Grandmother

*SSSNIP*

A lock of hair every night. Liam was told to cut a lock of his shoulder length brown hair, put it in a jar, and place it on a small table in his closet every night. They were never very big snips. Just a few hairs alternating sides so that it was never noticeable. He never questioned why he had to do this. He just always did what his grandmother told him to do. And every morning when Liam opened the closet door to look at the jar, it was empty. He also never asked his grandmother where the hair went. He just knew that it kept her happy and that made him happy.

Liam had just turned 8 years old last month. His favorite gift from his party was a Minecraft Lego set from his parents. His least favorite was the pair of long white socks from his Aunt Tilda. Liam was just like every other kid in the 3rd grade. He liked video games, and splashing in the mud, and playing soccer with his friends. His favorite food was pizza, and his least favorite food was split peas.

"Liaaaam! Did you brush your teeth?" Diana called from the kitchen as she was wiping up stray crumbs from making chicken and broccoli casserole for dinner. Diana didn't know about Liam's situation with his grandmother. He never thought to bring it up, and she never knew to even ask because his hair hardly changed.

"Yes mom!" he said annoyed. He hated brushing his teeth, but he never forgot, just like his nightly ritual. Liam grabbed his scissors, pulled forward a few strands of hair, cut the tips off, and carefully sprinkled them into the jar. He placed the jar in the closet and closed the door, leaving behind the product of his mysterious ritual. He got in bed and fell fast asleep.

The next morning came and went like a normal school day morning. It was a crisp Thursday morning, and the week was almost over. Liam was very excited for the weekend because it would be his first sleepover at his friend Noah's house. In fact, this was Liam's first sleepover ever. His parents were a little strict, but his mom Diana knew Noah's mom from book club, so she was comfortable enough to let him stay the night. When Liam got home from school, he kicked his shoes off and ran to the living room to play Fortnight. After an hour of play, his father came home from work and reminded Liam that if he still wanted to go to Noah's house this weekend, he'd better do his homework. Liam begrudgingly sulked to his bedroom to finish his homework on fractions. When Liam was halfway through turning ten halves into a whole number, he heard the high pitch creak of the closet door.

"Liam honey." A wrinkled hand peeked from around the door to push it open further. "Did I hear you were leaving me this weekend?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry grandmother. I forgot to tell you. I am going to Noah's. He has a big pool in his backyard and..."

"Liam. Grandmother does not want you to leave. Dear boy, I will be so lonely."

"Don't worry, grandmother. It's just for the weekend."

"But dear boy. I need my hair."

"But grandma, please! We are going to swim and watch movies! His mom is ordering pizza!" Grandmother's face grew stern. It seemed as though her wrinkles doubled. Neither wanted to budge.

Grandmother sighed. "Dear boy. I think I have a compromise. Cut all of your hair for me tonight, and you will never have to give me more hair." To Liam, that seemed like a fair deal, and he agreed to it right away.

After a messy meal of spaghetti and meatballs, Liam washed up and hurried to bed. He was too excited to get to the next day. After school tomorrow, he was going to ride the bus home with Noah and begin his fun-filled weekend away from home. But first, he had his end of the bargain to keep up with. Liam sat on the edge of his bed and pulled all of his hair to the front of his shoulders. He began to snip-snip-snip away. The job was a bit uneven and stray strands littered the bed and floor. He tried to gather up as much as he could and stuffed the jar full, strands peeking out of the top. He carefully placed the full jar in the closet and shut it away. He gave his head a pat down and a few scratches, satisfied with the job he had done. Then straight to bed he went.

Grandmother loved Liam, that's why she only asked for a few strands each night. But some things were just too important, and a night could not be skipped, so she figured she had to finish the strange task altogether. She kissed the sleeping boy's forehead before she walked into the closet for the last time. As she closed herself in, she pulled a crumbling piece of paper from her sagging bosom. In a recipe like order, she read in a steady voice.

"3 ounces of human hair, 3 bones of a bird, and 3 cuts from a cloth." She placed all the items into a large stone bowl one by one. She then picked up a stick that had been sharpened on the end and bared down hard as she slid the stick across the palm of her hand, creating a deep maroon trickle that she carefully dripped into the bowl. By morning, the process would be complete.

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"Liaaaam! Honey, it's 7:25! We're gonna be late!" Diana was rushing around the house gathering the last of her items needed for work. She walked over the Liam's bedroom door and hurriedly knocked. "Liam, are you almost ready?" Impatiently, she opened the door and walked in to find an empty bed. Confused, she looked around the room while calling out his name. She looked under the bed to no avail. "Liam, honey. This is no time for games." Diana walked over to the closet and opened the door. What she saw took her breath away. She stumbled backwards and fell, clawing her way to the wall behind her and let out a shaking scream.

The wrinkled creature in the closet paid no mind. The process was complete and all that had to be done was to slip the new skin over top of the old. It grabbed the deflated, flesh-like legs and pulled it over its own. It shimmied the child-like form around its crooked hips and stretched its dark and mangled arms into the pale-skinned suit. It adjusted the face, going from haunted lop-sided eyes to sweet cherub-like cheeks. Grandmother didn't have to worry about new skin for another century.