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Blinky watched over the whole town of Hatchetfield from the safety of his home in the Black and White; his thousand eyes saw everything. The tiniest flea couldn’t escape his gaze - not that they knew him well enough to try - so he could just watch in peace.
His eyes were currently set on a young Alice Woodward. The eighteen-year-old girl was humming a tune to herself as she worked on her latest musical project: a comedy story about a vampire that she wanted to submit to a contest. Blinky didn’t particularly care what the story was about; all he cared about was that this girl was his favorite.
He wanted her to visit his little amusement park. He wanted to see her face when she saw the Sniggles in their own little musical performance. Surely she would love it! And if not? He couldn’t exactly say what he would do. All he could really figure out was that he wanted her.
Why was he waiting? He was an eldritch god! He could just snatch her up and carry her away if he wanted to. The idea became more and more appealing the longer he thought about it.
The only problem with that was getting her to summon him.
The big party was being held in the old Waylon Place. Alice was a senior that year. That meant she had early access to the building with all the other seniors. She was there as early as she was allowed to be and quickly set about exploring the building.
There was a book on the floor. Black leather bound tattered yellow pages together. A white pentagram glistened on the front and peaked her curiosity. She flipped it open to a random page. A large eye glared at her. She felt a shudder go down her spine at the sight of the yellow cornea and the bright purple iris.
“What are you?” She asked the book. She knew full well that she wouldn’t get an answer; she still had to try.
There was a caption under the image: “Bliklotep. The Watcher With a Thousand Eyes.”
“Huh. Bliklotep is an odd name.”
The wind started to whip around her in an instant. She ran to check the windows but found that they were all closed. This wind wasn’t natural. Her eyes widened as the realization set in.
An eye appeared on the wall of the abandoned house. She let out a blood-curdling scream and stumbled back.
A cackle rang through the air - a disembodied voice that could’ve only come from the eye. Right? But how was that possible?
“Alice!” The cackle turned into a childish giggle as a human - not a human? - stepped out from behind the wall. “I’ve been waiting to say hi to you!”
The strange creature wore a purple hoodie with pinkish fluff on the stomach of it. Alice figured that was used as a pocket. Its hair was a couple shades of neon orange. It wore shiny purple pants and purple platform shoes that any of the girls at school would have died for.
Alice had to shake herself from a daze. “Who are you?”
The creature laughed. “I am Bliklotep! Blinky’s my name. Don’t you remember summoning me?”
“I didn’t summon you! You’re lying to me!”
“I wouldn’t lie to my friends! You’re just being a silly little girl! You’ll understand better if I take you home.”
Blinky scooped her up in his arms and disappeared from the house.
Alice felt as if she was in a dream. The walls seemed to spin around her in some strange void. The lights flickered. They started off slow but grew ever faster as time went on. She wasn’t exactly sure how long it took them to reach the endless expanse of darkness. All she knew was that it was too long. And she didn’t know how to get home.
“Where are we? What did you do? Let me go!”
“And why would I do that? You belong to me now. You’re going to be kept here whether you like it or not.”
Alice felt her heart sink into her stomach. She was a hostage with no way home and no way of telling her dad where she was. Her dad. He’d be devastated.
“You have to let me go home. It’ll kill my dad if I’m not there.”
Blinky simply cackled unsympathetically. He clearly found the thought of Bill dying to be a funny thing. “He’ll be fine! I’ll keep a close eye on him for you.”
She didn’t trust that. She didn’t really have a choice at the moment but to lie down and play dead; that didn’t mean she had to enjoy it. “And you’ll tell me if anything happens to him?”
“I’ll tell you. Cross my heart and hope to die!” He cackled again.
She must have been missing a joke in there somewhere. What did he find so funny? “Okay… You’re a bit weird. What are you? Why were you just a giant eye in that book? How was I able to just summon you out of nowhere? Why did you kidnap me?”
“So many questions! You’re a curious little girl. I’ll answer your questions for you. I’m Blinky. I’m one of the Lords in Black. My brothers and I rule over Hatchetfield from our home up here. This is the Black and White. That book you summoned me with is the Black Book. It has all sorts of fun spells in it that my brothers and I have used to manipulate humans for ages. As for why I brought you here?” He ran a hand through her luscious hazelnut locks. “I’ve been watching you for a very long time. You’ve always interested me more than the other humans. I thought sure we’d never get a chance to meet. But here we are. You’re in my home now. And what a pretty little prisoner you make.”
She backed away. She was dealing with an eldritch god. There was no way anybody could save her. Her dad couldn’t save her. Deb couldn’t save her. Nobody would ever find her again. She sank to her knees with a sob.
“Don’t cry. I’ll take good care of you, at least.”
She didn’t trust him. She looked up at him with a vicious glare; her gaze could cut through diamond. She couldn’t let herself trust him.
“What’s that look for? Are you upset? Don’t be. I might be able to arrange a deal.”
“A deal?”
“Of course! We can strike a deal!” An idea hit him like a truck. “Or I can strike a deal with your dear old dad. He’s gonna have to offer up something very special if he wants his baby girl back.”
“And what is that?” Her voice was quiet and timid and practically pleading for mercy.
“Only his soul! He’ll be a pretty little Sniggle in my little musical. But don’t worry. You can visit him whenever you want.”
Her heart shattered into a million little pieces. “Just don’t hurt him. That’s all I ask.”
“Alice Woodward. That will all be out of your hands as soon as he gives me his soul. I would suggest you stop pleading now.”
“Can I at least visit him?”
Blinky beamed at the idea. Of course! This is what he had been hoping for all along! “Of course! I’m sure he’d be happy to see his little girl! Not that he’ll have any feelings besides what I give him.”
Her heart sank further. She crumbled to the ground and curled up in a ball. She was an adult. She was supposed to be brave. She was supposed to be independent. She wasn’t supposed to care this much anymore. But then why did she feel like she was about to lose her soul if her dad lost his?
“What do you say? Want me to send him a little letter?”
She nodded weakly. “Tell him I’m okay. Please?”
“And why would I do that? Hmm? I can’t tell him you’re okay because then he won’t give me what I want. He has to believe that you’re suffering. And you are suffering. I can see it in your eyes.”
She looked up at the god. He was staring directly at her with those piercing purple eyes. They seemed to view her very soul. It was a terrifying feeling.
“Send the letter! Just stop looking at me!”
He cackled. “But I can’t stop looking at you! I see everything!”
She shook her head in disbelief. “Just send the letter.”
Bill Woodward received a letter at his desk at work the next morning. That was odd. There hadn’t been anything there when he left work the day before. He picked up the paper and opened it up. His eyes narrowed as they skimmed the page.
To Bill Woodward:
I have your daughter. She’s tied up and fighting against me viciously. Yet I fear it’s of no use. She’s just wasting her energy. I can already see she won’t last much longer.
You can save her if you want to. Meet me at Watcher World at the end of your shift and we’ll discuss the deal. Don’t bring anybody else along or I’ll kill her on the spot.
There wasn’t a signature at the bottom. Bill sighed and furled up the paper before tossing it into the nearby trash can. He couldn’t just leave Alice to suffer. Now it was just a matter of getting through his shift without exploding.
Evening hit as the sun sank down in the west. Alice struggled against the ropes binding her wrists; the gag in her mouth kept her mumbling unintelligibly in protest of being held like that. Footsteps echoed on the pavement of the amusement park’s walkway. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was.
“Mm! Mmm!” She tried to call out to him.
Bill looked up at the sound of muffled screaming. There she was. There was his baby girl. He ran to save her but was stopped by a large mascot of a purple eye.
“Not so fast! You have to pay up before you can have her back.”
“But you didn’t tell me what the price is. I have my checkbook with me!”
He chuckled. “I’m not asking for much. Only… your soul.”
“My soul? But how can you take my soul?”
“I have my ways. All that matters right now is your precious little daughter. Isn’t that right?”
Alice’s muffled screams echoed as though they were surrounding him from all sides. Bill glanced over at her with a heartbroken sigh. “Fine. I’ll give you my soul.”
“Mmmmm!”
Blinky cackled wildly. The mascot costume faded away to reveal a figure with far too many eyes - a muted version of his full eldritch form.
Bill swore the world was spiraling around him. Everything seemed to shift and spin in a way that didn’t feel right but was slowly feeling more right. His thoughts slowed. His feelings faded. The light in his eyes dimmed as his soul was wrenched from his body and he collapsed to the ground.
He looked up at his new master and waited for orders. He didn’t notice the purple fluff on his arms. He didn’t notice the purple antennae sprouting from his head. He didn’t even notice the small purple dragon wings tearing through his back. He felt nothing except for utter devotion to Lord Bliklotep.
Alice screamed as Blinky removed her gag and untied her wrists. She ran to her dad with tears in her eyes. “Dad! No no no! This can’t… This can’t be real!”
“But it is! He’s mine now. But you can come visit him whenever you’d like!”
It was only about a week later that Alice paid him a visit. Her heart was heavy as she entered the park and made her way to the nearly abandoned theater. She snuck backstage without a care. There she saw Bill in a pitiful heap on the floor. He looked weak and broken. She rushed over to him. “What did that monster do to you?”
His head snapped up. His dull eyes stared at her with something akin to murderous rage. “Don’t you speak about my Lord that way! He is not a monster.”
“He hurt you… What did he do?”
“Why do you even care? We don’t know each other.”
Her shoulders deflated as it set in. He didn’t recognize her anymore. She sighed and stood up. “Because I love you. You’re still my dad.”
She turned and walked out with tears in her eyes. She was going to have to tell everyone what had really happened to Bill and why he wasn’t coming back. But that was something for another day.