Coraline Jones walked quietly outside of the Pink Palace exploring the barn, which, there was nothing to really explore. She found a dead leaf bug, a stick and a few rats in the barn, but nothing else. Her parents, Mel and Charlie, were very busy people and they never had time for Coraline. So she spent most of her time learning and exploring.
Coraline always found her world boring, until she found a secret passageway in the living room….She found the little door a day after she moved into the Pink Palace. She opened it up, and it was bricked up. "It's all bricked up?" Coraline asked her mother. "Yes, yes it is." She said and left the room. Coraline noticed that her mother did not lock the door with the big black rusty key. "You're not locking it?" Coraline asked.
Her mother stopped, "Well of course not, it leads to nowhere." She said. Coraline remembered that day, only a week ago. She also remembered the Other Mother, the leader of a parallel universe eerily similar to her own, only better. She discovered that at least a day after she checked the little door, the bricks were gone and it leads into a tunnel, which led to the mesmerizing Other World.
Coraline soon found her Other Mother cooking dinner; she was a lot like her real mother, only…
Her skin was as white as paper.
She was taller than her real mother.
Her hands and nails were long and curved and never stopped moving.
And she had two big black buttons for eyes.
"Hello," The woman said. Coraline stood, confused and astonished. The woman tapped her button eye and asked Coraline if she wanted some. Coraline came silently in. "Who are you?" Coraline asked. The Other Mother smiled and left the stove. "I'm your other mother, silly!" She said and opened the oven door. Coraline was overwhelmed by the aroma.
Coraline remembered the good times at the Other World. The food was better, her toys interacted with her, little dinosaurs chattered their teeth, the pictures in her books withered and shimmered and there was a talking cat! Coraline's other mother brought out a turkey and placed it on the table.
"So, if you're my other mother, then where's the other father?"Coraline asked. The Other Mother turned to her, "He's in his study, darling. Dinner's almost ready." She said. Coraline went into the other study. Her other home was painted in peculiar colors, like neon pink and purple and black. There were pictures of half bitten apples and pictures of her other mother and other father with no little girl or boy. She passed on and went to her other father.
"Hello Coraline, is dinner almost ready? I'm starving!" Coraline's other father said sitting in front of a keyboard. Coraline looked around the other study, everything was unpacked and the room was full of pictures of the Other Mother and the Other Father. Coraline remembered what the Other Mother had done to her, she stole her real parents, and she forced buttons unto her eyes. She loved Coraline, but it was like a miser loved gold or a dragon loved its treasure. It wasn't unconditional love or anything.
Her mother called her out for lunch and Coraline came running in, her stone bouncing in her pocket. Coraline's mother and father worked on computers and barely talked to each other or to Coraline herself. The dinner table was the only place the Jones really communicated and even then, things were silent. Her father made a pizza with pineapples on it. "Awww…dad, you made another recipe?" Coraline asked looking up at her father.
"Yes Coraline." Coraline's father said back and sat. Coraline poked her pizza with her fork but did not eat it. Her mother cleaned, while her father cooks. He cooked things like dry turkey or Tortellini, but he did strange things to it like stuffing it with parsley or placing a weird sauce on it. Coraline cooked herself a mini pizza.
"Coraline, why don't you try eating the food before knocking it off?" Coraline's mother suggested. Coraline shook her head and ate her mini pizza. Mel looked at Charlie and raised an eyebrow. Coraline could've sworn she heard her mother whisper, "Should we tell her?" Charlie nodded and continued eating.
"Coraline," Her mother started kindly, for a start.
Coraline looked at her mother, unsure of what she may tell her. "Coraline, your father and I have been thinking…would you want to go and see your aunt and uncle this week? It won't be long, only a day." She suggested. Coraline thought for a minute, she knew that if she went, would that be the perfect chance for her other mother to kidnap her parents again? But, she had the key thrown in the in the well and the little door that led to the other world was taped up with duck tape and blocked by a radiator.
So she decided yes and smiled at the thought. She would after all enjoy seeing her aunt, uncle and two cousins this week. She hadn't seen them since she was very young and it would be very delightful to see them…or so she thought. Coraline threw her eaten mini pizza away and went upstairs to her bedroom, which was still silent. She changed into her pajamas and sat on her bed, wondering what to do.
I know, Coraline thought. She was going to see the Other World again, just to see if it was still in one piece. She ran downstairs and pushed the radiator aside and pried the duck tape off as best as she could. The door led to a tunnel which led to another door. She crawled down toward the door and pushed it open.
The other living room was painted into a neon blue color and there was the same couch formed into a long caterpillar and a maple wood table with a box of what looked like it had chocolates in it. Everything appeared to look the same as when Coraline first came into the Other World, but she had a feeling…
She went into the kitchen and found a strange woman cooking dinner when it was 9; 30 P.M. She looked a whole lot like Coraline's aunt…but she was not sure. "Who…are you?" Coraline asked. She could not believe this was happening again. The woman turned around…and she did look a whole lot like her aunt, but she had big blue buttons for eyes. "Hello, dearest. You're just in time for supper." She said, she stirred in what looked like a skillet and she came over to Coraline. Coraline backed away, unsure to think of her environment.
"Who are you?" She asked boldly. The woman smiled, "Well who do you think I am?" She asked sweetly and brought out a pan of dinner rolls. She handed one to Coraline and asked if she wanted one. Coraline backed away some more and, judging by the woman's looks, she said, "You must be my other aunt and I know what you want." The woman's smile faded. She was tall and pencil thin, with orange hair and wide hips and long skinny arms and legs.
"What do you think I want Coraline?" She asked nicely and opened the stove and brought out a turkey. Coraline was overwhelmed by the aroma. Coraline winced, "You're a replacement for the Other Mother and you want to sew buttons into my eyes." She stood there silent for a minute and then crossed her arms, "Now what makes you think that? Your mother and I want nothing but the best for you, you know that. If you stay, then my children and you can play board games and play tag, your mother and I will cook your favorite meals and when bedtime comes round, your mother will tuck you into bed. Doesn't that sound nice?" She asked.
Coraline was not fooled, but she had no choice. She couldn't escape and she couldn't run away. So she sat in a chair in the other dining room and waited. Soon enough, two little children only about an inch taller than Coraline came running downstairs. She raised one eyebrow as they came into the dining room. One was a little girl and the other was a little boy. The little girl was tall and thin, wearing a white blouse with black tights. She had blonde hair and bangs and she had big black buttons for eyes. The little boy was shorter than the girl. He wore a red sweater with an H on it and some blue jeans. Both were staring at Coraline with creepy smiles.
"Hello Coraline." The little girl said and waved. She sat across from Coraline while the little boy followed. Coraline felt a little gawky around them and waved shyly. "How do you know my name?" Coraline asked and the other children looked at each other. "We've been waiting for you Coraline." They said; which was a little creepy. Coraline smiled, feeling scared in the inside. "I'm Rylie and this is Ham." Rylie introduced and Ham waved. He was shorter than Rylie and had scraggly brown hair and a small mouth; he had big black buttons for eyes.
Coraline heard footsteps coming down the stairs and soon made the unfriendly acquaintance of her other mother. The other mother smiled cheekily, wearing a poka dotted black and white blouse and some black slacks, Coraline tried not to gasp. She couldn't believe that her other mother was still alive! How could she? Coraline thought to herself. Her other Aunt brought out a turkey and all of the other family sat and ate.
Her other mother came in, with no expression in her button eye. She waved at Coraline and sat down; Coraline tried paying attention to something else. A man who looked a whole lot like her uncle came in and sat down next to her aunt. He was average height, shorter than her real uncle, wearing a green vest, brown pants and black boat shoes. The whole table remained silent, then, Coraline's other aunt asked if she could pass the rolls.
Coraline ate and tried eating little bites at a time. She really was not hungry. Rylie and Ham ate with no conversation, only staring down at their plates and eating slowly. They did not appear sad, but they appeared…emotionless…no expression was in their button eyes. Coraline sort of felt sorry for them, they had been consumed with evil by their parents…or parent. Aunt Lunette was a replacement for the Other Mother and who knows what power she consumes. "Coraline, do you want some turkey or some more rolls? You didn't eat much." She said, her button eye gleamed in the chandelier light. Coraline gulped. "No thank you, Aunt Lunette." Coraline said, her voice quivering. She stood, emptied her plate into the garbage and went upstairs.
She tried going to sleep while her other family was eating. Coraline dressed into her pajamas and covered her head, trying to sleep. Coraline was half asleep when a toy clamped onto her bed sheet. "What's wrong, Coraline? Don't you want to play with us?" Coraline screamed, she threw the tank across the room and grabbed the fluttering angels and placed them into her toy box.
Coraline was miserable. She was not enjoying being here at all. She squinted her eyes hardly and tried going to sleep. Ham and Rylie soon finished their dinner and came upstairs. "Coraline, Coraline…" She whispered and cracked the door. Rylie looked at Ham and Ham looked at Coraline. "She must be very tired, Ham." She whispered and left. Ham stared expressionlessly at Coraline, thinking of how miserable she must be.
To tell the truth, Ham was in the same boat as Coraline. He did not want buttons sewn into his eyes like Coraline, but he was forced by Rylie and his mother, the other mother, of course considered it. So he obeyed and let his mother do it. Rylie was just fine with it; she agreed to the whole idea and happily took the buttons. Of course, it hurt, but she soon got over it, cleaned the blood, and played away.
The Other Aunt Lunette and her husband, Bernie, walked quietly down to Coraline's other room and smiled. "She's such a doll when she sleeps." Coraline's aunt commented and walked off. Bernie stood there and stared at Coraline with pure sorrow. He knew that her aunt had…issues. Coraline woke and sleepily stared at the clock, reading 10; 30. Coraline grumbled and went back to sleep. She had a long day tomorrow. The light turned off by one of the fluttering angels and Coraline fell into a deep sleep.