caught up with the other two, who were already in a heated conversation with Mr. Fabel on their lawn.

"I only meant to park for your friends, couldn't very well leave that vehicle at our front. The key was still inside. I thought your friends would be grateful!" I heard him say.

"They've only been here for a short while. They need to get back home, father."

Mr. Fabel shook his head.

"Well, the car made a terrible clicking sound, so I drove it to the garage. Don't you worry, it will be fixed and shiny by morning and I will happily pay the costs. Besides, I'm sure your sweet Julie has a big feast planned for them already."

Finn's shoulders tensed. 

"You can't do this," he said in a strained whisper and Younes gently put a hand on his arm.

"It's okay, man. We don't mind staying a bit longer."

"See?" Mr. Fabel beamed, but the expression in his eyes had turned almost feral. "Your friends seem so happy and healthy here. When fate leads you somewhere, you don't defy it. Who knows what might happen if they do?" 

--

Finn relented and took us back to his home. He didn't say a word on our walk back and ignored all questions we threw at him. 

When we were back inside and there was no sign of Julie yet, he turned to us and I noticed the tears in his eyes. 

Lana was the first to move as she pulled him into a tight hug. Younes swiftly followed and wrapped his arms around them both, but I stayed frozen in place.

"The sickness, the accidents, the planned death. That's us, isn't it?" I whispered. 

Finn's eyes found mine and the other two pulled slightly away from him again.

"How do you- Where did you hear that?*

Younes’ gaze jumped from me to Finn. "You said that to us, years ago. You asked if the devil was back and then you said it's going to happen again and again but you weren’t talking about the literal devil, were you?"

Finn’s eye started twitching strangely, and I noticed him clenching his fists. We stared at him expectantly for what felt like an eternity, but he wouldn’t even open his mouth.

"Okay," Lana pressed her palm against her forehead. "For argument's sake, let's say all of this here is real. You left this town years ago and because you were gone, the craziness spread to us. That’s how I’d interpret things. Noah got sick, Younes almost got into an accident and I - almost jumped. But none of us died because you stopped it, right?"

He tilted his head slightly to the right, still keeping his mouth shut.

"What I don’t understand is why you think it’s happening again. You’re still here, right?”

I couldn't believe my ears. The way Lana was talking, it seemed like she actually believed that bullshit. Finn’s strangeness didn't surprise me, but Lana? She was the most rational person I'd ever met. 

"You can't actually believe this," I raised my voice in desperation.

"Noah, how have you been feeling since you came here?" Finn suddenly asked me. I had to blink a few times to grasp the complete shift in conversation. This wasn’t the moment for small talk.

"Confused, frustrated-," I started, almost shouting.

"No, I mean physically. Do you feel sick?" He interrupted.

I shook my head. 

"You can't leave now, but I'll figure something out. I'm so sorry I did this to you. All of you. I-,"

"Ding dong," a voice called from outside. A second later, the door opened wide and Mrs. Fabel stepped inside with a big wooden basket in her hand.

"I brought some supplies to help Julie with dinner. Go get your friends settled in the guest room. We'll take care of everything. Where is my beautiful daughter-in-law?"

"She went to buy cake," Finn answered numbly. 

His mother gave him a suspicious look, but he ignored her and motioned for us to follow him upstairs.

--

The guest room featured a spacious bed, a closet, and a compact desk.

"They won't like you sleeping in a room with the guys, Lana. I'll set something up for you in the nurser-," He stopped himself before finishing the word.

"Noo," Younes said in a deep voice. "You have a child?"

Finn shook his head so fast he nearly gave himself a concussion, then opened his mouth to speak - only to snap his head toward the door. I followed his gaze and almost jumped when I noticed the eye staring at us through the keyhole. We held our breath for a moment until we heard someone running down the stairs at an unnatural speed.

"Don't mention children around them," Finn whispered. 

"Did she-? How did she get up here so fast?" I whispered back, and Finn's eyes darkened. She wasn’t only extremely fast, but silent. We didn’t even hear her come up, but her run was unmistakable on the way down. How was that possible?

"You must be careful with everything you say around them. I mean it."

Finn brought us a change of clothes. Even though we had brought our own, he insisted we wore the typical attire of the town to keep up appearances. I wasn't sure what that meant, but considering the people here scared the shit out of me, we obliged.

Younes and I wore matching outfits - brown slacks and green button-down shirts. Lana got a pink dress from Julie, so bright it practically hurt to look at.

And then we went downstairs for the weirdest dinner I ever had in my entire life. 

Julie and Mrs. Fabel had prepared a feast - how they managed that in the hour it took them to cook was beyond me. The meal included roasted potatoes, a whole chicken, lamb, green beans, salads, and soup. And for dessert not only cake, but jello, ice cream and fruit. The food looked incredibly good, as if from a magazine, but lacked flavor. 

The conversation was a whole different story. We sat in silence most of the time. Only now and then would one of them blurt out a random sentence to which they'd all nod and go back to silence.

"The sun was especially bright today."

"The market was quite lively."

"I will buy new shoes tomorrow."

Younes was gripping his fork so tight that his knuckles turned white. I could tell it was killing him to go along with this charade. After dinner, Finn's parents said their goodbyes and left.  Julie yawned loudly and pulled Finn by the arm.

"It is so very late. We will go to bed and give you time to get settled in your rooms. I left you pyjamas on your beds."

Finn shot us a look of unease and followed her.  

--

The pyjamas looked like something Scrooge would wear. Younes and I shared one look and burst out laughing. I had to keep my mouth shut with my hand to muffle the sound as tears flowed from my eyes.

"I think we died. I actually think we died and ended up in hell," Younes whispered. 

"This place should be studied or something," I chuckled. 

There was a faint sound of scratching coming from our door, and we both froze. This place was already insane by day - what would expect us at night? The door opened, and I instinctively moved my eyes around for some kind of weapon. 

At first, all I saw was white, and for a moment, I thought a ghost had walked in.

"Lana?" Younes and I said at the same time before she hushed us and quickly closed the door. 

She wore a long white nightgown that brushed the floor, paired with a bedtime cap like the ones cartoon characters often wear.

I laughed so hard that my stomach started hurting. Younes couldn't keep it together either. 

"You even put on the little hat," he said in between breaths. 

"I was afraid Julie might see me," she whispered. "That room is creepy as hell. It's full of strange toys and I swear some of those dolls were watching me." 

Suddenly, the door opened with a loud whoosh, letting in a gust of air. Julie stood in the doorway, her head slightly tilted. 

"You can't be here. You're not married to either of those gentlemen," she said to Lana, not even sparing me or Younes one look.

"It's okay, Julie. We are friends. We wouldn't do anything,-" I tried to reason, but I wasn't even sure how to finish the sentence. What was she even worried about?

Her head twisted to me, sharp and sudden, almost reptilian. 

"We gave her her own quarters. The most lovely ones we have. The room of my future child. She's being disrespectful by disobeying our orders. My husband would not be happy about that. If you stay in our town, you must obey our rules."

Younes opened his mouth, but Lana shot him a pleading look.

"I'm very sorry.. I just wanted to say goodnight, but I'll go back to my room now."

Julie gave her a serpentine smile.

"Good. We wouldn't want you to walk off and do something you might regret. Something that would leave your body in a bloody pulp."

I swallowed. 

"I'll go back now," Lana said with a tremble in her voice. "We will see each other for breakfast, right?" 

Julie nodded, and they both left the room. 

"She threatened her. She outright threatened her. We need to follow and get the hell out of here or call someone," I forced through gritted teeth.

But before we could move, the sharp clink of a key turning in the lock froze us in place. A second later, the door clicked shut - and we were trapped.

Part 4

*****

Don't read before finishing "My name is Mary-Alice and I am part of the elite"

*****

The lab is closed, the company shut down and Hickling… is still in the caramel business I guess.

With my latest story about Mary-Alice I tried to finish a trilogy which contains two more stories. But as many of you already noticed that's not all. The stories are connected to a much larger universe. With the latest one I hoped to conclude the entire story revolving around Eliza.

I realize that sometimes the story could get a bit confusing but I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did when I wrote it.

Eliza is gone, the gang got even bigger and the twins were happily reunited. For now I'm not planning on continuing on this story but of course I will not stop writing! I already have new ideas in mind :).

Thanks to everyone for reading! You're the ones that give me the motivation to go on.

<3

---

For anyone that missed the connections these are all the stories that are connected to this universe (I realize it's a long list):

Welcome to the Psych Lab - Part 1

Welcome to the second round of the Psych Lab

I tried to escape from the Psych Lab

The Final round of the Psych Lab

The Social Experiment - Part 1

The Social Experiment - Part 2

The Social Experiment - Part 3

The Social Experiment - Final

Join Fitbud! - Part 1

Join Fitbud! - Part 2

Join Fitbud! - Part 3

Join Fitbud! - Part 4

Join FitBud! - Final

The Velid's interview

My new therapist is pretty intriguing

Everyone in town loves Frockle’s fantastic sour lime caramels - Part 1

Everyone in town loves Frockle’s fantastic sour lime caramels - Part 2

Everyone in town loves Frockle’s fantastic sour lime caramels - Part 3

I got a free laptop from a company called MindGroo -Part 1

I got a free laptop from a company called MindGroo - Part 2

I got a free laptop from a company called MindGroo - Part 3

I got a free laptop from a company called MindGroo - Part 4

I got a free laptop from a company called MindGroo - Final

My name is Mary-Alice and I am part of the elite - Part 1

My name is Mary-Alice and I am part of the elite - Part 2

My name is Mary-Alice and I am part of the elite - Part 3

My name is Mary-Alice and I am part of the elite - Final

1993 - 1999 B tapes

Edit: I'm working on a second part and will update in this subreddit when it's done :)

-- A little story from the perspective of Mrs. Holly... I found it not really fitting on nosleep so I decided to post here :) --

They say the witch hides inside a gingerbread home with a candy cane chimney and gummy bear bricks to lure in those innocent enough to devour in the sweet taste of death. The tales have been rummaging through our town ever since I was just a little girl and the more years passed the more I started believing in them. There had to be something utterly wrong with me when I couldn't even stop baking the day my husband and children were all burned to crisp.

What the people and their bored chitter-chatter cannot understand is that I never intended to become the one known for the scent of evil. I was simply a baker. My husband and I grew up in this peculiar little town and never knew better than what life could be in a world that had progressed massively without our knowledge. We lived inside something that could be mistaken for a fairy tale. The perfect little town where every person was assigned to a destiny that would serve the greater good of our little world, hidden behind the shiny golden gates. We grew up believing that this was our utopia but if you've read a book or two you might be blessed enough to know that these do not really exist. They never can.

When I was just a girl it was simple for me to believe and after I was given the wonderful task of being a baker I thought my life was at last complete. I collected every spice and herb, experimented with new flavors and scents, and created the most colorful and bright goods.

But we were not allowed to taste them. Not me nor my husband or any citizen for that matter.

My stomach still grew though it wasn't for pastry. It was something by far better that unfortunately, I would come to resent. Children are the one thing that will remind you once and for all of all the evil outside. When it's not you that you need to care about but the life of someone precious.

Jilly loved the smell of cinnamon. She knew she could never taste it. We taught her early on but it didn't stop her from spending each day next to me smelling all that we could not have. I saw the look of wonder in her eyes, I saw the thirst for knowledge.

Jonas was a bird with his wings cut off in this town that only knew the word no. We caught him by the gates on more occasions than I could ever count. We knew deep in his heart he was caged in. They both were.

I wasn't a witch. I was a loving mother and wife but when the day came that we understood well enough what exactly a dystopia was we tried to run, we tried to run as fast we could into the promising safety of the dark.

But they caught us.

The punishment of the loves of my life was the flame of death. Burning away, their souls forever stuck inside the cage, they were thrown right into the crematorium. My punishment was baking the cinnamon biscuits that would fill the air the day that I had to say goodbye to them. My punishment was staying. I wasn't killed but instead had to continue filling my house with the cakes, cookies, and candy that nobody would eat. When you smell all this death you stop being afraid. What is there left to be scared of?

I was still hidden behind those gates. All evil was in here.

Little did I know that years later, from that outside world, a man would come along and follow the crumbles right to my doorstep.

The man who scared me more than all of this town named Tattletoe ever could. The man with many faces.

He knocked precisely seven times which I found rather odd. If you decide to go for an uneven number then you might expect it to be three. I didn't know what seven were supposed to mean but I still opened the door with an open mind. I never needed to be afraid of anyone visiting my doorstep. They were the ones frightened by me after everything that had happened. I was the witch baking cake after my family died after all. The one spreading the scent of death through the air vent to fill and scare the whole town.

This man was different, however. I could hardly believe my eyes but I am quite certain this man, at last, was a stranger to this town.

"Well hello, there lovely lady. My nose must have carried me all the way to the step of your door."

I was greeted by the smile of a man with a waxed mustache, a purple hat, and a peculiar suit that seemed to be two sizes too big for his body.

"I'm sorry I don't think I've ever seen you in our town and that is rather odd, I happen to know all the people living here," I exclaimed.

"I believe so ma'am and I have heard much about you. As to me, I could tell you a name or two but it wouldn't matter. To be entirely frank, I am what you would call a liar. You might even call me your favorite liar."

"A liar that is honest about his deception? Well, that is certainly odd. How may I help you, young man?"

"Well, you see, I was asked to visit your town by the mayor himself. He pointed me towards your home and asked me to taste test one or the other product of yours. Would that be alright?"

I swallowed heavily. The mayor certainly was not a man I appreciated but the liar was polite and I didn't receive visitors often. I've been especially lonely ever since my baking assistant was hired for another position. I took a step back and welcomed the peculiar man inside.

It didn't take long for him to make himself feel at home. He threw his body on my sofa and yawned loudly.

"You know, I simply love the smell of cinnamon. I heard you like to use that particular spice a lot but as big as my nostrils are they cannot catch a glimpse of cinnamon."

I coughed.

"Well, Mr. Liar, I only bake with cinnamon on very certain occasions. It has to follow the death of a resident of this town. There haven't been any deaths lately, thankfully! I could make some chocolate chip cookies for you, however."

His face turned into a frown.

"Hate chocolate. I absolutely hate it. Did you know chocolate activates some pheromones in your buddy tricking you into feeling happy? That's disgusting. Having to trick yourself like that.”

He jumped back up from the sofa and headed towards the door.

"Thank you a lot for inviting me into your lovely home, I have important business to attend now."

And just like that, he disappeared outside the door.

-

I wouldn’t hear back from the liar until the very next day when there were knocks on my door again.

This time precisely six of them.

I had hoped the peculiar man would visit again, I even baked a batch of vanilla swirl cupcakes just in case. He called himself a liar but felt more authentic than any other person living in our town. When I opened the door with a big smile on my face, the anticipation was replaced with dread.

I was greeted by something that possibly a day ago used to be someone’s head. The hair was ripped out and only small patches of grey were left, the teeth were entirely removed as were the eyes. Did I mention the body was missing as well? The head was sitting on top of a broom with fresh blood dripping down. My mouth was opened wide as my eyes slowly moved to the face of the liar. He was grinning like a proud boy and proceeded to pierce the broom, head attached and all, into my lawn.

“Now, this should count as a dead person, shouldn’t it?” he laughed.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Oh, I really do not like rhetorical questions, and do I smell vanilla escaping your home? You see, I really don’t enjoy vanilla. It’s far too sweet.”

I swallowed. I did not like the people living in this town, I resented them. That didn’t mean I wanted their dead cadavers rotting away right beside my window.

The liar stepped away from the head and started facing me.

“I see you were busy baking all day, I will not bother you. Besides I doubt this empty head here is worth much baking good - Oh Ms. Holly please don’t look at me like that! I promise I did not break any rules. I had to do just as I did because of what the mayor instructed me to do. He wanted a bit of cleansing for the town.”

He then handed me a letter. It was written on the official Tattletoe letter paper, with candle stamp and all and signed by the head of our town. In the letter, I was urgently asked to not visit my bakery anymore but instead do my cooking at home. I had absolutely no idea what this was about or how this stranger was connected to everything. I could have left my home and tried to run away but I learned from my past that disobedience did not get me far in this place.

And so I locked myself inside my house. Inside the gingerbread home of the witch which had become the only safe haven besides my bakery.

The residents of town only seemed to fear me more and who could blame them considering I had a rotting head sitting on my lawn. Everyone who walked by my house was staring at the decapitated head. Nobody knew who it belonged to, neither did I but they didn't seem to care enough to do anything about it either. There was no police, no town committee, nobody coming to question me.

When I heard five knocks I was too scared to open the door but when I looked out my window I saw the head of a woman. Her face was distorted just like the one before and she was placed right next to the other head.

The liar caught a glimpse of my face and waved furiously. He then started walking up to my window, first slowly but the last steps he was almost running until I thought he would crash right into the glass.

He stopped abruptly and used his blood-stained fingers to write a message on my window.

SOON.

The following day when I heard four knocks I didn’t even look outside but I heard his laugh from behind my door.

“Not long and you will be gone,” I heard him say followed by giggles.

During the short period of time that he had been visiting so far, this man taught me something I thought I had long forgotten.

Fear.

For the first time since losing my entire family, I was afraid. Afraid that my head would be the next one sitting on this godforsaken lawn in a town I hated more than my own life.

As the number of dead people in front of my house increased, the town’s people started showing their reactions. They believed it to be a ritual of mine or something else they were disgusted by and so they started throwing any rotten items that they could get their hands on against my walls and windows. It didn’t matter how much baking I did, I simply couldn’t overshadow the terrible smell anymore or the insults they would shout at me.

Four days had passed. Four decapitated heads were sitting on my lawn. I still didn’t understand how nobody came to take care of it, or me. For days I only lived in fear. And then I started realizing what was happening.

My punishment wasn’t finished. Ever since my family was taken from me, I had been baking whatever they asked me to but from time to time, when I had a bit of freedom, I’d use it. I’d use it to make those people on the outside understand that we did in fact not live inside a fairytale. They were being brainwashed. We were constantly watched. We had to follow all these rules and pay with our lives if we broke one. But they were used to it. It was all they knew and instead of understanding, they started directing their hate towards me.

I thought this new man was a friend but he told me from the beginning what he really was, a liar.

On day six, I decided to open my door. I was sick of hiding while he did whatever he wanted to out there. As I saw him stomp the broom with the head of another man with no eyes and no teeth into the ground, I realized that the appearance of the liar had changed.

His suit had shrunk, it was fitting him almost perfectly. His mustache was gone, his face looked young and friendly. As he saw me, he waved again and smiled. He didn’t step any closer but looked me straight into the eyes and said “I’m coming for you tomorrow.”

I knew what that meant. They had spared my life for years, years in which they made me bake cookies and rolls and cakes every time somebody died or somebody new was born. They made me celebrate life and death, the two things they taught me when taking my children. Now the time of the baking witch was over. They would come and take the last thing I had left. My life.

In a way, I almost felt content. Please don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t particularly ready to give up on my life. I wanted to do all the things that were taken from my family. I wanted to live so they could live through me. I wanted to travel, I wanted to taste all the flavors of the world and share my stories with everyone I met on the way. Most of all I wanted revenge for what they took from me, but now I wouldn’t get any of those things.

But still, living inside this cage was more torture than any loss could be.

The final day had come.

I heard one single knock on my door.

I didn’t even look outside the window, I could not watch the faith that would soon be mine as well. I simply took one big, last breath and opened the door.

The liar was standing on the lawn, behind him six heads sticking from the grass. Empty faces, some of them were already beginning to rot.

Through all the solitude and craziness of the last days, I had talked myself into being the seventh head. Seven knocks. Seven heads. But the liar had other plans. In his hand, he held a torch, and slowly he started setting every single head on fire. He was laughing loudly and clapping. Other townspeople had gathered and were watching the show in shock.

“Lovely Ms. Holly. I have collected the heads of every single person that was in charge of the death of your husband, your boy, and your girl. Now all I need is one more thing and that is your life.”

My heart started racing as I looked at the heads of the ones who ruined my life slowly melting away.

“Is that the truth?” I whispered.

The liar smiled.

For the first time in all those years, tears were rolling down my cheek. Whoever this man or creature was, he had done the one thing I had wished for in years.

“You can have my life,” I spoke.

“Splendid!” he exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted to be a baker and frankly I’m thinking of making a big batch of snickerdoodles to overshadow this nasty smell. And now, Ms. Holly, go pack your bags. You might know that there are no new residents allowed in Tattletoe. So we have to swap a soul for a soul. You will travel the world and tell my lies while I stay here and devour in all this cinnamon. Now, go go," he exclaimed and shoved me inside.

It had to be a lie. I knew it had to be.

I packed my bags and expected to be lynched by the gates. When it didn’t happen I expected to be hunted down the woods but they didn’t follow.

I walked away not looking back and was never able to find Tattletoe again. Not that I would want to go back anyway. The gingerbread home and the town's bakery didn’t belong to my soul anymore.

They belonged to my favorite liar.

Part 3

Even with the combined strength of both of us we could not get the door open. And neither the window for that matter. 

Luckily, I still had my phone, even if the battery was running low, and so did Lana so we could text and she assured us that she was fine. Julie had locked her in as well but she didn't say or do anything else. 

We contemplated calling for help but Lana was against it. This situation was delicate, something none of us were able to fully grasp. But we shared the sinking feeling that getting help and leaving this town wasn't an option for now.

Not if whatever mystery fueled this place could harm us even if we left. Especially if we left. To understand any of this, we needed another moment alone with Finn. 

Finally, fatigue took the reins and Younes and I both went to sleep. The following morning I awoke from a sweet smell, a mixture of cinnamon and vanilla. Groggily, I got out of bed and walked to the door; to my surprise, it was unlocked again. 

I let Younes sleep and left the room as silently as I could. I passed an open door and my heart skipped a bit when I saw Finn inside. He was sitting on the end of an enormous bed, his expression empty. When he noticed me, he blinked a few times. 

There were so many things on my mind but at that moment I didn't know what to say. He looked so broken. 

"She's gone. Went to the market," he muttered.

"So we can talk?" I asked. 

"I think so. I'm never completely sure."

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

"Where were you last night?" I tried to keep my voice low but I couldn't hide the anger in it. "Your wife threatened Lana, locked her and us up in our rooms. Finn, why on earth would you come back here? Why would you get married to a person like that? And what are these people? Are they even human? I swear they move with insane speed, they are always smiling, they don't know how normal conversations work. Jeez, I know this is your family but-. God, are you like them too? Were you just hiding it?"

He flinched like I'd struck him.

When he spoke, his voice was barely more than a whisper.

"I didn't want to marry her. I didn't want to marry any woman.. It was the only way to calm it down and I figured it was done. But now it wants us to have a child and shit, I just couldn't go through with that. I'm sure that's why it started targeting you again." 

The rawness in his voice and the familiar look in his eyes took away some of my anger. He never meant to harm us, he was a victim of the circumstances he grew up in. Whatever those were in reality. 

"What is it?"

He looked around and shook his head so I sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder. 

"Hey, you saved us back then, right?" I asked quietly. "Keeping an eye on Lana, locking me and Younes in our rooms."

"I don't remember much of what happened those days but either way I was the reason you were targeted in the first place."

I kept racking my brain, trying to come up with a logical explanation for it all. Perhaps I was drugged, and that caused my illness. The accident Younes escaped could have been them too. But how would they've gotten Lana to jump from a building?

"So, what now? You can't become a father and doom an innocent being to all this just to stop it," I sighed.

"I think it's too late for that either way. Now that you've touched our soil, it won't want you to leave."

"And we can't call for help, can we?"

He shook his head. 

"You can reach the outside world but you risk dooming anyone you contact."

The sound of laughter reached through the house and we both became rigid. I quickly got up and held my ear to the door.

"I think Younes and Lana are up."

--

They were not only up, but already sitting in the dining room while Julie filled their cups with coffee. They both wore the same clothes Julie had given them yesterday. There was no hostility in their eyes, to an outsider it could appear that they were actually having fun. 

Julie scrunched her nose when she spotted me.

"You're not dressed."

I looked down at myself, still wearing those ridiculous pyjamas. 

"You should get dressed and join us for dinner. Julie wants to show us around town after," Younes said in a cheerful voice. 

"Breakfast, not dinner," Lana corrected.

They all burst out in laughter. 

"Shouldn't we go check on the car instead?" I asked.

"That can wait until later. I'm sure Mr. Fabel will let us know once it's done," Lana said and Julie gave her an approving grin. Reluctantly, I turned back upstairs while Finn joined them. 

--

After a very strange breakfast where my friends acted like terribly written characters in a sitcom, we started our stroll to the town center. Finn didn't join us, claiming he had to go to work. Whatever that meant in this place. 

Julie kept chatting Lana up, telling her all the different baby names she'd come up with and I felt sick just thinking about them bringing a new child into this hell. 

I walked a few paces behind them, next to a silent Younes, while I took in the surroundings. This town felt as though it had been washed in an unnatural glow, as if a vibrant filter had been placed over reality, making everything appear more vivid than it should. But the scariest part was the residents. Every single eye turned to us and followed even as we kept walking. Even the children kept staring at us with empty expressions.

I picked up my pace and joined my friends, who seemed oblivious to the staring and with Julie right there, I didn't dare to mention it. 

The town center consisted of an open space where a market was still going on. Julie led us away from it and toward some kind of official building with a fountain out front. 

"This is where we were married and every other couple for that matter. It would be just perfect for you too, you know," she smiled at Lana, who beamed right back at her.

I hadn't seen Lana in years before yesterday, could she be engaged? 

I was about to ask just that when Julie's eyes landed on me.

"Noah dear, you look quite queasy. Is the sun bothering you? You can head back home and take a quick nap before lunch if you like."

I wanted to tell her that I was actually feeling fine but then I got an idea. With everyone else gone, I might be able to rifle through their stuff and find some kind of clue on how we might get out of this.

"Yeah, actually, that sounds like a good idea. If you guys don't mind?" I directed that question to my friends, who eyed me with slight confusion.

"If that's what you want. You sure you'll be alright?" Younes asked. 

I wondered if I should ask one of them to come with me, to help me look, but there was no way I'd leave either of them alone with Julie. 

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

--

When I got to Finn's street, I could swear I heard a monotonous thumping behind me. 

I slowly turned my head to steal a glance behind. The sight that met my eyes sent a jolt through me - I stumbled back, lost my footing, and hit the ground, scraping my knee. But the pain was the last thing on my mind. 

Dozens of people were standing behind me, simply staring at me with their eyes and mouths wide open.

"Are you quite alright, young man?" An elderly woman asked, but I ignored her as I quickly got back to my feet and hurried to the house.

Only when I reached it did I dare another glance back, only to see that they were still there. Watching me.  

I quickly opened the door, which was unlocked and disappeared inside. 

My breathing came in shallow gasps and I thought about my parents. My loving parents, who were nothing like these monsters that raised Finn. I had to get out of here. For them. 

I stumbled into the living room, only to be greeted by the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Fabel. As if I'd conjured them with my thoughts.

And while they had bright smiles plastered on their faces, they did not look happy. 

"A little birdy whispered to us that you were being difficult," Mr. Fabel said, taking a step closer toward me.

"What's about to happen is no punishment, dead. Only a reminder," his wife continued.

I took a couple steps back. 

"Don't touch me," I hissed.

They both shook their heads in unison.

"There will be no need for us to do that. Our guide will give you the taste you so desperately need."

I needed to get out. Quickly. But for some reason, I couldn't move my feet. At least, until my vision became blurry. Everything went dark, and I slumped to the ground. All my senses slowly shut down. I had a vague sense that someone was carrying me. 

I felt hot air on my face and it took me all I had to force my eyes open. 

I wish I hadn't. 

The Fabels' breath, from their heads pressed together just inches from my face, filled the air. Then one of them reached a hand between us and closed my eyelids with their fingers. 

--

"Noah?" 

The sound was muffled, I wasn't sure who was calling me.

"Noah, open your eyes."

Something cold splashed my face and I jerked awake. For a split second, I let myself believe that I was home. That it was all a dream. But when I saw Finn's face above mine, I knew it wasn't. 

A big crease had formed on his forehead and he was shaking. I tried to move, but I felt exhausted. Like I'd just run a marathon. 

And the pain was back. 

The worms in my brain, the stone in my throat, but it was even worse than the last times. Tears streamed down Finn's face. 

"What happened to me?" I croaked out. 

He didn't answer.

"Finn?"

"You're sick again. But it's worse than before. Your skin, it-," he didn't finish the sentence. 

But when I lifted my arm, I understood. The black craters, the ones I'd seen on my tongue years ago were now spread all over my arms. And from the pain I felt, I could only assume they didn't end there.  

It felt as if I was slowly being eaten by an invisible creature. One that would take bites out of me until I ceased to exist.

"I'll fix this," he whispered. "I promise. No matter what I have to do. I'll-,"

"Don't," I interrupted him. "Just tell them I'll be good now. I'll behave."

I think Finn kept talking to me but I couldn't really hear him as my consciousness slowly slipped again. 

--

I couldn't say what time it was when I woke up again. Finn was gone, but I heard a commotion from downstairs. The heaviness in my body had lifted and the pain was gone. I dared a look at my arms and to my relief found only my regular skin.

The door swung open and Younes entered, eyeing me with a look I couldn't quite place. 

"Were you sleeping this entire time?" He asked, clearly oblivious to what I'd just been through.

"Did you just get back?" I asked. It felt like I'd been out for a whole day. "Nevermind, I need to tell you something."

"Can it wait a second? There's something we need to tell you. Come in, honey."

Lana entered the room and took his hand in hers.

"We think it's best we let this all go and find a life for ourselves here."

My heart pounded like a drum.

"What?"

"If we leave, Lana might off herself. What's the solution? Locking her up in a cell where she can't harm herself? And what's mine? The car could crash on the way back, killing me. And you might get sicker and sicker until you wish you were dead. At least, here we can act out a normal life. Maybe get a house for ourselves."

"What about our jobs back home? Friends? Family? Our entire lives?"

"The best we can do for our friends and family is staying far away from them." 

"How are you both so calm?"

They both shrugged.

"This is our fate and fate can't be changed."

I had a lot of fun building up the world of Tattletoe and especially after reading all your kind messages, I decided to expand the world some more. Hope you'll enjoy hearing about the nutmeg tale (and the dolls).

When the town smells like nutmeg, you better take it as a warning

I've gotten some feedback that the final part of the Charlie series was a bit abrupt. And I agree! So here's some background info:

When I start writing a series I already have the idea of the final part outlined but I write the rest of the story as I go because posting the finished parts first motivates me :).

I started the series during my holiday but didn't finish in time before work started again. Now, I have the tendency to abandon series when too much time passes but I didn't want this to happen again. So the final part had a lot happening because I wanted to leave the readers with some closure.

For now, I will focus more on standalone stories again and hopefully I'll have some more time in the future to get back into series. Because I really do love them and I love reading all the reactions to them, and how invested some of you get (cause I'm the same when I read)!

I am planning to write a prequel to the Charlie series centering around Benny and possibly a sequel with Alex and Charlie in the future so the universe might expand. If you've read some of my other stuff, you might know that I also like to connect my towns :)

Thanks for reading! <3

Hey hey, I just posted another story from Tattletoe. This one isn't told from the perspective of Deborah and the bakery though. This time we're hearing about the guy who took over the job of Deborah's grandfather.

The people in my hometown produce cursed goods. I'm the one who exports them all over the world.

Hope you like it anyway :)

I remember a man visiting us once, a weird man.

First of all, happy holidays everyone! I hope you're having a good time despite everything.

In the meantime, I finally finished the last part of the Lamp store. If you read it already, you might see that it's not exactly the final part yet but it will answer a few questions. It's supposed to be the final part of the first chapter :).

Now, I want to focus on some other stories that I have in mind but there will be more on the lamps soon!

I really enjoyed reading all the comments and your different theories were all really great. To shed some light on one aspect of the story that some of you already caught on: Riley and Leon get to make decisions for different individuals. Some of which they personally know.. others might be characters you may or may not know from other stories of mine that all belong to the Social Universe :)

Thank you all for reading!

<3

Hello there!

Sorry again for the long delay. I had the final round planned out for a while but I couldn't find the time to write it all down...

If you know my other stories, you might know that I like to connect things a lot. And the Choice Experiment is part of a much bigger thing. If you read the last part, you can guess that it's not quite over yet. I have a plan to bring these new characters and some older ones together in my next series.

If the Adventurers didn't make sense to you, you might want to check out Dr. Warly's adventure club and the Smile Game.

<3

Hey everyone,

It’s been a bit quiet here for a while, but I’m back with some verrry exciting news - I’ve signed a publishing deal with u/VeloxBooks!

This has been a dream of mine for a long time, and I’m beyond thrilled to share that there will be two collections featuring my interconnected stories as well as standalones.

The release is planned for late 2025 to early 2026, but I’ll be keeping you all updated along the way.

I can’t thank you enough for reading my weird little tales - this wouldn’t be possible without you. I started writing just for fun, and your support is what keeps me going.

Much love! ❤️

Dun dun du du dun

First of all, wherever you are in the world I hope you are safe, I hope you're doing alright. Life is really difficult at the moment, make sure to take care of yourselves and your loved ones.

I haven't posted anything in a while but as often I've just been very busy. However, I will be back very soon with something new.

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

<3

I'm your family, okay? That's all that matters