I remember the Christmas of 1998.  That was the day many kids, myself included, got their own Talking Tattletail.  I still remembered every word of the commercial, as it had been ingrained into my memory after repeat viewings.  Even almost 19 years later, i could still hear the obnoxious voice of my Tattletail begging to be brushed for the umpteenth time as I went through my basement, looking for junk to sell.  I was down to the last box, when i heard a quiet sound, like laughing.  It almost sounded like… “Tattletail?”  I opened the box to find the happy smile of my old Tattletail looking up at me.  Even after all these years, he was still online.  I marveled at Waygetter Electronics’ resilient batteries for a moment, but it wasn’t long before he spoke up.  “Tattletail miss you!”  I was shocked at first.  Tattletail had one hell of a memory, even close to two decades later. Sorting through junk could wait.  I picked up my long-lost friend and headed upstairs to the kitchen, as he had already started his nonstop begging for food, as he always did.


“Only a few minutes”, I told myself.  By a few minutes, i think my brain meant several hours, as night had fallen by the time i remembered the basement.  I sat Tattletail on his charger and went to clean up the mess.  I was nearly finished when i spotted something i never remembered owning.  A large, brown tattletail with a tape player in its belly.  “I don’t remember having you…”  I opened the tape slot to find there was already a tape loaded in.  Curious, i pressed the Play button to listen to what it was, and the large Tattletail’s 90s-era mechanisms began to grind to life.  I sat down and listened, and the tattletail began to speak.  “Once upon a time, there were three Tattletails.  Butternut, Snowglobe, and Nightnight.  Butternut loved getting into trouble, and always carried his egg with him…”  The story went on to tell about the Tattletails being taken away from their Mother, who i now realized was the brown tattletail telling me the story.  The story was about to end, so i stood up to go back upstairs to my own Tattletail, but the story’s ending caught me off guard.  “The moral of the story is….”  there was a pause, accompanied by the sound of grinding plastic gears.  Her head jerked sharply, and pointed my direction.  “Don;t take a mother’s baby...or you surely will not have a happy ending…”  The mama Tattletail’s head twitched back and forth like a squirrel in the cold, and spun around before switching off.  A little unsettled, i ran back upstairs and locked the basement, just in case.


I had forgotten how annoying Tattletail was when trying to sleep.  Tattletails had no off switch, so they were always aware.  I had a tendancy to sleep-talk, so Tattletail always woke me up trying to reply.  Tonight, however, was different.  Tattletail was actively telling me to wake up.  I sat up and glared at Tattletail, having been woken from a happy dream about a fox and her ribbon, but Tattletail persisted.  “Show me mama!”  I remembered the part of the commercial about Tattletails knowing when the Mama tattletail is in range of their proximity sensors, but as i left Mama in the basement, I was unsure how.  I picked up Tattletail and rubbed my eyes, stepping into the hallway.  “Mama hates you~”  Tattletail giggled.  I merely sighed.  “I hate Mama too…” i replied to him.






 I was about to open the basement, when there was an incredibly loud knock at my door that made me jump out of my skin.  I opened the door with a hefty yank.  “WHAT!” i shouted, but to my surprise, there was nobody there.  I slammed the door, getting grumpier by the second.  As i walked back to the basement to put Tattletail away, i heard the door open again, and Tattletail’s eyes looked behind me.  “Hi mama!” he peeped, and from behind me, the most terrifying voice, like the tape from Mama being played in slow motion… “Come to Mama…”  As i slowly turned to look behind me, i could hear my own pulse in my ears, the blood rushing becoming louder, like a steadily rising roar.  What i saw made my heart stop in shock and fear.  A pair of glowing red eyes glared angrily at me, above a deranged, fanged grin of murderous intentions, surrounded by a brown, egg-shaped object that made a grinding plastic gear noise.  I could have sworn it moved slightly forwards and into my house, as the haunting voice continued.  “Mama’s looking after you…”  I had to do something.  Mama Tattletail was an angry mother bear...and i had her cub.


I turned and ran, clear to the other side of the house.  As i rounded a corner, however, I was stopped in my tracks.  Mama had somehow made it there first, and was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.  “You’ll never escape!” she roared.  I grabbed the nearest object, a vase, and hurled it at Mama, hoping to stun her, but she was unaffected.  I ran back the other way, hoping to make it out the front, but before i could make it, the door slammed shut and the power went out.  Tattletail began to freak out, as he was scared of the dark.  I opened the drawer of the doorside table, and pulled out my shakelight.  I have it a good shake, and shone it around the house.  For now, i was safe.  Mama couldn’t be heard.  I slumped against the door and put my hand to my forehead.  I didn;t dare speak, for fear of being found….but that didn;t stop Tattletail.  “BRRRRRUSH ME!” he chanted.  I grabbed a simple comb from the drawer and attempted to brush him.  “No!” he shouted.  “MY brush!  Brrrrush me!”  I hadn;t found the brush yet, unfortunately.  “Tattletail, this is the best i can do. i haven’t gotten your brush out of storage yet.”  Tattletail looked upset, but fortunately agreed. 


I stood up, ready to find a way out and seek help from one of my friends, who happened to work at Waygetter a few years back.  If i could make it to the basement, i could sneak out through there.  I walked as silently as i could, carrying a few pieces of hard candy to keep Tattletail quiet. I stopped by his charging dock and sat him on it for a few seconds to charge him up.  Everything was clear, and i opened the basement door.  Every step was like i was treading through a minefield.  No grinding sounds.  I opened the doors to the outside, and sat Tattletail just beyond it.  As i began to climb the stairs, A sound like an echoing arc from a power cable made me scream, as something grabbed my leg.  Pointing my flashlight downwards, i could see Mama tattletail, with my pants in her mouth, tearing at it.  “Come to mama~” she cooed in her robotic voice.  “Not on your life” i shouted, and gave her a violent kick, like i would do if kicking a goal on my high school’s soccer team.  I heard Mama tumble away, bits of dislodged mechanical parts rattling inside her shell.  I cautiously approached Mama, as all sound had stopped.  Mama’s face was dented, and her head had become partially detached revealing cables, speakers, and gears.  Her tape deck was cracked and broken.  I raised my foot, and with a swift stomp, Crushed Mama’s remains.  She was finally gone.


I ran to my friend’s house, Tattletail in hand, not stopping until i was at her front door.  I knocked frantically, calling out to her.  “Willow!  Willow, wake the hell up! This is important!”  it took a minute, but Willow did answer.  “Chris..?  It’s the middle of the night...Why are-hey, is that a Tattletail?”  I nodded and pushed past her inside.  She looked concerned.  “You look like you saw a ghost…”  After i told her about the experience, she scratched at her chin.  “Sounds like you’ve seen..the curse.  A kid back in the christmas of ‘98 had the same experience.”  Tattletail was simply singing his little song while we talked.  Willow headed to her room.  “I’ll get some sheets for you.”  I thanked her and fed Tattletail yet another candy.  Strangely enough, Willow never returned.  I opened the door to her room, expecting her to have fallen asleep, but instead, i found her collapsed on the floor, with her throat eaten out.  I was too shocked to mourn for her.  Too shocked to notice the bite pattern.  Too shocked to notice a grinding noise behind me, the faint glow of red eyes slowly approaching, blood around a sharp-fanged mouth.  I soon realized what was behind me...


“Mama’s coming~”