14 December 2023, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2221: Sinister Jack

This post was inspired by today's 5-minute writing prompt in Freewriters - 14 December 2023, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2221: bronze box

This one is very much a children's cautionary tale. Enjoy !

Image created by AI in Nightcafe Studio

Johnny Smith was a little brat. By the age of 10 he had already worked out that all he had to do was throw a tantrum and his parents would get him anything he wanted no matter the cost.

Every day on the way to school he passed the antique shop. One day he saw in the window a bronze box. In cursive script on the front it said "Creepy Jack" and Johnny knew he wanted it.

When when he got home from school he told his parents to buy him the box.
"How much is it ?" asked his mother. "Only two hundred and fifty pounds," said Johnny.

"How much ! We can't afford that !"

Johnny promptly threw himself on the floor screaming and shouting; a proper tantrum. Defeated, his parents dug into their savings once more and bought the box.

As Mr Smith passed the money over the next day, Miggins the antique shop owner told him to check the rhyme on the back and heed it's warning carefully.

The rhyme was inscribed in small script on the back of the box. Just a small piece of doggerel verse. It read;

Jack is sleepy,
He likes to doze.
Wake him before lunch,
And he'll break your nose.

Johnny of course completely ignored the rhyme.

Early the next morning his parents heard screaming. Rushing into Johnny's room they saw him clutching his face, blood everywhere.

The box lid was open and Jack, the sinister bronze inhabitant of the box was bouncing around on the end of his spring with a very satisfied and evil smile on his face.

That was the day Johnny started to realise that the world didn't entirely revolve around him and his wants.