Mommy’s Favorite

My mommy gave them to me for Christmas. It was the big rectangle wrapped in the newspaper under our tree. I was so happy when mommy told me it was my gift for being a good boy, because I had tried so hard to be good this year. And I think Santa finally saw what a good boy I was. And my mommy was happy too. It was a very good day.

I had lots of fun opening the present. Mommy had wrapped it with lots of newspaper. She told me she did because she knows how much her favorite little boy likes opening presents. That’s me, her favorite little boy.

I like it when mommy calls me her favorite little boy. Because then I know she loves me. I want mommy to love me because I love her. I love her lots and lots and lots. Much more than my baby sister does. She’s only two. I’m five. Which means mommy loves me three times as much… because I’m older than her. I think that’s what mommy told me.

When all the newspaper was gone, I saw that the rectangle was really a box. And when I opened the lid of the box, I saw lots of action figures. And I was so happy because stuff like this costs money and we didn’t have much money after daddy “sucked us dry”. At least that’s what mommy says when she’s drinking out of those bottles me and my sister aren’t supposed to touch.

I loved playing with those action figures. There were six of them. There was George and Frank and Lennie and Mikey and Bill and Tommy and they all slept with me. Except sometimes they fell of the bed and hit the floor and made a really loud noise and woke me up. So I would pick them up and put them back on the bed with me.

That’s when they started talking to me. They had weird voices. I couldn’t hear them, but they talked in my head. They sounded really nice. Kinda like my daddy did when I saw him in my sleep.

They told me secrets, bad secrets. Like they told me I was being a bad boy and that my mommy didn’t love me as much anymore. But they told me how to be a good boy. How I should scare my sister so my mommy could see how strong I was.

But then… then… Then one night, they told me the worst thing in the whole universe. They said mommy loved my little sister more than me. They said that I was being such a bad, horrible, terrible boy and she was such a sweet girl and my mommy had seen what a bad boy I was and she decided that my sister was her favorite. Not me. Not anymore.

I was so scared. I had to be mommy’s favorite. I was a better kid than my baby sister.

But I could be mommy’s favorite again. Tommy told me that and all the others nodded their head. I smiled sleepily. They were such good friends. They were going to help me be mommy’s favorite again.

I wanted to go back to sleep, because it was really late. The clock said it was one but I didn’t believe it because whenever it was one, it was always sunny outside. Unless there were clouds. But I opened the window and there wasn’t any sun. And there wasn’t any clouds. Frank said I had to stay awake so I could be mommy’s favorite again tomorrow. Then George said if I didn’t make mommy love me again tomorrow then it would be too late and she wouldn’t love me no more.

I wasn’t sleepy at all after that. Mikey said I had to make my sister go away. I didn’t think that would work because I still wasn’t very big so I couldn’t pick her up and put her in the trash can that was outside our front door.

I think they laughed at me when I told them that. I don’t think that was very polite of them. We’re learning about manners in school and it isn’t nice to laugh at people like when they’re saying stuff.

I told them that and they said they were sorry which was good manners. Then Lennie said that I had to kill her. I asked if it would hurt her. Because I don’t like being hurt so I don’t think she would like it anyway.

Mikey said it wouldn’t and that if she cried, it was good, because mommy told her not to cry so she was being a bad girl.

I was extra happy because I could tell mommy that I learned a new word: kill. She likes it when I learn new stuff. Says I’m a smart boy.

Bill was quiet so I asked him what was in his mind. And he told me the biggest thing of everything. How to kill my sister.

It was very easy and it wouldn’t hurt her and mommy would love me more.

The main thing, he said, was to keep going until she stopped crying. Because that was when she was such a bad girl, she couldn’t be any more badder.

Then they all said I should go to sleep.

When I woke up in the morning, I was really excited. My mommy had gone out for her walk and my sister was watching the television in mommy’s bedroom. I ran into the kitchen and opened the drawer and got out the scissors with the black handles. Mommy had told me not to touch them but Lennie said it would be okay but just this time.

I walked to mommy’s bedroom. It smelled good. Mommy always smelled good. I love mommy.

My sister was in her crib, but I was a big boy, and I could get her out. Mommy said I shouldn’t but Lennie told me it would be okay, just like the scissors was okay.

“Hi, Ashley! Mommy loves me more, is that okay?” I loved my sister. She was very small and looked like a pretty doll.

I put the scissors in her chest. It was easy. Bill and Mikey said it might be hard so I might have to push hard. I laughed. They were silly. I was a big boy.

She started crying like they told me she would. I shook my head like mommy did when she wasn’t happy. “You’re being a bad girl, Ashley. A bad girl. Mommy doesn’t love bad girls.” I pulled the scissors out and stuck it back in again. A lot of red stuff splattered out. It looked like ketchup, but it didn't smell like ketchup. I felt like a bad kid. Mommy had given me a big bath last night and now I needed another one.

She stopped crying very quickly. I only had to push it in four times. I can count all the way up to twenty.

I heard mommy run in the house and up the steps.

And then I saw her in the doorway.

“Aaron!” She looked very scared. I don’t know why.

“Hi, mommy, I’m sorry I made a big mess, but you love me more than Ashley now, so I’m your favorite. I’ll help pick up all the ketchup.”