The Noseless Plumber
This short horror story is actually based on a recurring nightmare I used to have as a child. There was this horror show on TV, and one of the episodes had this hideous noseless plumber as the villain. Scared the crap out of me ...
The kit's sweat-laced shirt clung to his back, the dark spot of moisture barely visible in the dim light of the TV. He faced the door of the room, his back illuminated by the off-white glow of the TV screen. Changing images on the screen made the shadows projected on the walls dance, morphing into evermore grotesque figures, like a nightmarish version of Plato's Cave.
In a moment of combined stupor and bravery, the young fox slowly turned his head to face the images behind him - it didn't help that he felt and heard the bones in his neck creaking due to his hyperawareness.
His throat stumbled, and his glottis snapped shut.
In his eyes was the reflection of his worst nightmare.
The Noseless Plumber.
As soon as the hellish sight burned into his retina for the umpteenth time, he clamped his eyes shut and swung his head back to face the door of the room, the chair wobbling underneath him from his quick motion.
He barely noticed the ache in his paws from the death grip on the ears of the wooden chair. A rattling sound made his ears perk; his pupils, already dilated from sheer terror, grew even bigger as his eyes darted all over the room as he tried to make out what was causing the racket. Then he saw it.
The door.
The doorknob.
Salvation from the ghoulish form on the screen was right around the corner, he thought.
One of his parents, or both, was checking up on him, he thought.
He'd finally be able to get some sleep and rid himself of the presence of the demonic plumber.
The doorknob rattled one last time as the latch was released.
The kit held his breath, his mouth agape, expecting to see the familiar silhouette of his mom or dad.
His heart skipped a beat.
In the doorway was an unknown shadowy specter. As strange as it was, it evoked a feeling of dread in the young vulpine. A sensation only provoked by one thing.
The Noseless Plumber.
The mysterious figure lurched forward, as if taking a limp step towards the kit.
The wooden structure of the chair creaked as fear paralyzed the fox, his forepaws now clutching the top rail so hard his knuckles were visible through his fur. The fuzz on his tail stood on end, his toes were curled so tight they almost disappeared into his footpaws.
The reflection of the dark, menacing presence became bigger in the eyes of the hapless fox, its encroachment now revealing some of its features against the glow of the TV screen. Jagged, angular cheekbones, sunken eyeholes, and a grotesque crevice where the nose should be.
Only one thing could be so hideous.
The Noseless Plumber.
The kit's stomach churned as the monstrosity's details came into view, the burning taste of bile in the back of his mouth.
The apparition hobbled and more of its face became prominent - blotchy skin, a receding hairline and the most sinister, demented toothy grin one could imagine came into view. This was the reality of the infernal tradesman.
The Noseless Plumber.
The ill-fated vulpine's skin crawled as the plumber took another wobbly step. The stench of death and decay attacked the kit's nostrils, but he was too petrified to react.
Before he knew it, the hellish wraith stood half a foot from the fox's chair. The plumber leaned over and allowed the fox to take in his hellish features one last time before his maw opened, unleashing a banshee roar that made the kit's ears hurt.
Darkness.
Pitch black.
The fox's heart drummed in his ears, but he saw nothing, just emptiness. Then it dawned on him ... His eyes were still closed. Forcing them open, the world around him started to sink in. Bedsheets, his switched off TV, the light of the moon just visible through a slight crack in the curtains, the silhouette of his desk chair. He was in bed - the thought made him sit up straight, and he realized he was covered in sweat as he felt his shirt cling to his back.
He would have started processing the situation to determine if it was a dream or reality, but the door flung open, and before he could make out who was barging into his room, the person strode towards him and hugged him tight.
"Oh, baby, I heard you scream! Is everything OK? Did you have a bad dream?" his mother's voice asked.
The kit was overjoyed. It was a dream, after all. "Mom, I was so scared, the plumber, he was on the TV, then he came in my room, and -" he babbled frantically, but his mom's voice cut him off.
"Oh, my silly foxy ... What did I tell you about those scary shows? This is what they do. Don't you worry about a thing, I'm here now ..." consoled the voice as the hug continued.
"I'm so glad you're here, mom, I was so scared ..." came the innocent reply as he scrunched up his nose, his whiskers twitching. "Mom, what's that smell? It smells so bad here ..." he complained as a putrid odor invaded his sensitive nose.
"I don't smell anything, sweetie ... I'm sure it's nothing." His mom's voice spoke into the kit's ear to comfort him as the embrace went on.
The fox shrugged it off. "I guess you're right, mom." As he was about to let go of the embrace, his paw grazed the figure's face and he felt a pronounced, pointy cheekbone.
The revolting odor grew stronger.
A bit taken aback, the kit felt around the face and realized his mom's eyes were rather sunken and deep.
The smell now burned his nostrils.
A searing sensation also overwhelmed his throat, not because of the smell, but because fresh bile was irritating the back of his mouth.
The stench was unbearable.
His mother's skin also felt unusually blotchy against his paw pads, and for some reason her hair started way past her forehead.
The kit coughed.
The noxious smell and bile eating away at his throat were too much to handle.
Feeling around one last time to make sure his imagination wasn't getting the best of him, the juvenile vulpine placed his paw where his mother's nose should have been, and his heart sank when he realized what was in its place - a deep crevice.
The Noseless Plumber.