Show Notes:
For our season finale, dreams really do come true.
Timothy played by Raiden Thompson.
Mom and Shadowban played by Tonia Ransom.
Written by Tonia Ransom and Raiden Thompson, with some help from Jen Zink.
Produced by Jen Zink.
Executive Producer and Host: Tonia Ransom
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All episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Join us on Patreon for as little as $1 per month to help us produce more stories for you to enjoy.
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Transcript:
Hi. I’m Tonia Ransom, creator and executive producer of NIGHTLIGHT, a horror podcast featuring creepy tales written and performed by Black creatives from all over the world.
For our season finale, we show you that dreams really do come true.
But before we get to expensive ambitions, just a reminder that all episodes are brought to you by the NIGHTLIGHT Legion. Thanks to our newest members Ciarra and Kelly. We’re working toward our goal of bringing you new episodes every week, but we need your help. Just go to patreon.com/nightlightpod to join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion and get a shoutout on the podcast. And don’t forget, our merch store is open. Just go to merch.nightlightpod.com to get your t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and more!
This year’s special is…well….a little special. I asked the NIGHTLIGHT Legion to choose a public domain short story for us to reimagine for our season finale, and they chose Don’t Think About It by William Stuart. I also decided to make this story about family, with a NIGHTLIGHT twist of course, because so many people I know have lost someone close to them in the last couple of years. My son and I wrote and performed this together, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it. It definitely brought us closer together, and my hope is that it’ll inspire you to pursue a project with your loved ones.
Ok, enough of the lovey-dovey stuff. Now sit back, turn out the lights, and enjoy our production of “Child’s Play”, written by me, Tonia Ransom, and Raiden Thompson.
CHILD’S PLAY
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – DAY
There is typing and mouse clicking. A child is playing a game on their computer. A sound plays indicating he’s lost the game.
TIMOTHY
Cheater! You’re cheating!
Timothy hits his desk in frustration.
TIMOTHY
This game is so stupid. Only idiots play it.
The computer clicks off and we hear Timothy walk away and open a door. After a moment, Timothy runs back toward us, slamming the door behind him.
TIMOTHY
Mom! Mom!
Timothy’s voice recedes as he leaves his room. He runs down the hall to his mom.
TIMOTHY
Mom.
(out of breath)
There‘s a hole in my closet.
MOM
A hole? Like a big one?
(accusing)
Did you do it?
TIMOTHY
No!
(pause)
It’s kind of big I guess. I could probably fit my hand in there.
MOM
Show me.
Dual pairs of footsteps as we follow them to the closet. A door creaks open.
MOM
Hm. So there is. I’ll call an exterminator.
(pause)
I don’t see any mouse droppings or anything chewed up. That‘s good I suppose. Just make sure you keep your room clean. No more food in here until we can get the exterminator and patch that hole.
Timothy scoffs.
MOM
No sir. We’re not doing that. Do as you‘re told.
TIMOTHY
Yes, ma’am.
Footsteps as Mom leaves the room.
TIMOTHY
(under breath)
Ugh. Might as well be in prison. Can’t do anything around here.
It‘s quiet for a beat or two, but then there’s a small rustling coming from the closet. There’s a small squeak from a mouse near us, followed by Timothy walking away, then rummaging through his toys for his Airsoft gun in the short distance. BBs roll around, and Timothy cocks the gun.
TIMOTHY
Uh uh. Time to meet your maker.
A little puff of air as the gun discharges, then the squeal of a hurt rodent near us.
Footsteps approach us. We are listening from the mouse’s POV. In the background, a faint, tiny, very rapid heartbeat, with soft whining.
TIMOTHY
Huh! Gotcha!
Clothes rustle as Timothy leans down. Timothy chuckles as the mouse squirms, slowly dying.
TIMOTHY
That’s what you get.
Timothy’s stomach growls. The mouse squeals more urgently as Timothy picks it up by the tail. Timothy takes a big whiff of the mouse.
TIMOTHY
Nuh uh. Mice kill all kinds of people. I don’t care how good it smells. I’m not eating it. I don’t wanna die.
Timothy’s stomach growls again, angry and seemingly in protest. He takes a deep breath, but this one is more to center himself than to smell anything.
A soft thunk as the mouse hits the ground when Timothy drops it.
TIMOTHY
Nope. Not doing it.
Footsteps recede and in the distance we hear:
TIMOTHY
Mom! I’m hungry!
The mouse’s heartbeat gets more erratic, the whimpering more urgent, until finally, it ceases.
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
A door squeaks open.
TIMOTHY
Here, mousey mousey.
(pause)
Where are you?
Rustling as Timothy moves toys and clothes around, hunting for the tiny creature.
TIMOTHY
Not cool for you to just disappear like that.
(pause)
Probably ran back into your hole like a little…
MOM
Timothy! Time for bed!
TIMOTHY
(under his breath)
I’m gonna make you go cold one day.
(louder)
OK, Mom!
Bedsheets moving as Timothy gets into bed. A clicking sound as he turns on his calming sound machine. A faint, deeply relaxing melody begins to play, along with a steady, strong heartbeat from Timothy. His heartbeat begins to slow, and a soft snore begins.
Something small is scratching the door of the closet. Timothy’s breathing is disrupted by the sound, but he continues to snore softly.
The scratching becomes more insistent, and a mouse squeaks. Timothy’s snoring stops and he wakes up, breathing heavily. Sheets rustle as he sits abruptly.
Another scratch, and Timothy holds his breath, completely still in the bed. The mouse squeaks again.
Soft footsteps as Timothy approaches the closet door. It creaks open.
The mouse squeaks again, and Timothy’s stomach growls.
TIMOTHY
(disgusted)
Ugh.
A crunch and high-pitched squeal from the mouse as Timothy bites into the mouse. More chewing noises, then a hearty swallow.
TIMOTHY
Hm. Not bad.
Footsteps back to bed, then rustling of the sheets as Timothy climbs back in, where he starts to snore softly right away.
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – DAY
The clicking of a computer mouse and keyboard. Timothy is playing his game again, but it’s going much better this time around.
TIMOTHY
Yes! Ha! You suck!
A fanciful sound of victory comes from the computer speakers.
TIMOTHY
Yes! Yes! My first win! Yes!
Heavy footsteps in the distance as Mom approaches Timothy’s room quickly. His bedroom door opens.
MOM
Timothy! Are you okay?
TIMOTHY
Better than okay, Mom. I won! I finally won a game! Yeah!
MOM
Really? That’s great, baby! I’m proud of you!
(pause)
Are you ready for lunch?
TIMOTHY
Nah. Not really. Not that hungry.
MOM
Wow. Really? You’re always hungry.
TIMOTHY
Meh. I guess I’m just excited about winning. I’ll grab like a snack or something later. Can I get back to my game?
MOM
Sure. Great job, again.
TIMOTHY
Thanks, mom.
Timothy queues up for another game, but exits out almost right away. Soft footsteps as he creeps toward his closet door. He slowly opens the door to keep the creak as quiet as possible.
Timothy clucks his tongue, calling for another mouse, but it’s silent. Nothing comes from the hole, and there’s nothing in the closet but silence.
TIMOTHY
Heeeere, mousey, mousey.
Timothy’s stomach growls.
TIMOTHY
Come on. Where are you?
(pause)
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
Footsteps recede as Timothy walks away from his closet, leaving the door open. The squeak of his chair as he sits back down and queues up for another game. More clicking of his computer mouse and keyboard as he plays, then a sound signaling that he’s lost this game.
TIMOTHY
Crap!
Timothy hits the desk in frustration, but before he can queue up for another game, the rattle of a rattlesnake beckons him.
He walks slowly and carefully back to the closet, where the rattlesnake hisses at him.
TIMOTHY
Oh, uh uh. Nope. Nope.
Timothy closes the closet door firmly.
TIMOTHY
Not worth it. I don’t care how many games I can win. Can’t win anything if I’m dead.
INt. CHILD’S BEDROOM – DAY – MOMENTS LATER
We cut to Timothy losing another game. He huffs, and his chair squeaks violently as he leans back forcefully. The rattlesnake beckons him again.
TIMOTHY
Okay. I can do this. I can.
Timothy is rummaging through his room, looking for something to aid him in his quest of capturing the rattlesnake.
TIMOTHY
Ah ha! Gotcha now!
Footsteps toward the closet as Timothy approaches the snake. A bang as he captures it in a container, then a squelch as he cuts off the head of the snake. Ripping and chewing follows as Timothy devours the snake.
TIMOTHY
(mouth full)
Crap. I wonder if it’s okay to eat the head. I heard once that snakes can still bite you after they’re dead.
Timothy heads back to his desk, and types out a search.
TIMOTHY
Hm. Okay, if I wait until tonight, it should be safe. Cool. Dude, I am about to be a beast at this game.
MOM
(from the distance)
Timothy! Dinner’s ready!
TIMOTHY
Ugh. Probably meatloaf.
MOM
It’s meatloaf!
TIMOTHY
I hate her.
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – DAY – MOMENTS LATER
MOM
How is it?
TIMOTHY
Fine.
(pause)
Hey mom?
MOM
Yeah, baby?
TIMOTHY
I don’t think you need to worry about an exterminator. I’ve been checking that hole and haven’t seen any critters or anything.
MOM
Well, you know small animals like that like to hide. And they prefer night.
TIMOTHY
Yeah, but I haven’t seen any poop or anything chewed up. Besides, I was thinking–maybe I can earn a little extra money by patching up the hole? I watched some YouTube videos, so I feel pretty good about being able to do a good job. Just buy the stuff and I’ll take care of it.
MOM
I dunno, Timothy. I’m not comfortable not having a professional handle it.
TIMOTHY
But I think this is a good opportunity for me to learn a valuable skill. If it doesn’t work, then we can call someone?
MOM
(pauses)
Fine. But the moment you see any animals, we call someone right away. Got it?
TIMOTHY
Yes, ma’am.
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Timothy’s closet door creaks open, and he pokes the snake head to see if it reacts.
TIMOTHY
Sweet. Totally dead.
Timothy opens his mouth and pops in the snake’s head. The bones crunch between Timothy’s teeth. Timothy smacks his lips.
TIMOTHY
Pro gaming, here I come!
He queues up for a game.
MOM
(from the distance)
Timothy! You know it’s time for bed. Get off that game!
TIMOTHY
(under breath)
God, she is such a…
MOM
Now!
TIMOTHY
Yes, ma’am.
A lamp clicks off.
TIMOTHY
Whoa…heat vision? Bro!
MOM
Timothy!
TIMOTHY
I’m in bed!
Sheets rustle, and Timothy begins to sleep soundly.
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – DAY
The sound of another victory.
TIMOTHY
Yes! 5 in a row!
A ding from the computer signals the receipt of a message.
TIMOTHY
(mumbling, reading)
Do you want to play a game?
(pause)
What? No way! Shadowban wants to play with me?
Typing during the next line.
TIMOTHY
(mumbling)
For sure, bro! Let’s go.
A sound signals that Shadowban has joined the game.
TIMOTHY
Dude. I can’t believe this. Shadowban!
SHADOWBAN
(using voice mod)
Hey, man. How’s it going?
TIMOTHY
Great! I can’t believe I’m playing with the real Shadow!
(pause)
Do you always use your voice mod?
SHADOWBAN
Yeah, man. Privacy, ya know?
TIMOTHY
Yeah. For sure.
SHADOWBAN
So I’ve been looking at your stats. You’ve gotten really good lately. Who’s your coach?
TIMOTHY
Don’t have one. Just been focusing on practicing as much as I can and checking replays.
SHADOWBAN
Cool. You ready?
TIMOTHY
Let’s go.
Gunfire from the game and clicking from Timothy’s keyboard and mouse, then the victory sound.
TIMOTHY
Let’s go!
SHADOWBAN
Let’s go!
SHADOWBAN
Nice job. You’ve got great reflexes. Work on your game sense and making more clever plays, and we could be duos partners.
TIMOTHY
For real?
SHADOWBAN
(chuckles)
Yeah. Lemme send you a friend request.
A notification comes through with a friend request.
TIMOTHY
Accepted! Thanks, man. I’ll catch you later.
SHADOWBAN
Later.
Timothy’s chair squeaks as he sits back and lets out a deep breath.
TIMOTHY
Dude. This is really happening.
There’s a scratch at the closet door. Timothy either doesn’t hear it or ignores it. A second of silence, then a more insistent scratch. The chair squeaks as Timothy sits up to hear a bit better.
The chair squeaks again. Timothy’s up and walking toward the closet door, his footsteps quiet, yet sure. A cat meows and Timothy gasps.
The closet door clicks open and the light switch flips on.
TIMOTHY
Muscles? What are you doing in here, big guy?
The cat meows again, then small, padded footsteps leave the room. A soft meow comes from the distance, as if the cat is calling for Mom.
TIMOTHY
Did you eat my dinner, cat?
Timothy rummages through the closet, hunting for a corpse.
TIMOTHY
Oh yeah! Snake vision! Nothing’s gonna hide from me.
The light clicks off.
TIMOTHY
Crap.
Timothy’s stomach growls.
TIMOTHY
Shut up. I know. There’s nothing here.
Timothy’s stomach growls again, and he closes the door forcefully. As he walks away, we hear:
TIMOTHY
Mooooom! I’m hungry!
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Timothy is snoring softly in bed. There’s a scratch at the closet door. Immediately, Timothy is startled awake and makes a beeline to the door, opening it.
A cat meows.
TIMOTHY
Muscles? Get outta here! Stupid cat. You’re eating my gaming career!
The cat meows again, then purrs. Timothy’s stomach growls in response.
TIMOTHY
No, no. You aren’t gonna be cute and rub my leg and have everything forgiven. Quit eating my food!
The cat purrs again, then a startled meow, followed by squelching and crunching. Timothy moans at the deliciousness of his meal.
TIMOTHY
(with mouth full)
Bet you won’t eat my next meal.
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – DAY
Timothy’s playing his game again. A montage of clicking and keyboard sounds, mixed with the occasional victory motif playing.
A notification comes in: Shadowban wants to play. Another sound as Timothy accepts the invitation.
SHADOWBAN
Hey, man. What’s up?
TIMOTHY
Nothing. Sup with you?
SHADOWBAN
Nothing much. Ready to clap some fools?
TIMOTHY
Always.
The victory theme plays after a montage of game play.
SHADOWBAN
Nice! You been practicing? Your situational awareness has gotten a lot better.
TIMOTHY
Yeah. Watched some videos on it last night.
SHADOWBAN
That’s it?
TIMOTHY
Well, I played a bit this morning before you got on.
SHADOWBAN
Well, I gotta say, you’re a quick learner. Geez. I’m jealous, man.
TIMOTHY
(chuckling)
Thanks, man.
SHADOWBAN
Now you’ve just got to focus on being smarter. Think about what your opponent is gonna do so you can anticipate it. You nail that, you’ll get an easy top 10 in the next tourney.
TIMOTHY
Wow. You think so?
SHADOWBAN
For sure. And to be honest, I’m excited about the idea of playing with someone that can hang with me. I think you got it, kid. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Timothy squeals as quietly as he can, but Shadowban hears him anyway and chuckles.
SHADOWBAN
For real. Keep it up. Matter of fact, my manager wants to talk to you.
TIMOTHY
What? Are you kidding? No way!
SHADOWBAN
(chuckling again)
Dead serious. Get your thinking skills up and he’s all in.
TIMOTHY
Yeah, man. For sure. I’ll start working on that tonight.
SHADOWBAN
Good. Catch you tomorrow?
TIMOTHY
Yeah. Tomorrow.
A sound indicates Shadowban has left.
TIMOTHY
Holy crap. Mom!!
Timothy’s voice fades as he continues calling out for his mom. When we catch up to him, he’s huffing and puffing from running.
TIMOTHY
Mom! I’m going pro. I’m going pro!
MOM
That’s great, dear.
(pause)
Have you seen Muscles? I haven’t seen him all day.
TIMOTHY
Huh? No. Mom! I’m. Going. Pro. Do you know what that means?
MOM
That you’ll get to play games and make money?
TIMOTHY
Yes. Lots of money.
Mom kisses Timothy on the head.
MOM
Good job, Bud. I’m really proud of you.
TIMOTHY
(slightly disappointed)
Thanks.
Timothy starts to walk away.
MOM
(louder)
Let me know if you find Muscles!
TIMOTHY
(under his breath)
Yeah. Sure.
(pause)
Too bad I can’t eat Shadowban.
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – NIGHT
Set the scene with normal night sounds and Timothy’s soft snoring.
There’s an odd sound coming from the closet. We can’t tell right away, but it’s a fox barking and making soft screams.
Timothy is startled awake, and the sheets rustle.
He groans, exhausted. The sheets rustle again as he settles back in.
The fox screams again, then scratches the door.
This wakes Timothy up: He’s up and out of bed with a quickness, running as quietly as he can to the closet.
He creaks the door open, and the fox whines.
Before the fox can even yelp, Timothy has ripped its throat out. His jaw creaks and groans as it unhinges, allowing him to swallow the fox whole with one final gulp.
Timothy walks to the bathroom, flips on the light, and turns on the water to wash his hands and face. A few splashes later, he turns the faucet off and gets back in bed.
He sighs, content that he now has what he needs to go pro.
But he can’t sleep. He tosses and turns, too excited to sleep.
We hear the sound of Timothy’s computer turning on, a bit too loudly in the quiet night.
TIMOTHY
Shhh!
Then, soft clicking as he plays the game. He wins, but the volume is muted, so there is no victory sound. Instead:
TIMOTHY
(whispering)
Yes! Yes!
The door to Timothy’s bedroom bursts open.
MOM
Timothy! What are you doing? Get in bed. Now.
TIMOTHY
Mom! I haven’t lost a game in three days. Three. And I’ve played dozens. And look. Look at this. Shadowban’s manager wants to represent me. Says he’s already got a d–
MOM
What. Did. I. Say? Get in the bed. Now. Nobody’s gonna rep you if you don’t have a computer to play on. Go. To. Sleep.
TIMOTHY
Fine.
MOM
You wanna try that again?
TIMOTHY
(reluctant)
Yes ma’am.
MOM
Thank you. Goodnight.
Timothy’s door closes.
TIMOTHY
Stupid b–
MOM
What did you say?
TIMOTHY
Goodnight. I love–
A howl echoes from behind the closed closet door, cutting Timothy off. His chair squeaks, mirroring his squeal.
Something is sniffing at the closet door, desperately trying to get a whiff of Timothy and whatever else lies outside of it.
Timothy creeps toward the closet.
TIMOTHY
What else do I need? How can I get any better?
Something whines, then scratches at the door.
TIMOTHY
A dog? Loyalty?
(pause)
Persistence?
The animal whines again, then lets out a haunting howl.
TIMOTHY
Shh! She’s gonna hear you.
The animal whines, as if it understands him.
TIMOTHY
Good b–boy? Girl? That’s good. Sh, sh, sh.
Timothy turns the knob on the door, slowly and carefully, as not to alert his mom to the fact that he’s still not in bed.
The animal whines again, this time not muffled by the door.
TIMOTHY
Good….wolf?
(pause)
Sweet! A wolf!
The wolf lets out a menacing growl.
TIMOTHY
(whispering)
Whoa! Settle down.
The wolf growls again, then snaps at Timothy. Timothy screams, then begins to gurgle on his own blood, until the only sounds we hear are of the wolf feasting on Timothy and lapping up his blood.
INT. CHILD’S BEDROOM – DAY
Birds chirp. It’s a brand new day.
Mom is in Timothy’s room, cleaning up blood and body parts, cutting Timothy into little pieces, and humming a tune while she does so.
Mom
Thank you, Timothy. You’ll last me for at least 10 years.
(pause)
Although, I have to say. I do feel bad that I got you all excited about going pro with me. I suppose at least you died happy.
A soft scratch at the closet door joins Mom’s humming.
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Thanks again to our patrons for supporting this podcast. Because of your support, listeners around the world get creepy tales in their ears every other week. If you want new stories every week, the only way for that to happen is to join the NIGHTLIGHT Legion by going to patreon.com/nightlightpod and supporting this podcast. You can also make a one-time donation via PayPal at PayPal.me/NightlightPodcast. If you’re unable to support us financially, word of mouth is the next best way to help. Give us a shoutout online on Twitter or Instagram @nightlightpod, or like us on Facebook @nightlightpod. Reviews are also a huge help, so be sure to leave a few kind words on your podcast platform of choice.
Timothy was played by Raiden Thompson.
Mom and Shadowban were played by Tonia Ransom.
Story written by Tonia Ransom and Raiden Thompson, with some help from Jen Zink.
Audio production for this episode by Jen Zink.
And to thank you for listening until the very end, we have a creepy fact for you.
There are tons of examples in the animal kingdom of creatures eating members of other species to gain some of their “powers”. For instance, sea slugs feed on jellyfish, taking their stinging cells into their own bodies, and using them as a defense. One species of firefly mimics another to attract their males, eat them, then absorb the male’s toxins to defend themselves. But people have practiced the same rituals. The Fore people ate the brains of their dead because they believed it would grant them the experience and some of the knowledge of the deceased. The practice only ceased when a fatal brain disease similar to Mad Cow called Kuru disease began to wipe out the tribe.
We’ll be back in February with a brand new season of NIGHTLIGHT.