((AUTHOR NOTE: I'm really bad at explaining things, so if you'd like to know what playing Hide and Seek alone is, this website will explain: . ))

Pale hands worked steadily and quickly over a plush replica of a rat, the long fingers prying open its seams and taking the stuffing out of it. The white fluff was thrown into a garbage pail immediately next to the working space. The young male grinned with excitement, his blue eyes twinkling as he removed the stuffing. "This is going to be positively creepy!" he excitedly muttered to himself as he continued his work.
As usual, Julian would be left home alone, as his father worked really late shifts in the morgue. This worked out perfectly for the plans he had made for the night. As he finished gutting out the stuffed animal, he set the limp body of fabric down as he walked over to the cabinet. Upon opening the cabinet, he took out a big bag of rice. He made his way back to the table and immediately began stuffing the limp plush with grains.

If anyone was looking on at his actions, they'd probably seem completely random. However, this was all part of a ritual to set up a game that Julian believed would be marvelous. As he finished stuffing the rat with rice grains, he put a finger up to his mouth and bit off a bit of the nail. He put the part of the nail he bit off into the doll before sewing it back up. After sewing the doll back up, he took a long piece of red thread he had layed out on the table prior to working on the doll and wrapped it around the rice-filled plush.

Julian grinned and giggled at his work. "Let me prepare the bath, and we'll give you a name" he spoke to it as he shut the light to the kitchen off. He turned the light for the bathroom on and set the doll on the counter before filling the bathtub with water. Once it was filled enough, he shut it off. He then carefully gazed around the bathroom counter, making sure he had pulled out everything he needed to get the game started. He picked up the pencil he decided to use as the weapon and glanced at the cup of saltwater. He figured a pencil would be best, as if he ended up getting stabbed it wouldn't hurt as bad as a knife would.

He glanced at his watch, seeing it was now three am. Julian decided to name the doll "Naberius". He took a breath in as he closed his eyes. "First tagger is Naberius! First tagger is Naberius! First tagger is Naberius!" he spoke with a stern tone. He reopened his eyes and placed the doll in the bathtub. After this action, he quickly shuts the light off and goes outside the bathroom. He shut his eyes and counted out loud to ten.

After shouting the number ten he opened his eyes and stepped into the bathroom. Julian grinned as he approached the now water-soaked doll. "I found you, Naberius!" he shouted excitedly as he stabbed the doll with the pencil. The pale boy shut his eyes once more. "Now Naberius is it! Now Naberius is it! Now Naberius is it!" he chanted as he took a quick swig of the salt water mixture and placed the weapon on the edge of the bathtub.

Keeping the saltwater in his mouth and the extra salt water in the cup in his hands, he quickly sprinted out of the bathroom and scurried into the living room, quietly and carefully shutting and locking the door as the rules of the game instructed he do. Quietly, he slipped himself into a small cubby-hole located at the side of the stairs. He quietly but quickly shut the door to the cubby hole and sat waiting. He tried not to giggle with excitement. He could already feel his heart racing. Most people couldn't last playing this game for more than an half an hour, but he planned to break the record and do it for at least more than an hour.

He sat and waited in complete silence, swishing the salt water around in his mouth. Ten minutes past and nothing happened. He was beginning to wonder about the credibility of the stories he heard about this game. He hadn't quite thought of the possibility of the game not working, and would be disappointed if something he had been preparing for all week had not given him something creepy to remember. He wondered if maybe he did something wrong, and perhaps he skipped a step. He was about to give up and go find the doll to end the game until suddenly he heard the TV go on.

His eyes widened, as he knew for sure his father was not home. Rather than playing on the channel he had shut the TV off on, only static could be heard coming out of the electronic. Julian knew that it was Naberius. He grinned, feeling his heart race as feelings of fear and excitement ran through his body. He knew, though, that he had to keep very still and quiet, as he did not want Naberius to find him.

The television then began flipping through channels randomly, the volume raising high and low as it cycled through. The pale boy bit his lip as the sound of the TV shows coupled with the sound of static that it still had despite flipping through channels sent chill down his spine. Suddenly it all stopped. The TV shut off and everything was silent. Julian continued to sit silently with his eyes widened.

A few minutes passed, and Julian began to calm himself down until the TV went back on again. This time, it blared static at a very high volume. Through the static, a faint and almost demonic voice could be heard.

"JULIAN"

Julian began to tremble as a tear formed in his eye. Out of everything he was expecting, he did not expect that at all. Perhaps this was a bit too creepy for him. He wanted to end the game badly but he was way too scared to move. He began to regret the whole game.

The TV shut off again and there was silence for a few more moments. Julian tried his best to remain silent and still. Just then, a loud thud could be heard in the living room. The pale boy assumed Naberius knocked something over. He really hoped the spirit hasn't found him. Shortly after the thud, the loud static blared again through the room. The faint voice was heard again.

"WHERE ARE YOU, JULIAN?"

Julian bit his lip harder and shut his eyes tight.

"COME OUT"

The TV wildly flipped through channels, the volume still at a deafening level. The TV then stopped on a channel, a male character on the show it flipped to saying "When I find you". It then quickly flipped to the next channel, a female character shrieking "I'M GOING TO". It zoomed to the next channel, a deep voiced male character uttering "Kill you" before the TV shut itself off again.

At this point, tears rolled down Julian's cheek. He wanted to play a creepy game, he did not want to die. He already established that death wasn't actually a cool thing that happens. He tried his best to gain the confidence to burst out of the cubbyhole and end the game.
Just as the young boy gained his confidence to end the game, the TV flicked on again.

"HELLO?"

The TV turned off again. Tears continued to roll down his cheek as he tried his best not to make any noise, though all he wanted to do was sob and cry. His confidence faded as he continued to sit there in silence.

Immediately after the TV sounded, he heard a scratch on the cubby-hole door. He jumped as he heard it, making a light thud noise. Oh no! he thought as he made the noise. Naberius most likely heard him and now knows where he is. The TV came on again.

"THERE YOU ARE"

Julian had enough. He finally just kicked open the door as he tumbled out, being as careful as possible not to spill any of the saltwater. He needed to end this game immediately. Julian quickly came up to his feet and looked around for the doll. He didn't have to look very far, as it was laying right next to the TV, the pencil laying next to it. Julian cried out as he spit the salt water on the doll and then dumped the rest of the salt water onto it.

"I win, I win, I w-win!" he sobbed out as he finished dumping the salt water on it. He fell to his knees after he said it. What a stupid chant he thought to himself. I don't feel like I won.

Julian cried and shook, still knelt beside the doll. He didn't even want to touch it, he was so shaken up from the events that just took place.

After a few moments, he picked up the doll and walked outside with it. He set it in a small fire barrel next to his garage. He then quickly went inside of the garage and immediately grabbed some gasoline and a match. He poured some gasoline onto the doll and then quickly lit and threw a match into the barrel before quickly taking steps back.

He watched as the doll burnt up in flames, holding his hands on his face the whole time. He let out a sigh of relief. He was glad that was all over. He went inside and sat down on one of the chairs in the kitchen.
I am NEVER doing that again.