Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Bill loved his baby brother. The moment he had set his eyes upon the tiny bundle wrapped in a fluffy yellow blanket he felt butterflies fluttering about in his tummy when mum and the new baby came home from hospital. Although at the time he didn’t understand why they came home from hospital. After all, didn’t mum find baby Georgie in a cabbage patch?
Baby Georgie certainly looked like he had just come from a cabbage patch. So red. Like a lobster. Probably from all the sun shining on him. Because that’s what happens when you don’t put your hat on and play. Or sunscreen. But baby Georgie is so small. So he probably hasn’t been told that yet. No matter, as his responsible big brother, Bill will make sure to tell him about the importance of hats. Or maybe just out that hat on baby Georgie’s head. Because he is an elder brother now. He has to be responsible!
With baby Georgie, Bill even forgot about his stutter. Because baby Georgie just couldn’t care less. Not like the mean kids at school or even their own parents or the other adults. Oh, they pretended well. But that didn’t mean that he was stupid. Or deaf. And all those strangers that pretended to be nice about it and acted like their pity ever mattered or his parents that thought that hushed voices in the next room over were a great measure to keep their conversation secret…
Bill knew he was different. Not so much a freak… His ailment wasn’t that bad. But it made him different nonetheless. And their parents, living in the small town of Derry, surrounded by the same boring gossipers all their lives, would have much preferred a normal son. A good son. And better yet, an only son. Georgie, to be exact. But where another person may have grown to hate their younger sibling with a passion out of justified jealousy of ‘why do our parents love you more?’ Bill wasn’t like that. Probably because he gave up on getting any feelings except disappointment out of his parents years before baby Georgie was even born.
Although it didn’t hurt any less when mum would cuddle baby Georgie and read him stories before bed but told him to not disturb them. That he is too old for fairy-tales. And when their father, the father that was more often than not suspiciously absent when it was ‘family bonding time’ always made sure to be there for Georgie. Not for Bill though. Never for Bill. Well, not since Bill had learnt to talk anyway.
But there was just something about Georgie…
Something different.
Special.
In a good way.
Their parents never seemed to notice though.
Not how Georgie seemed to stare into space at something no one could see. How his tiny nose would scrunch up with effort of thought too stubborn for his age. How he seemed to understand everything said around him before he ever learned to walk. How things always seemed brighter with him in the room…
It was like there was a glow around him.
A glow Bill could almost see.
But then again, if one was to ask Georgie, he would say the same. After all, his older brother was awesome. Absolutely epic. Like Superman. But no one ever asked Georgie.
And if they did?
A hero complex among siblings isn’t that uncommon.
So when one night Bill woke to a soft knock on his door and the pitter-patter of little feet, he only groaned.
“Ge-org-i-ie, wuh-w-what is-s it-t? It-t’s tuh-the mm-midd-le of tut-the nn-ni-ght! I ha-v-ve g-got-t sc-h-ho-ol tut-t-tomm-mor-row.”
There was a soft creak and the quick footsteps. A bit of a rustle. Some more creaking and then Bill felt a tug on his quilt. With another groan he threw his arm out and flopped his head off the bed, hitting the side of the mattress with his chin. Blearily opening one eye at the yellow blob in front of him.
“It-t’s nn-not f-fun-ny Gg-ge-org-i-ie! G-go b-bot-her mm-mum-m if-f y-you cc-can-n’t sleep-p!”
There was a pause and a bit of a shuffle. Bill could almost make out his brother’s hair hidden in the fluffy blanket that demonstrated his love for all things yellow as well as the tips of his toes half-covered in the tangled mass on the floor.
It was all Bill noticed before a weight plopped on top of him. All he could do is wheeze out…
“G-ge-org-i-ie!!!”
There was a sniff, a commotion and the feel of ice-cold feet sneaking in under HIS(!!!) quilt.
“G-ge-org-i-ie! Ww-what are y-you doing?! Y-you have y- your ow-wn bb-bed! And quilt-t. Ss-stt-top hog-g-g-ging mm-mine!”
There was a soft mumble.
“...Nightmare…”
Bill groaned.
“Ag-gain? Ww-what-t is it-t tt-this tt-time? Gr-r-een ll-light and ann-n ev-vil sn-nake? Scar-ry San-nt-ta? A mm-mean vamp-pir-re?...”
“Spiders.”
Bill snapped his eyes open and smirked.
“S..spiders? Ss-spiders ar-ren’t sscary Gg-ge-org-ie. Tt-they ll-live in the basemen-nt and bb-bite nn-naughty bb-boys tt-that ww-wake tt-their bb-brothers up-p in t-the mm-middle of the nn-night.”
There was some more commotion and stifled giggles.
“Bill! Stop it! It tickles!”
Bill almost fell off the bed from a well-aimed kick.
“Gg-ge-org-ie, I am-m ss-serious. G-go bb-back to bb-bed. I rr-really dd-do have ss-school tom-morrow.”
Georgie just turned around and looked up using his lethal weapon no one in the family could ever resist. Puppy-dog eyes in combination with a pout left everyone around him absolutely defenceless.
Bill was no exception. Even the dark didn’t help.
“Ff-fin-ne…y- you cc-can ss-tay. Bb-but just ff-for tt-ton-night.”
Georgie immediately broke out into a bright smile and burrowed further into his blanket.
And all was well.
***
But just as he was about to doze off, Bill thought he heard a whisper…
“But Bill, the spider really is scary. And it’s watching. Always watching. Always hungry. It’s coming, Bill. It’s coming.”
Then the voice changed. And just for a moment it was like it wasn’t Georgie talking anymore.
“IT’s coming.”