Fun Fact: When I was thinking over the idea of Dean having a cousin, Blake was originally a female. I didn't write it out since I was thinking of what to write and Blake turned into a male. He was originally a one-shot character, but more ideas with him started to blossom.


A/N: I didn't know this book existed at all till I saw a Cracked article on traumatizing books and this book was mentioned in the comments. I also looked up weird board games and found a Cracked article on that too.

I don't own Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey.


Ten Or Eleven Years Ago

There was a book. It was an ordinary hardcover book with a toffee colored cover with yellowish children and a shadowy, well-dressed man holding an umbrella over all of them.

Blake was watching a cartoon about some half-ghost kid and Dean didn't bother remembering the name of the cartoon. Blake's green eyes were unnaturally wide, which Dean liked to call 'bush-baby eyes.'

"Here, I got this book for you." Dean said and handed Blake the book.

Blake looked at it and went back to watching the cartoon. He cooed when Skulker appeared on the screen.

"You know what? I should read this to you instead," Dean said. "This book is called, The Gashlycrumb Tinies." Blake looked at him with his wide eyed look. He opened the book and flipped to the first page. He read, "'A is for Amy who…fell down the stairs?'" He looked at the black and white picture of a girl who was going to fall down the stairs. He turned the page, "'B is for Basil assaulted by bears?"

Blake was starting to giggle. It was either at Dean's reactions or that he found the book hilarious, Dean wasn't sure.

"You know what? Watch TV and I'll put this book up," Dean said.

"No, finish it," Blake said. He smiled and Dean decided that Blake found the book of death hilarious. It wasn't right, Blake should be crying and asking what was happening, not giggling.

"I rather not," Dean said and stood up.

"I want cookies," Blake said.

Dean almost rolled his eyes, "okay."

Blake went back to watching the cartoon. Dean went to hide the book and then he heard Blake say, "Dean, Dean, cookies."

Dean shouted back, "in a minute!"

Blake replied happily, "okay."

Later, Blake seemed to forget about the children's book that was about death.


Present

Blake found the book in Dean's closet. He actually forgot what he was looking for, in favor of finding some weird as hell things.

One item was a pack of playing cards that was just the joker being a peeping tom by sitting on the moon and using a pair of binoculars.

Another thing was a bag of match books and a bag of rusted bottle caps.

There was a crystal ball and a magic 8-Ball.

He had shoved a shrunken head and a necklace made out of bones to the side. He wasn't sure if the bones were real of fake.

There were a few board games called: the Backbone, Mixed Pickles, The Amusing Game of Kilkenny Cats, and Grosse Walze.

Blake set the games aside and went back to looking.

There was a book. It was an ordinary hardcover book with a toffee colored cover with yellowish children and a shadowy man holding an umbrella over them.

The title was The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey.

With the last of Gorey, how could he refuse?

He ran his hand through his shoulder-length black hair with dyed green streaks for St. Patrick's Day. He looked at the book and went back to the living room.

Dean was busy staring intently at a spot in the corner of the wall.

"Dean, Dean," Blake called out.

"Do you want cookies?" Dean asked.

"No, I found this book." Blake said and held up the book.

Dean looked at him. He was sometimes startled at how much Blake had changed. Blake had changed from a sort of happy, bush-baby eyed kid that wore colors to a normal green-eyed teenager wearing black clothing and has self-harm scars. Blake does seem to have that childlike happiness somewhere. The only thing was that Blake was still the same 5'2 height when he was ten.

Dean looked at the book, "oh, yeah. I bought this book like ten years ago for you."

Blake opened the book to the first page. He read, "'A is for Amy who fell down the stairs.'" He looked at Dean, "why did you buy this for me?" He just seemed amused.

"I bought it, read a few pages to you and decided that it's too morbid," Dean said.

Blake looked at the book cover. "His last name is Gorey."

Dean just looked at Blake, "well, yeah."

"What gave you the idea that it's a children's book?" Blake asked, still amused.

"I don't…know," Dean replied.

Blake opened the book again, "'B is for Basil assaulted by bears.'" He looked at Dean, "'C is for Clara who wasted away.'" He began to chuckle.

Dean wasn't sure why Blake still found death funny, especially when he wants to die.


"So, I may have almost traumatized Blake when he was like four or five." Dean said to his friends.

Seth replied in a deadpan tone, "oh my god. What did you do?"

"I read two pages from a book called the Gashlycrumb Tinies," Dean replied.

Roman looked at him. "There's a picture of the grim reaper on the cover and gravestones on the back of the book. What the hell made you think that it was a kid's book?"

"I don't know. It explains why the cashier lady gave me a weird look when I bought it and I told her that it was for my baby cousin," Dean explained. "The weird thing was that Blake laughed after I read the first two pages." Roman and Seth just looked a little horrified. "I know. That was my reaction too."

"I don't know how to respond to that," Seth stated.

"I know," Roman said.

Dean shrugged, "Blake was always a weird kid. No one liked him because he was 'weird,' so he didn't exactly have friends."

Roman looked at Seth and then at Dean. "That's so sad."

Dean nodded, "it was. It never bothered him. Now he has three friends."

"Really, Dean? You were going to read him a book on kids dying?" Seth repeated.

"Remember when I said that I read the Song of Ice and Fire series to him when he was in the second grade?" Dean asked.

"Oh, right," Seth said. "But seriously?"

"Why does everyone critic my lack of parenting skills?" Dean asked, "honestly."

Roman shrugged, "I don't know. Some people just want to light the world on fire."

Dean nodded, "I think Kane is going to be the one that lights the world on fire."

"Damn straight," Kane said as he walked by them.

Seth, Roman, and Dean stared after him.


A/N: I don't know by when I was looking at a picture of the pages of Gashlycrumb Tinies, I found it hilarious. I think it was the rhyming since I don't care to much about Gallows Humor.

Blake was watching the cartoon Danny Phantom and I had to look up when that show was made.