#ahitsnatcher

“I don’t want it,” Snatcher hissed. “Throw it over the cliff, keep it, I don’t care. Get rid of it! I don’t want anything from the likes of her.”

The minion stared at Snatcher unblinking.

“Well, don’t ya wanna know what’s in there?”

“No! Get rid of it, you FOOL!” Thunder clapped across the sky dramatically with a streak of pink lightening, as if Snatcher himself had willed it to do so.

And with that, the ghost turned his back and swiftly darted away. He couldn’t believe this. After all of this time, Vanessa was trying to give him gifts? After she chained him in the dungeon until he starved to death? After everything that she did to him….? Oh, no. Snatcher wasn’t having that. He wanted nothing to do with that witch now, and that was that.

Snatcher let out a sigh once his was in his cozy armchair. He just wanted to pull out a good book and forget about the dumb gift entirely. However, that was when he saw it.

Sitting on his bookshelf was a white gift box, tied with a red ribbon.

“Are you kidding me…?” he growled as he stormed up out of his chair, grabbing the box off of the shelf between his claws. He was about to toss it directly out of his doorway when he noticed something on the top of the box- a note.

Snatcher held it in his claws and narrowed his eyes as he began to read.

My dearest prince,

I am so sorry about what happened so long ago. I was young then, and knew not what I did. I know that things will never be the same. But please, take what resides in this box as a heartfelt apology.

Sincerely and always yours,

Queen Vanessa

Snatcher immediately crumpled up the note in his claws and let out a deep, aggravated sigh. Whatever was in that box would fix nothing. He didn’t care if it was a box full of people willing to sign their souls away- absolutely NOTHING could fix the fact that Vanessa murdered him, and on top of that, broke his heart by not believing him.

However, his curiosity got the best of him. Tossing the note aside, Snatcher pulled the ribbon on the box, and took the lid off of it. Immediately, a warm, sweet aroma filled his senses. In the bottom of that box was Vanessa’s homemade, chocolate chip cookies.

Of course she wouldn’t send me bacon, now would she? Snatcher mused to himself as he pulled one of the sweets out of the box, easing himself back into his chair. Without a second thought, he popped it into his fanged mouth.

Snatcher would never admit it out loud, or even to himself, but he still did love the taste of Vanessa’s cookies, and sometimes even missed them. Regardless of the fact that he wasn’t forgiving the queen any time soon, Snatcher continued to eat the chocolatey treats as he read one of his many books; tonight’s being one called How to Make Kids Go Away: A Sequel to How to Kill Kids.

After reading for quite some time, Snatcher sensed a disturbance coming from outside of his hallow home. Something was making a racket out in the woods, and Snatcher had an idea of exactly who it could be. Rolling his eyes, the shadowy ghost poked his head outside of his home, and looked up. Sure enough, on the branches above, he could see the Hat Kid dangling for dear life.

“Kid, didn’t I tell you to get lost?” Snatcher called. “You’re gonna get yourself killed up there. Wait- maybe you should stay up there! Ahahahahaaaa!”

After laughing at his own mean humor, Snatcher found himself out of breath. In an instant, he was woozy. Was the forest beginning to spin…?

Carefully, the ghost made his way back over to his chair and flopped into it, closing his yellow eyes. He didn’t have the energy to chase the kid around, or offer her any new contracts right now. In fact, he couldn’t if he wanted to. In all honesty, Snatcher felt awful…which sort of jarred him. Ghosts weren’t supposed to be able to feel awful, were they?

“Snatcher?”

The ghost opened one eye to see Hat Kid standing in front of him, her umbrella in her hand. The ghost let out a groan.

“What?” he growled rather irritably. “I don’t have anything for you, kid. Our business is concluded- now scram. You have all the time pieces from me.”

“No…I’m not here for those. I was just playin’ on your tree, and wanted to come say hi to my BFF!” Hat said with a grin.

Snatcher rolled his eyes at the child. No matter what he did, he just couldn’t seem to get the kid to go away! No matter what, she just came back over, and over, and over, and over…

“Where’s your book?” Hat asked as she jumped up onto the arm of Snatcher’s chair and sat down. “You’re always reading, why not now? Oooh, it smells like cookies in here! Did you bake some?”

“Kid, you’re asking me too many questions right now,” Snatcher grumbled, pressing his claws against his forehead.

“Can you please just…go away? I really don’t want company right now.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t!”

Snatcher could feel himself growing more irritated by the minute. He didn’t feel right- his body was actually a bit sore, and he was feeling far more tired than usual. He didn’t need this kid annoying him right now within the confines of his own home- truly, he just wanted to be alone. For once, he didn’t even want to read. He just wanted to sleep.

“Oh, wait…you look kinda funny.”

Snatcher let out a huff and slammed his fists on the armrests of his chair.

“Kid, did you just come here to pester and insult me, or what?!” he snapped. “Of  COURSE I look funny. I’m DEAD.”

Snatcher was ready to pick up that kid and toss her out his doorway. He didn’t feel well, and this added annoyance certainly wasn’t helping anything.

“Nono, I mean your color is weird. You’re normally really purple but…you look like you’re turning blue,” Hat said as she placed one of her small hands on Snatcher’s.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Blue? Kid, I already told you, blue doesn’t suit me,” Snatcher groaned, pulling his hand out from underneath Hat Kid’s. With claws still pressed to his forehead, he slipped out his doorway, and looked down at the mote that surrounded his home.

Sure enough, what Hat Kid had said was true. His cheeks were turning a dark blue hue. That had certainly never happened before.

Hat kid stepped over to the ghost, careful not to fall into the water.

“Maybe you’re sick. Can ghosts get sick?”

Snatcher shook his head.

---

That morning, Vanessa had seemed a bit off. She was fidgety, and frustrated, and far more clingy than usual. When the Prince had sat down at the table, he had noticed his darling Vanessa staring at him intently as he went to take a bite of his food.

It had been as if she were waiting for something, the Prince had thought.

After taking a nervous swallow of his first bite of bacon, he tilted his head and said,” Vanessa, dearest…is there something the matter?”

Vanessa slowly shook her head, smiling.

“Oh no, nothing. I was just thinking is all. Does your breakfast taste good this morning, my prince?”

The Prince nodded and smiled. Vanessa smiled back, almost to the point where it gave her dimples. For some reason, this had unnerved him.

Later that day, the Prince began to feel ill. He had needed to go to the Royal Library to get some of his things before he would leave to go abroad for his studies, however, instead, he ended up almost completely bedridden.

The vomiting had been incessant, so much so that he had needed to keep a chamber pot in his room, next to his bed. Vanessa had stayed by his side, stroking his hair and rubbing his back each time a wave of illness hit him. She barely left him alone…she refused to.

The Prince found this endearing and kind of her, considering that he was such a dreadful mess. That is…until one night as he slept alone, he heard a few of the servants talking about how Vanessa had insisted to be the one to cook his breakfast the very morning he fell ill.

She never cooked. She was a queen. Cooking was the job of the castle’s chef. However, for whatever reason, that morning…she had suddenly decided that she would do it.

The realization struck the Prince’s heart like an icy barb. Without warning, tears had stained his cheeks. Vanessa had done this to him. She was mad at him for loving his food so much, and maybe even for insisting on getting an education.

Those thoughts stung him as he sat up in bed, wiping his eyes. What was he doing wrong…? Vanessa’s mental state seemed to be getting worse by the day, no matter what he did, and now…she was beginning to turn on him.

Sniffling, the Prince leaned over the bed and wretched. Getting worked up and crying had only upset his stomach even worse.

In a few minutes, Vanessa had appeared by his side in the darkness.

“Oh no, my prince…you’re being ill again. I’m so sorry you’ve been feeling so dreadful,” she cooed, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.

The Prince had shrunk back from her touch. His face had become as white as a ghost’s as he gazed at her. He could have sworn her eyes had glinted red in the moonlight in that very moment.

“What? What’s wrong?” Vanessa gasped.

“I…I..um, I don’t want you to see me like this, p-princess. Please, leave me to do this alone,” the Prince had said, stumbling over his words before wiping some sweat from his forehead. “Please I…I don’t want to give you nightmares, my dear.”

Vanessa must have been able to see the fear in his gaze, because in seconds, her eyes grew hollow and dead. She knew that he knew what she had done to him.

The Prince swallowed hard as Vanessa stared at him in silence. A few tears streaked down her cheeks, and she turned away.

“I’ll leave you alone if you want me to,” Her voice had been dripping with ice.

And with that, Vanessa vanished into the darkness, and shut his door behind her. The Prince did not sleep that night, and never would get a good sleep in that castle ever again. He simply lied there in the dark, moonlight pouring through his window as pale as dry bones.

---

Snatcher swallowed hard. He was shaking as his claws gripped at the edge of the dock. His chest felt as if it were ready to explode after recalling that awful memory.

He found himself staring at his reflection in the water. He stared menacingly at his shaking form. He couldn’t believe he was allowing himself to be so weak. He was absolutely furious about it.

Don’t be weak, he hissed to himself. You have a forest and inhabitants to protect. How DARE you be this weak.

The angrier Snatcher got, the more sick he began to feel. After a few moments of stewing over those memories, and letting that hurt and anger build, that pain and nausea he had been feeling finally hit its breaking point.

Digging his claws into the dock and propping himself up with his long arms, he arched his back and threw up bits of bacon, and quite a bit of  bioluminescent blue goop. However, this time, it was much more than before. The sky rumbled angrily with thunder as pink lightning began to steak across the clouds.

Once again, it seemed that Subcon itself was stressed over the fact that its guardian was aggressively ill.

Snatcher stared down at the blue goop that was now spread across the top of the water in horror as it began to separate itself into what appeared to be the shape of blue flames. The lights of those who had passed on…and then had been swallowed by Snatcher, himself.

Yes, the ghost was vomiting entire souls, and quite a few of them.

Snatcher could barely think or even speak. The gagging simply refused to stop as it felt as if some sort of invisible string was being pulled tighter and tighter around his waist. He felt as if something was trying to tear him right in half!

Involuntary tears slipped down his face at the feeling of such severe pain. He hadn’t felt it in so long. This was terrible, and to make matters worse, he couldn’t get himself to stop spitting up souls. He was losing his power…and rather rapidly!

However, everything stopped the moment Snatcher felt something touch his back. It was as if time itself had stopped.

It was Vanessa there trying to comfort him again- the twisted witch! Snatcher just knew it!

“Don’t touch me, Vanessa!!” Snatcher shouted in a voice as loud as thunder before smacking whoever had been touching him off of the dock, and straight into the water below.

In an instant he heard a cry…but it wasn’t Vanessa’s. It was Hat Kid’s, instead.

The small girl was now covered in muck and was fighting to break free of the terrible hands that grabbed her the moment she hit the mud.