Tiki Man
By Kay-lin Kimble
Copyright ©2016 Kay-lin Kimble
Cover Art by Kay-lin Kimble
Proofreading by Tieckey Niemand
Susanne's mother had dropped her off at Linda's house for an afternoon play date.
She presented the child to Linda, “Hello...” She said innocently before running off through the house where she met up with Dean,
“Hello Susie.” He smiled
“Hello!” She said excitedly.
“Come on, let's go play!” He said before dashing up the staircase like a wild animal.
Susie dropped her backpack and bolted after him, their stomping feet echoed up the stairs and across the hallway to Dean's room.
“What you wanna do?” Susie asked, with her hands behind her back, swaying slightly from side to side.
Dean had already made himself comfortable on the character superhero themed mat, clanging large building drops together even though they didn't fit.
“Can I play?” She asked sincerely, watching the boy play on his own.
“No!”
“But why not?!” She moaned.
Dean glanced under his bed and then back at Susie, “Because this is a boy's game!”
Susie pouted and sat down in the middle of the doorway, sulking for a moment when she looked back into the hallway trying not to cry.
“Do you wanna see something cool?” She asked him trying to spark his attention even though her arms were still crossed.
“What is it?” He looked up quickly.
“It's a secret!” She said, pulling her nose up.
“Come on! I wanna see it! Please! Please!” He begged as he tugged on her arms trying to break her will and pose.
“Alright! Alright!” She said as she fought him off, pushing him over backwards onto his toys.
Susie left the room to go downstairs and retrieve her backpack whilst Dean sat half-lying in the corridor anticipating her return when he heard her footsteps drum eagerly up the staircase when he quickly retracted his head into the room as if to bluff that he weren't in the least bit eager. Susie came in and untangled herself from the backpack, dropping it on the mat before kneeling down behind it and tugging at the straps to shift it closer towards herself. Dean promptly scrambled to his knees and drew closer as the excitement grew. Susie unzipped the bag and reached in whilst Dean leaned in eagerly to try and catch a glimpse of whatever it was. After searching in the bag for what felt like an eternity, Susie hauled out a long wooden box, something that resembled a single bottle of wine case. It was nothing fancy to behold, just a weathered brown box, in the middle of fading.
“What is it?” Dean questioned, his eyes widened with enthusiasm.
“It's a Genie!” Susie replied excitedly.
“You're lying! It's just a box.”
“No it's not!” She yelled back, shaking the box slightly so her companion could hear there was something inside.
“Then open it!”
“No!”
“What's so great about a box anyway?” He asked sarcastically before turning his back on Susie to continue to play with his toys.
“Ask it anything!” She called out to him in a last ditch attempt to regain his attention.
Dean looked over his shoulder at her and then the box that was still clutched tightly in her grubby little fingers.
“Huh?” He asked as he dragged his knees around to face her again.
“Ask it anything! It tells the truth! Really, it does!” She said as she set the box down on the floor.
“Okay?” He said as he bent forward to take a closer look at it.
“What's my name?” Susie called out to the box.
There was a short pause before the box whispered back, “Susanne.”
“Whoa!” Dean said before they both giggled for a short time.
“Okay my turn!” Dean hollered excitedly before grabbing the box and turning it towards himself, not knowing which way was the front.
“Okay box, what's my name!?” He asked with a large smile on his face, bobbing up and down eagerly when the box replied.
“Dean.”
The two giggled again.
“Where did you get that?” Dean asked with awe in his voice.
“I don't know, I just found it.” She shrugged.
“Why is it a Genie?”
“It says it lives in the box.”
“That's stupid! Genie's live in lamps.”
“Maybe there's a lamp inside?” Susie questioned aloud.
“Genie, what is your name?” Dean asked innocently.
There was a pause, it appeared as though the box wasn't going to answer when Dean asked again, finally it replied, as if it were hesitant to tell.
“Tiki Man.” It said calmly.
“Tiki Man? What does that mean?” Susie asked Dean but he shrugged, pouting his bottom lip and raising his eyebrows momentarily.
Linda knocked on the bedroom door.
“Is everything okay in there?” She asked, pressing her hand against the door.
“Yes!” They replied.
“Who are you talking to?”
“Our toys!” Dean yelled back, sitting up straight.
“Okay well keep the door open.” She said as she turned the handle, peaked inside at the two awkward kids and left the door half-way open before leaving.
“You can't tell anyone about the Tiki Man.” Susie threatened Dean.
“Okay, let's play some more!”
Susie smiled, she enjoyed the company of this box, more so being able to share the joy with her friend. Until she showed Dean, the box has been kept a secret for roughly a week which felt like forever for a elementary school child.
“What's my favourite colour?” Dean asked, tossing himself around like a monkey.
“Blue.”
He giggled, holding his hands to his mouth before gasping childishly. Dean asked another question, getting drunk on excitement.
“Is there a monster under my bed?”
There was a long anticipated wait before the box responded.
“No.”
“Okay, okay! Is there a monster under my bed?” Susie asked, just as a joke.
The box paused as if it seemed to be calculating the answer.
“Sometimes.”
“That's not funny!” She yelled, backing up, with the look of fear apparent on her face.
“Hooooh!” Dean giggled, waving his fingers in the air like a ghost.
“It's not funny Dean!” She whined pushing him over onto his back.
“Ow Susie! That hurt!” He yelled back, holding his arm as his eyes began to mist up.
“Tiki Man, is Dean a baby?”
The box replied with, “No.”
Dean quickly took it upon himself to show his distaste in the question by pulling a tongue at her, still clutching his arm.
After some commotion, Linda came in and confiscated the box as it had caused a great deal of distress and tension between the two kids. It was almost certain she had to pry them off of each other with a crowbar. After a great deal of scolding, Linda left the two unaccompanied in Dean's room once again.
She went downstairs and placed the box on the kitchen counter and began inspecting it to see what all the excitement was about.
“It's a wine box...” She whispered to herself as she fiddled with it.
Suddenly she heard a noise from the front door like someone kicking it in, the sudden sound startled her, causing her to accidentally knock the box off the counter. The box plummeted to the ground and split open like a peanut allowing something to roll out along the floor. As Linda made her way to the front door, Dean and Susie crept down the stairs, intrigued by the loud bang of the door.
T
he two stood in awe of a dark, elongated figure, placed half way between the door and the broken wine case. As Dean clutched the banister in fear, Susie yelled out as if she recognised the being.
“Tiki Man!” She called out in joy when the creature turned its attention towards the kids, its flaming red eyes locked on them like a bird of prey locking onto its target before taking the plunge.
It was mere moments later when the police arrived on the scene. Some neighbour informed them of some form of domestic disturbance. The red and blue lights lit up the white walls and lush lawn as a man climbed out the drivers seat, followed by a woman with tied back hair.
“I got a domestic disturbance over on Pearce Street.” He said calmly into the radio before spitting his faded pink bubblegum on the lawn and approaching the entrance.
His partner rolled her eyes at him before fixing her gaze on the front door which had been just about shattered.
“Forced entry.” She said glancing over at him as they both drew their weapons and entered slowly.
“Hello? It's the police! We got a call about domestic disturbance!” He yelled out shifting his shoulder from side to side, ultimately swinging his gun too.
His partner noticed the mess as she inadvertently stepped in something clear yet sticky. She lifted her foot and groaned as the snotty substance stretched from the floor, clinging to the underside of her foot.
“Hey Jane! Check this out!” He yelled from within the kitchen.
Jane quickly forgot about the gunk below her boot, slipping as she stepped forward but managing to regain her footing before following the call of her partner. The call lead her into the