Today we are featuring Inklings Book Contest 2019 finalist, Mohammad Ali Kazmi! Mohammad finished 4th grade this past school year. The story he submitted is called “The Baby”
The Baby
by Mohammad Ali Kazmi
Chapter 1
Attack of the mutant baby alien from Mars! Just kidding. My name is Stein, and I’m about to tell you the scariest story of my life. I was playing with my toys, waiting for my baby brother to be born. I wasn’t worried about the responsibilities of having a baby brother. I mean, of course I had to change diapers, but so what? The thing I was worried about was that he would be annoying. I mean, have you ever seen those TV shows with super annoying babies. They cry, whine, and take your toys. That’s exactly what I feared.
The day of his birth, I looked out my window and saw my neighbor’s creepy lawn ornaments. A few of their lawn ornaments were garden gnomes, abominable snowmen, ventriloquist dummies, etc. I ran downstairs to ask my grandma, who was watching me, to ask when my parents would come back home.
“Grandma,” I asked, “when will Mom and Dad be home?”
“Well, they should be here right now,” said Grandma. Ding Dong!
“They’re here!” I said, as I ran to see the new baby.
“Told you,” called Grandma as I ran off. Typical Grandma. Always right about everything. I got to the door, opened it, and my mouth dropped.
Chapter 2
Mom and Dad looked the same as always, but the baby didn’t look normal. He had red hair, red eyes, and red nails.
“Mom, Dad?” I asked, “did you put nail polish on his nails?”
“No,” said Dad. Now this is creepy, I thought.
“I know, I’m concerned too,” said Dad, as though he were reading my mind. Now I was really concerned.
“I’m going up to my room,” I said, shuddering. I was running so fast to get away from the baby, I didn’t even realize when Grandma asked me if I wanted a cookie. I know, I’m a chicken. When I got to my room, I went straight to my dummy Snappy.
How I got Snappy is a strange tale. I was just writing a story about a very nice dummy who gave the whole world candy, but I couldn’t think of a name, so I went outside to think of one. And then that’s when I saw him. He was just sitting there. I ran over to him, and there was a paper in his pocket. I pulled it out and the paper said, ‘Hi, my name is Snappy. We’re going to be best friends,’ so I ran inside and asked Mom and Dad if I could keep Snappy. They said I could. Thanks to Snappy, I named the dummy in the story Snappy, and thanks to him, got an A+.
I was talking to Snappy when Dad asked me if I wanted to go to the library. I told him I did, and when I got down stairs and into the car, I heard a scream. I got out of the car and ran to where I heard the scream. When I got there, I saw Grandma on the floor.
Chapter 3
“Grandma why are you on the floor?!” I asked, my teeth chattering.
“Your baby brother turned big, as big as your Dad and bit me, and now I’m turning a little red,” said Grandma in a faint voice.
“Mother, you must be imagining things. Go to bed and relax,” said Dad, holding the baby in his arms.
“Okay, but I’m telling the truth,” said Grandma.
“Stein, go to the car and wait,” said Dad. I nodded and went back to the car. I sat in the car, and a few minutes later Dad came out and strapped the baby in his seat. On the way to the library, the baby glared at me, as if saying, ‘you’re next,’ but I sort of have a wild imagination. When we go to the library, Dad told me to go on without him and he would come soon. I nodded and went in. I found a book about terrifying beasts on Earth. I flipped through the pages and found a page that caught my eye. It said, “In some families, a mutant alien baby from Mars comes to Earth. This baby can be aggressive and can hypnotize adults, but children are immune. This creature can also stretch to six feet long. Its goal is to rule Earth and bring its other friends, so they can live here as well. If you ever encounter this creature, run, for there is no known way to stop this beast. Also, this beast has red hair, red eyes, and red nails.”
Oh, my gosh! I thought. My baby brother is a mutant baby alien from Mars! I must go tell Dad. I ran to the front of the library and found Dad reading a book. Even though the book Dad was reading was covering his face, Dad looked a little different. I ran up to him and said, “Dad, my baby brother is a mutant alien from Mars!”
“I know Stein, I know,” said Dad as he revealed his face. What I saw made me gasp.
Chapter 4
I screamed. I screamed so loudly that everyone in the library turned to look at me. The thing I screamed about was that Dad was hypnotized by the baby! I could tell because he looked exactly like the baby.
“L-l-let’s go home now, Dad,” I said, stuttering. Dad nodded, and the baby nodded as well. Oh, I get it, I thought, the baby controls them to do the same thing he is doing. On the way home, Dad bumped into a lot of things, probably because the baby had no idea how to drive. When we got home, I ran inside.
“Mom– oh no!” Mom and Grandma were hypnotized as well! I wanted to scream and run in that moment as well but I held it back.
“Yes, Stein?” said Grandma and Mom in unison.
“Nothing,” I said, and ran super-fast all the way to my room. When I got there, I shut the door so loudly I thought the door would break, but I didn’t care. I was so freaked out. I ran over to Snappy to talk to him.
“Snappy,” I said, “I’m so freaked out.”
“I know how you feel, Stein,” said a raspy voice.
I screamed, “Snappy was that you?” I said in a quiet voice.
“Nope, not Snappy. I’m just a random stranger. Of course, it’s me!” said Snappy. Snappy jumped off my lap and did a little dance to prove he was real.
“But how is this possible?” I said.
“Let me tell you my story,” said Snappy. “Your baby brother’s kind made me and many others. We thought we were going to be treated like royalty, but that was not the case. Instead, they made us slaves, until one day, I saw my chance. The aliens were making a spaceship to go to Earth. The night before the day they were going to Earth, I used the rocket to flee to Earth and hopefully find a human that could help me, and that human is you.”
“Me! What can I do?”
“I don’t know kid, but the point is, are you in or not?”
I had to think about this for a long time until I finally said, “Yes.”
Chapter 5
“Okay, but before we start, you have to meet the rest of us,” said Snappy.
“Wait, there’s more of you?” I said. The ground started shaking, and then all our neighbor’s lawn ornaments started walking toward us like an angry mob.
“Okay, now that everyone’s here, let me tell you the plan,” said Snappy. “We have to make a book about what’s happening, and then we open the book and trap your baby brother forever, unless you intentionally want to let him out.”
“Okay, then let’s get typing.” I started walking toward my desk when I realized a problem. “Um, guys? I don’t have a computer,” I said.
“Don’t worry. I can use my magic to bring us a computer,” said Snappy.
“Oh, okay. Wait, you can use magic?!” I cried as Snappy started saying the spell to conjure up the computer. In a few seconds Snappy made one appear.
“Okay, let’s get typing.” After a few minutes I was done typing. “Finished!” I cried.
“Finally! I thought you would never finish,” said Snappy. A few ornaments laughed. I didn’t find it funny, but I fake laughed anyway. “Now, let’s go catch a baby.”
“Yay!” cried everyone.
Chapter 6
“Okay,” said Snappy. We were outside and everyone in town was hypnotized. “Since everyone is hypnotized, that means the baby must be somewhere in the middle of town, probably a tower or a building. So, kid, where’s the nearest tower that’s in the middle of town?”
“Hmm. Let’s see,” I said. I thought about it for a while and then I got it. “Sky Bridge Skyscraper. That’s the tallest tower, err, skyscraper in town.”
“Okay, so then here is what we do,” Snappy started. “Me and some of my other friends will stay here and guard the house, and a few of the others will follow you, kid, and then when you get to the tower, most of the people will be guarding it. Those of us with you will hold them off while you go up the tower, and trap that little alien baby. Got it?”
“Sort of,” I answered in an angry tone. Why does Snappy keep calling me kid when I’ve told him my name a thousand times when I thought he was an ordinary dummy, I thought. I was still lost in angry thoughts when Snappy said:
“Okay, then let’s put our plan into action.”
I came back to my senses and nodded. It was time for the most dangerous moment of my life.
Chapter 7
The group of lawn ornaments and I went out of our hiding spots. We were heading towards the tower. We had to dodge all the hypnotized people. When we got to the tower, there was no way we could dodge them. We needed a distraction, so I ran out from behind a bush and said, “Bet you can’t catch me!” in a sing-song voice.
“Look! There is the kid I want,” said all the townspeople in unison.
“Get him!” said a voice that I was pretty sure was my baby brother’s actual voice not just his minions.
“Now!” I cried, and then all the lawn ornaments jumped out and made a wall around me so I had a straight path to the skyscraper. I ran up all the stairs until I saw him, my baby brother.
“Hello, Stein! I’m glad you could join me,” said the baby in a cheery voice. And then his expression turned serious as he said, “Now let’s talk hypnotism.”
“Never,” I said. I was about to open the book when WHACK the baby slapped the book out of my hands.
“You have to try better than that you know,” he said, chuckling. So I kept trying but I had a chill down my spine, because I still remembered my baby brother’s creepy laugh, until:
“Oh no,” said the baby. “I have to take a nap,” he said, yawning. And then all of a sudden, he was asleep. This is my chance, I thought, so I opened the book and sure enough, he was trapped. I ran all the way down the stairs and saw people confused about what was happening. When I got home I told Snappy and the others what happened
“Yes,” cried Snappy.
“Yes, what?” I asked.
“Now me and my friends can finally rule Earth,” cried Snappy in a happy voice. Oh no, I thought, Snappy and his friends tricked me, and then I had an idea.
I grabbed the book, and said, “There’s only one way to stop you.” I opened the book, and Snappy and his friends were absorbed in the book. I sighed. I dropped the book and went into my house, into my room, and in my bed. And even though I saved the world, I would never have a friend like Snappy.
The End
Epilogue
3 years later
Hi, it’s me Stein again and the past few years have been… well, let’s just say that they could have gone better. Without Snappy I was so lonely and friendless. Also, I really wanted a baby brother or sister. I’m so mad and so sad that I can’t go anywhere without getting laughed at because of my crying, or getting yelled at because I’m so mad. But today, things are about to change. Today I’m going to get a baby sister and also a new dummy. I’m so excited. And then I heard it. The bell! I ran downstairs and opened the door. First I saw the dummy.
“Yes!” I cried. “I’m going to name my new dummy Mrs. Snappy, in memory of Snappy.” And I bowed my head in sadness, still missing Snappy.
“That’s cute,” said Dad. And then I saw it. The new horror! The blue horror! Blue eyes, blue hair and blue nails. This new horror’s name was:
“Babyet.”
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