Chapter 4: Strange...
Norman walks into his house, smiling happily, and felt like she has the same feelings for him as he has for her. Sandra looks over at him from the stove, baking a batch of cookies; she's been asking him how it went with Coraline tonight, and Norman claimed that it was a wonderful night, and how they've shared a slow dance and all. Sandra gives her son a hug before opening the oven, pulling out her third batch of cookies, "Would you like some, Norman?" He nods and places a few onto a plate before he goes into the living room to watch another zombie movie in the dark, but was stopped by his mother, who taps his shoulder, holding a small, rectangular box in her arms, "This is for you, was on the porch about an hour after you've left." Norman also takes the box and walks into the living room, and puts on "Zombie Halloween", one of his newly founded favorite zombie movie. As he's watching the film, he takes a look at the box, and opens it, reveling a...a doll? A doll that looked like him...creepy. It also had the exacted same clothing and style: Same white and red T-shirt, same red jacket, same blue jeans, same red and white shoes, and skin tone, and same hair color and style. Little did Norman know, his grandmother's ghost was on the couch again, and when she noticed the doll, she shivered, "Wow...now that's just creepy," Norman nods his head in agreement, still eyes glued onto the doll, "You've said it, Grandma...you've said it..." And this was beginning to get a little too strange, even for Norman, so quickly throws the doll over his head, and lands on the couch, right next to Grandma Babcock, who shutters to herself as she peers at the doll for a bit, but quickly goes back to knitting.
Courtney walks into the room, and as she spots the doll, she too gets creeped out; the teen girl picks it up and walks over towards her brother, "Okay, Norman, this is just even more wierd than dead things, even for you." She points out, placing it next to Norman again, before exiting the room, only hearing her brother's comment, "It's not mine! I don't even know where it came from!"
Once Norman's movie was over, he went upstairs to get to bed, leaving the little doll on the living room floor. However, once he enters his bedroom, the little doll was lying down on his dresser, right next to his bed. Norman groans and didn't feel like moving the doll, so just lays down in bed, trying to sleep, hoping this "doll moving" is just one of Courtney's old pranks that she caused him when he was only eight. Eventually, Norman was finally able to fall asleep.
It was finally midnight, and all of a sudden, Norman's eyes open wide as he hears a sound...a small squeak? He sits right up from his bed, peering around the room, trying to make up where the sound was coming from, until he spots a mouse, "That's wierd..." Norman claims as he gets out of bed, "Usually there's no mice in this house," With out hesitating, he starts his way, chasing after the small mouse downstairs.
As Norman arrives downstairs, he soon hears the mouse squeaking in the living room, and heads that direction. Once Norman approaches the living room, he sees the mouse, heading behind an arm-chair that was against the wall. Norman then goes over towards the chair, "C'mon, little fella, I need to get you-" He was able to push the chair away, but the mouse was nowhere to be seen, not even one squeak. "Outside..." The boy exclaims in confusion, just before he hears the mouse again- this time in a different direction...the basement door.
Norman rushes towards the basement door, which was underneath the stairs, and heads on down as he follows the mouse; Norman's rarely in the basement, so if felt a little strange and a little creepy. The mouse was heard again, heading behind a large, but very old couch; Norman was able to push it out-of-the-way, seeing the mouse, "Alright, enough games; I want to go to bed. If you're just stand still, so that I can bring you back to your home, outside-" But the mouse moved again, going through a crack in the wall.
This makes Norman confused, until he realized that the crack, was actually a small door!
"That's strange...I've never seen this here before. Yet again...it's been years since I've been down here, so..." He opens the door, seeing a brightly light tunnel. "...Oh...My...God..." He whispers to himself, speechless.
Norman looked around the room, making sure that no one was behind him, and goes through the tunnel...
The end of the tunnel had another door, and Norman opens it up, going through it, but looks around in confusion, seeing that it's his own home, "The heck? I thought I've-" He was stopped, by a smell...a delicious smell! He follows it upstairs, and enters the living room, where every time was the same, but more...brighter. Norman soon walks into the kitchen, seeing his mother...at the stove?
"Mom? What are you-" The woman turns around, it wasn't his mother, well...it was, but it was her eyes...black buttons?
"Hello, my little, brave boy! You're just in time for supper, sweetie."
Norman was looking at the woman with the button eyes in shock, what'd happen to his mother?
"...Mom...w-what happend?" His "mother" smiles with a smirk, tapping on her left button eye, "What ever do you mean, dear," Norman gives her a concern look, "What do you mean? You have big, black buttons over your eyes, Mom! Did you do that to yourself? You're scaring me, Mom, and I rarely get scared; even Zombie, and horror films can't scare me!"
The button-eyed woman chuckles warmly, "Oh, I didn't do this, I was born this way; I'm your 'Other Mother', silly..." She says as she starts to get some food out of the oven.
While she's doing that, Norman gasps quietly to himself, "...'Other...Mother'..." He whispers to himself. This is who Coraline had told him about! He didn't know how she was able to move from the Pink Palace, to his own home...but it wasn't good...well...it will get bad...later...
"Could you get your Other Father, Sister, and Grandmother for me, Norman? I'm sure they're starving now," Norman got confused when she'd mentioned his grandmother, "Um...my Grandmother's dead...only I can see her ghost...how come you guys can?" The Other Sandra giggles with an apologizing look on her face,
"Oh, silly me! How can I forget to mention? In this world, everyone can see and talk to ghost; in your world, everyone must think you're a freak, so I made sure that every person here can see the ghost too...for you..." Norman shakes his head in confusion, so just went upstairs to get everyone else for "dinner", not wanting to stay around with the Other Mother.
Norman heads on into his sister's room, there, was a tall, beach blond, in her usually pink get-up, and had button eyes as well.
"Helllooo, little brother!" She exclaims in a cherry tone, "Want to hear my new cheer for you?" Norman's eyes looked surprised at her; even though he'd saved the town from zombies and all, he's never gotten a cheer just for him, "Sorry," He explains, "But I've never gotten a cheer for myself in my life!" After exclaiming it all, the Other Courtney giggles and takes out her pom-poms, heading over towards the center of the room.
She'd taken a deep breath...and then...it happens,
"N-O-R-M-A-N, what a very special kid! Go Norman...Go Norman,"
As Norman watching this, he feels a little speacial...in some way...
"Talking to the dead is totally cool! But Alvin from school, just thinks you're a fool,"
That's true, is what Norman was thinking during that part.
"He can talk to Grandma, even the witch; but sometimes I've acted like a total bitch,"
He stops listening for a moment to think about that one, just because it was a little true- she's been a little "bitchy" about him talking to the dead in the past, but now..she's not.
"But he's still my little brother, and I love him a lot; and you should too, or else I'll kick you in your ba-ad spot,"
Norman chuckles to himself.
"N-O-R-M-A-N, what a very special kid! Go Norman...Go Norman!"
The Other Courtney smiles, so does Norman, who thanks her, "Wow...that was...wow..." The Other Courtney grins and places her pom-poms away, "So...I'm guessing Mom said that dinner's ready," He nods, "Cool! I'm starving! Why don't I get Dad for you, while you go on ahead downstairs?"
Norman shrugs, then nods, finally heading back into the kitchen.
Once he arrives back into the kitchen, his ghost grandmother was already seated at the table- she too had black buttons for eyes. Not long after, Norman's other sister and father comes into the room, sitting down; Norman just takes a seat next to them nervously, still feeling uncomfortable around these people, mostly because they werent his real family, and that they've had buttons for eyes. Norman had also reminded himself to leave this place for good...right after a quick bite of the good-looking food his other mother had prepared...all looked delicious, that it must've been Thanksgiving and Christmas here.
The Other Mother, Sandra, had finally sat down at the table with the family, ringing a bell that caused things in the room to move: Plates filled with rolls, corn, beans, almost everything, come flying down. A train carrying gravy came through, even a sandaler above them all came down, which was filled with diffrent kinds of beveragise: Soda, milk, juice, water, even milkshakes.
Finally, with out even hesitating, Norman picks up a slice of pumpkin pie. Norman eyes shot open...it was the BEST pie he's ever tasted in his whole life!
"Oh my God, this it so good!" He exclaims, which brought apon chuckles from the other members of his 'Other Family', "Is it," The Other Sandra asked, "Why thank you, dear! I do try!" She exclaims in a happy tone.
After Norman and the others had finished their food, the Other Mother takes away their plates, placing a cake in front of Norman; soon the cake had spelled out the words, "Welcome Home!" On them. This was another thing that Coraline had warned him about, "...Home...?" He'd asked, they all nod.
"We've been waitintg for you..Norman," Other Sandra claimed, which brought a look on Norman's face the defied confusion; but really, he was thinking he should just run for it.
"...Really..." Norman asked, but then does a fake yawn, "Well...I would love to stay, but I kinda need to get back to bed."
The Other Mother nods, and takes Norman's hand, leading him upstairs, with the others to follow him.
Norman opens his other bedroom door, which had all of his stuff in his room back at home- except they could move and talk!
"Hey, Norman!" His zombie lamp moaned.
Norman nervously smiles and waves, but didn't feel like talking to any more talking objects, just wanted to sleep, so does so. His other family gatherd around him, tucking him in, and kissed his forehead and cheeks, "Good-Night..." They all chant, before Norman fell into a deep sleep...
Zombie moans were heard from Norman's alarm clock the next morning, and shuts it off; and for some strange reason, Norman didn't feel that hungry this morning, until he'd realized...that maybe all of that was real. He looks around the room, getting a little confused, seeing he'd just woken up in his real home.
"What the-...But I thougt-...How could I just-..." He stutters, looking around the room some more, "...Strange..." was all Norman was able to say, knowing he'll have to tell Coraline about this today.