Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

”I caught a glimpse of them, in the basement,” Camilo whispered to Mirabel, who stared at him wide eyed. He was always one to find things out; something he learned from Dolores.

”Really? Where?” Mirabel asked quietly. Neither noticed the youngest Madrigal eavesdropping around the corner.

“In the corner by the old T.V. There are tons of them! But Abuela forbade anyone from going down there,” Camilo pouted, crossing his arms. Mirabel shrugged, walking beside him as they headed downstairs.

”Oh well. We’ll see them soon. Christmas is only a week away,” Mirabel smiled. “And Abuela said we could open them before dinner and Church.”

Antonio beamed from around the corner. He knew what he was doing tonight.

————-

Antonio was giddy as he lay in his bed. He looked at the alarm clock near his bed; 12 am. He had been waiting for hours, lying awake. He even pretended to sleep when his mother came in to check on him. Now he could finally go downstairs.

He carefully slipped out of his bed, reaching under it for his slippers. After getting them on, he opened the door, wincing, as it squeaked at the hinges, but ultimately opened. He glanced up and down the hallway. The soft glow of his siblings and primas rooms illustrated the majority of the hall, but thankfully it was late, so he knew that no one would hear. Well, he also hoped that Dolores was wearing her earmuffs.

He crept out of the hall, careful to avoid any creaking floorboards. Unfortunately the carpets lining the hall were still drying after being cleaned…so he had to make do. 

“Antonio Madrigal, super spy,” he hummed, hopping down the stairs 3 at a time. Casita had to catch him a few tiles, the stairs shifting in worry. The boy giggled as he landed at the first floor tiles. “It’s ok Casita! I promise I’ll be careful…and quiet.” With that, he continued on his way down stairs. He walked past the dining room, which was quiet for the most part, aside from Casita shuffling a few things around.

He wasn't even supposed to be up. Certainly not to do what he was about to do. But he couldn't help it! Camilo had let it slip that he and Mirabel had found out where the adults had hid their Christmas gifts. It wouldn't hurt to open up just one gift…right? Just one. Then he'd go back upstairs and go to sleep. “Easy peasy lemon squeezy,” Antonio giggled to himself. He turned down a dark hall. He didn't dare turn on the light.

He knew where the basement was; at the end of the hall. He crept down, his small hands running against the walls as he finally reached the end. He carefully turned the knob, opening the door down to the basement. The stairs loomed below him; Casita had long since turned on the light down there, so he didn't have to worry about being able to see.

Carefully walking down the stairs (no matter how much he wanted to hop), his small feet hit the cold concrete. He shivered at the com basement air, it reminded him of his prima, Luisa's, room. He shuddered for a moment, before finally walking in further. 

It was mostly filled with miscellaneous. Arbitrary boxes, little trinkets, old clothes, shelves of random items. There was even an Ok t.v and a few boxes. There were even a few VHS tapes. Maybe he'd ask his Abuela if he could watch a movie. Antonio quickly shook his head, turning his attention back to the task at hand. The presents. He walked a little further before he saw it. Boxes and bags of presents, for all of the family. They were stacked neatly in the corner, partially covered by several plain boxes and some blankets. 

He glanced behind him, making sure no one saw him before he giggled, rushing over. “So many! I wonder which ones are mine?” Antonio whispered softly to himself. He noticed the different wrapping papers and the names written on them. He quickly noticed that a lot of the ones with his name were small animals on them. There were quite a few to choose from. He scanned them before his eyes landed on one that was on the table. For some reason he felt drawn to it.

Stepping over the others, he reached over, grabbing it and stumbling back. He sat down on the floor, his eyes wide as he shook it gently. It had some weight to it. Glancing back one last time, he carefully pulled the top off, and pulled the other box inside.

He gasped happily, kicking his legs in excitement. “A Tattletail!” He said, a bit too loudly, and he covered his mouth before smiling again. He set down the box, opening it and pulling out the toy. “Just like on T.V!” He held it in his hands, turning it around. He then frowned. Weren't they supposed to talk? Why wasn't he talking?  

“Me Tattletail! Me love you!” The toy spouted. It made Antonio jump, fumbling it for a moment. But he began smiling as he hugged it close.

“You do talk!” He smiled. He held it back. “You're kind of loud though…oh well!” 

“Hehehe,” the Tattletail giggled. Its mouth moved up and down, his eyes glancing back and forth. “Give me a treat!” 

“Hungry? Oh yeah!” He quickly stood, rushing back to the box. He flipped it around. The Tattletail could be fed, groomed and charged…so he should feed it. Walking back over, he picked it up again, to which it began to giggle and speak again.

“Give me a treat!” Its mouth moved again and Antonio quickly tried to shush it.

“Alright, alright! Tía Juli probably left some arepas or empanadas in the fridge,” with that he made his way out of the closet and back up the stairs. He glanced up towards the rooms upstairs. No one was awake; just the soft glow of the doors and the almost uneasy creaking of Casita. He shuddered a bit. Something was…off. But he didn't dwell on it long—he had to feed his new Tattletail! 

He set the Tattletail on the counter. It was quiet, though its eyes still shifted as it looked back and forth. Antonio rummaged through the fridge. He looked inside different containers, scoffing in frustration when they didn't have what he was looking for. “Where's the leftovers?” He grumbled. He scanned it once more before his eyes landed on the butter container. “Oh yeah!” He popped open the lid, grabbing a cold arepa. He slammed the fridge, picking up his Tattletail as he walked into the living room. 

Antonio's eyes widened as the food seemed to disappear into the Tattletail mouth. “You actually eat!” He laughed. He sat down in the living room, the Christmas tree was the only light, save for the soft light above the oven coming from the kitchen. He watched the Tattletail.

“Hehehehehe!” The Tattletail wiggled, and Antonio gently petted its purple fur. 

“Aw, your fur is all tangled!” Antonio glanced around. A hairbrush lay on the couch. It looked like Isabela's. “I'm sure she won't mind…” Antonio reached for it, carefully brushing the Tattletail's fur. It giggled more, glancing back and forth as its tiny tail wiggled again.

After setting it down, Antonio couldn't help the yawn that escaped him. He stood, picking up the Tattletail again. “Time for bed,” the Tattletail spoke, wiggling its tail again.

“Sí,” Antonio murmured. “Time for bed,” before Antonio could go back to the basement, he heard the sound of the front doors clicking open. 

His head snapped to the large doors. They loomed over him and he swallowed nervously. He hesitated, before walking closer. He looked around. No one. He carefully pushed open the doors. The cold winter hair hit him, and he shuddered. 

“It's dark!” The Tattletail whimpered. Antonio ignored it, looking around. Nothing. Before he went inside, he saw it. 

“An egg?” He shifted the Tattletail, before picking up the egg. “¿Qué?” An easter egg? In December? He opened it up. “Ewwww—!” Antonio nearly dropped it before he closed it again. “It was dog food. At least, that's what he thought it wasn't. But they didn't have a dog! Or…any animals.

“Hehehe,” the Tattletail laughed again and Antonio rolled his eyes before glancing around one last time, closing the doors and locking them. 

“Casita! Was that you?” The house flipped a few tiles, responding in the negative. “Weird…” Antonio muttered. 

He didn't linger long, heading back downstairs. He carefully placed the Tattletail back into its box. It went surprisingly quiet, and soon it was just Antonio as he placed the gift top back on it and pushed it back onto the table. Where…there was another egg. “¿Eh? ¿Otro?” Antonio shook his head, grabbing it. He didn't want to open it up this time.

He carefully ran up the stairs, making sure to avoid the creaky ones. But just before he went to the nursery, he heard it. Ringing. He froze, glancing down the hall near the photo wall. Right next to his Abuela Alma's room. 

He debated answering it. He wasn’t supposed to answer the phone, not by himself. But on the other hand, he didn't want to wake anyone up. Not just because he would feel bad, but also because he didn't want anyone to ask why he was awake. He finally ran down the hall, picking it up from the dock. 

“Hola, Madrigal Residence?” Antonio whispered, copying what he heard his Abuela and Papa say. 

Nothing.

“¿H-Hola?” He whimpered again, his voice trembled. “M-Madrigal…” He heard breathing. Heavy breathing. Not the kind in the prank calls Camilo would make. No, this was different somehow. It made him uncomfortable. He felt weird. He didn't like it. “I-I think you have the wrong number! ¡Adios!”. Antonio slammed the phone back down with a click, and he made a mad dash for the nursery.

He slammed the door. Casita rumbled with more uneasiness, but Antonio was too busy tryunf to catch his breath. Finally he walked back towards his bed. “I-I’m fine Casita. I promise,” he walked back over to his bed. But before he climbed back into bed, he saw it. Another egg. A blue one. He blinked, staring at it in confusion. “What the? Is this one of Camilo's pranks? Or maybe one of Mirabel's surprises…” He shrugged it off, deciding to ask them about it in the morning. He opened up the drawer of the nightstand, dumping the two eggs he collected into it before brushing the third one in.

He yawned, rubbing his eyes as he climbed back into bed. His eyes fluttered close. He dreamed about his new Tattletail, the eggs and the strange phone call. 

He had enough for one night. And for now, just for now, he would sleep.

Chapter Text

“Milo?” Antonio asked, tugging on Camilo's poncho. He looked down at Antonio, grabbing his plate and piling food onto it.

“¿Sí hermanito?” He asked, beaming at the boy. Antonio shuffled on his feet.

“Did you…did you leave plastic eggs all over the house?” Antonio asked. Camilo looked confused, handing the no his plate back before piling more onto his own.

“Eh? What are you talking about?” The older asked, biting into a tamale. “I didn't leave anything.”

Antonio followed his brother to the table. “So…the one by the front door…that wasn't you? Or the one…em…” Antonio stopped himself, biting into some eggs. No way was he gonna tell on himself, especially not in front of the family.

“I think you're just excited for Christmas Toñito,” Camilo laughed. “I'm sure it was nothing. Antonio blinked at his brother before going back to his food.

“Yeah,” Antonio mumbled with a shrug. “Prolly nothin’.”

————

Antonio blinked away his sleepiness, yawning and rubbing his eyes with small hands. He looked at the alarm clock. 1 a.m. It was way too early. But he hadn't woken up on his own accord. There was a noise. A…thumping sound. It was faint, but he could hear it.

“What the…?” Antonio slid out of bed, yawning and rubbing his eyes more as he walked out of the room, Casita pulling his slippers in front of them so his feet wouldn't be cold.

He wasted no time, following the noise. He kept going, eventually getting to the basement door. It creaked open ominously. And for some reason, he felt like Casually wasn't the one to open it. But he was safe in Casita, right? It was probably nothing. He crept closer, going further down. He reached for the light switch along the wall. It was still pretty dim, but he pushed on.

He walked in, looking around. The lightbulbs flickered, one of them going out. Antonio shivered a bit, but kept moving. Eventually he found the sound.

The washing machine. It was running. But all the clothes had been washed…so what?

Antonio reached up, standing on his toes reaching for the stop button. He just barely managed to reach it. The machine shirred to a stop, and the thumping stopped. Just before he opened the door, he kicked something. Another egg. “What?” He picked it up. He hesitated, before opening it. It was just some spare pesos. Nothing special. With a shrug, he put it in his pocket and turned back to the washing machine. Finally, he opened the door. His eyes widened. “Tattletail?”

The boy reached in, grabbing the toy. It wasn't too wet. A little damp, but it still worked just fine. “Hehehehe,” its mouth opened and closed. “Tattletail, that's me!”

The toy began singing, the words incoherent. They were garbled though. It was strange. Antonio slowly walked to the light. Its eyelids were low. Then he remembered. On the T.V., it said that it came with a charging dock. He quickly ran to the small table. If he remembered, he saw something sitting on top of it by the old T.V. And it was. A small purple station, with a little antenna sticking up.

He glanced at the tattletail before placing it on top. The Tattletail closes its eyes, going quiet for the first time that night. Then they opened. Its eyes and mouth still moved, and it sang as it started to charge. A soft hum could be heard. Antonio pressed his lips into a line. “You're pretty loud,” he mumbled. “I hope Dolores doesn't wake.” Finally it stopped singing. “Oh? Are you finished?”

Antonio picked up the Tattletail. “Hm. That was kinda fast,” Antonio smiled.

“Let's play a game!” The Tattletail erupted.

“Oh, I'm not supposed to even be awake right now,” Antonio mumbled, glancing at the empty box on the washing machine. “But I guess we could play…one game. Let's find something to play with!”

Antonio walked through the basement, walking through the dark and narrow spaces. The Tattletail babbled on, singing and giggling as Antonio searched around. He managed to squeeze past some old wardrobes, and he noticed another egg on the dry this time. He blinked, before taking it and shoving it in his pocket. He saw a vase. “Hey look! Maybe we can play a game with that!”

“Hehehe!” The Tattletail babbled. Antonio shifted the Tattletail to one arm, and rached up for the vase. His fingers brushed against it as she tried to grab it. He had almost got it when a thumb shocked him. He yelped, and he accidentally knocked the vase down. It shattered, and Antonio stumbled away. “Uh oh!”

“Uh oh is right…” Antonio muttered, reaching for the egg that rolled out. He had barely put it in his pocket when the lights flickered out. “Huh?!” Antonio looked around the room. He just saw it. Just saw it. He scrambled for the shelves nearby, feeling around. Finally he found it. The flashlight. He picked it up. He almost forgot it was one of the ones with no switch. The rattling was familiar though. He shook it with all of his might, and it lit up with a white and teal glow.

He felt his heart race and his breathing quicken as he squeezed between the wardrobes and back into the main basement area. He flashed the flashlight around the room, his eyes darting everywhere. Then he saw them. It was only for a brief moment, but he saw them.

A pair of glowing red eyes. Just past the wall in the darkness.

“Uh oh,” The Tattletail whimpered.

“Ah!” Antonio scrambled back, dropping the flashlight. There was a distinct noise, almost like his Tia's mochete; a grinding noise. The light flickered on, though he still reached for the flashlight. “Hello? Camilo, if this is a prank, it isn't funny!” Antonio looked around, the flashlight shining on everything. Antonio's breathing slowed a bit before he finally slowed his frantic movements.

“I…I'm going…” Antonio didn't even finish his sentence. He rushed back to the box as the light continued to flicker. He shook the flashlight, the clattering loud and noticeable. He suddenly became acutely aware of just how loud he was.

Finally, he got back to the box, but he kept glancing around as he fumbled with it. “Time for bed,” the Tattletail said. Just as Antonio was closing it, it said one last thing. “Mama's scary…”

Antonio was phased, before shaking his head and putting the gift no back with the others. Shaking his flashlight he rushed back to the stairs. His eyes drifted to an egg lying on a box. With a quick glance around he grabbed it. It was a gold egg. Those were good luck cause at Easter, Abuela would fill them with money sometimes. And he needed good luck right about now.

He headed towards the stairs, his hands clutching the egg. “I'm just scared, it's ok,” he muttered to himself. Grinding. That same grinding noise. It was grating. He ran up the stairs, slamming the door shut. The noise stopped. He almost started hyperventilating, but slowly calmed his breaths. He walked slowly away, still holding the flashlight. He walked past the dining room and to the kitchen, peeking through Casita's windows.

As he walked back to the main room, Casita’s tiles flipped a few times. “I'm fine Casita. I…I'm fine.” he swallowed thickly, walking past the Christmas tree. It was oddly warming. He walked past the front doors to the stairs. Then he heard more noise; knocking. On the front door.

He thought about investigating, but his mind drifted back to those eyes. In the darkness of the basement. And he didn't have much more time to linger. Casita suddenly seemed jumpy, pushing him up towards the stairs. Antonio stumbled a bit before rushing up the stairs, not even thinking twice. He had had enough excitement for the night.

He closed the door to the nursery. He yawned. He didn't realize how tired he was. He opened the drawer in his nightstand, dumping the rest of the eggs he found into it. He had been building a collection these past few nights. He climbed into bed, his legs aching as running into so many things in the basement. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was out.

He had definitely had enough for the night.

Chapter Text

Antonio jumped as he heard the sound of thunder crashing and wind whipping around. He carefully set his toys down, immediately knowing something was up with his mamá. He opened the nursery just a crack, looking out to the hallway. Pepa was storming while Felíx was trying to calm her down.

“Has anyone seen my other earring? I can't find it, and I'm going out today!” She said, looking around frantically while Felíx did his best to shoo away her cloud.

“Mi amor, it’s ok, we’ll find it!” Felíx shouted over the wind and Pepa turned to him with a soft pout.

“But those are my favorite pair. My lucky pair!” She sighed, and Felíx gently gripped her shoulders, smiling gently.

“And I promise, we’ll find them. But we should head out now, we don’t want to get there before they close,” Felíx coaxed, guiding her down the stairs. They talked a bit more, incoherent to Antonio.

He watched them leave Casita. “I wonder where Mama’s earring is,” he said quietly before shrugging and going back to his toys.

————

Antonio was jolted awake by a loud noise. A grinding noise. The same noise from last night. He looked around, seeing the nursery door ajar. He swore his parents closed them when they kissed him goodnight. And why was it so dark in the house? Usually he could see the light from the lights in the hall but now it was just dark.

Antonio twitched a bit, his fear warring with his curiosity. Alas, the curiosity won out. Slipping out of bed, he put on his slippers and grabbed the flashlight off of his dresser. He shook it, grimacing at how loud it was. Leaving the room, he kept following the noise until he finally got to where it was loudest.

“The basement…?” Antonio mused nervously. He slowly made his way down the stairs, where he didn't bother with the lights. It was almost pitch black, save for his flashlight, which he occasionally shook to keep going. “Hello? Mamá? Abuela? Lola?”

He continued to follow it when his light shined down on something. An egg. And another. He picked it up, shaking it. No noise, but it had some weight. He opened it. It looked like hair? Fake hair. He picked up the next, shaking that one. It seemed heavier, and he popped it open. He flinched, closing it. A dead beetle. He picked up the next, rattling that one. It sounded metal. He opened it.

“Hey! Mamí’s earring!” He beamed. He was about to open up the last egg when he heard the sound of music playing. But it sounded recorded, the ones that played from the record player upstairs or the VCR. He picked up the eggs, putting the rest of the eggs before putting them in his pocket and continuing forward. More grinding and a faint sound. The kind of sound the VHS made when his Tío Agustín rewinded the tapes. “Hello?”

He stopped short. His light flashed on the large object in the corner. It was a Tattletail, but…big. Over half his size. It was brown, and had a slot in the belly area. He flashed his light to the side, where the old fridge sat. It was open, and in it was a VHS tape. He shifted the light from the tape to the big Tattletail with the slot. He hesitated, but decided to pick it up and insert it. He jumped back when the head began to spin, and the music started up. He backed away, flashing the light around the room to illuminate the rest of the room. Old cribs, more boxes and a few melted candles.

Then came the voice. It was a woman’s voice, but no one he knew. It was motherly but off putting. Nothing like his Mamá voice. He froze, shining the light on the large Tattletail.

“The children thought that Mama would never find them, as long as she couldn’t see them,” it whirred. Antonio frowned, backing away more. “Turn the page.”

Antonio blinked. “P-Page?” Was this one of those book reader things he saw? He remembered when Mirabel took him to the library and instead of someone reading to him and the other kids, a record player played an audio and had them follow a book. “But there’s no—“ he was interrupted. Or maybe he was the one who interrupted.

“But Mama could still hear the children,” it went on. Antonio turned around, walking away. He could still hear it clearly. Like it was playing in his head. “The little pitter-patter of their feet led Mama right to them. Turn the page.”

Antonio left the basement, now once again aware of house loud his footsteps and flashlight were. He then heard giggling. “Tattletail?” He rushed to the sound, near the Christmas tree, where his Tattletail was seated on top of an empty laundry basket. He scooped it up.

“Me Tattletail. Me love playtime with you,” Tattletail babbled. Antonio shushed him aggressively as he walked back towards the basement, but not going down. He could hear the Big Tattletail.

“Be quiet!” He seethed.

“And Mamá found the children…every last one,” the big one ominously stated. “And put them right back to sleep.

Antonio went down, barely turning the corner. He didn’t get close, flashing the light but not moving. The music died down, and the VHS skidded to a stop. It was dead quiet. Antonio winced as he shook the flashlight. Should he go?

Taking a deep breath, he decided to go back to the big Tattletail. Maybe he could shut it off, put the Tattletail back, and go to bed. Easy. He ignored his Tattletail, frustrated at its noise but he just kept going. Finally he got back to the corner where he found the tape.

It was gone.

What was left was an egg. He picked up the egg, shoving it in his pocket and glancing around nervously. “W-Where did it go?”

His Tattletail’s eyes shifted back and forth, almost in a frantic manner. “Where’s Mama…”

Antonio stared at it. That big brown Tattletail. “Was that Mama?” He murmured. Before he could give it any more thought, he heard his Tattletail again. Something about being tired. But he didn’t want to charge it. Maybe he was just imagining that ‘Mama’ Tattletail.

“You’re going back in the box,” Antonio said firmly. He wasted no time going back to the gift table, shoving it into the box and rewrapping it, pushing it back into the gift table. “I’m going to bed,” he said, shaking his flashlight, he made his way out of the basement and up the stairs. Just before he reached the top, his flashlight went out.

He stopped, looking at it. Nothing. He heard. Grinding noise. It was so loud. It sounded close. Too close. He shook the flashlight, but it didn’t even come on. And what was worse was that the grinding was louder. He suppressed a yelp, rushing up the stairs and running to the hall. He kept glancing around. Casita was dead silent. Not a movement or anything. But he didn’t dwell on it. He rushed to hide under the stairs. The grinding was faint. He contemplated not shaking his flashlight, but he didn’ want to be in the dark. Shaking it, it lit up, and he let go of his breath and he shined it around.

“Mamá and Papá, they can help me!” He rushed upstairs, and the grinding began again, his light flickering. But once he slowed to a stop, he realized it stayed on and the grinding grew quieter. “No noise, ok,” he whimpered.

He finally made it to his mother’ door. It was…dim. Not snuffed out, but definitely not nearly as bright. He knocked. “¡Mamá! ‘Papá!” He whispered quietly, his voice cracking. He took a risk, knocking harder. “¡Mamá! ¡Ayúdame!” He shook his light. Grinding. He whimpered more, backing up against the walls. Tears well in his eyes. He was scared. So scared.

Why was the grinding there? Was…was it Mama Tattletail? Why wouldn’t she go away? Antonio was breathing hard. He had to think. “Think hard,” he said, moving quietly. “Why won't she leave? Tattletail is back in his box…” his gaze drifted downstairs, to the Christmas tree. The mess. Tattletail’s mess. Maybe if he cleaned it out, she would leave!

Antonio shook his light, going down the stairs. He rushed to the tree, frantically picking up the clothes and putting them back into the laundry basket and pushing it back into the laundry room. Just as he picked up the flashlight again, it flickered out, as did the Christmas tree, leaving him in darkness. “Mamí…” He cried, his eyes widening as he looked into the darkness. Glowing red eyes. He…he saw those eyes the other night. He remembered. He got the sudden urge to look away, turning and shuffling away. The eyes…that's where it was loudest, the grinding. He needed to get away.

He moved as quickly and quietly as he could, hyperventilating in the process. His vision was blurry, from what little light he could see from the Miracle candle. That was the only light that had kept its shine, and Antonio clung to it like a lifeline.

“Bed, bed,” he whispered, glancing at the nursery door that was between next to his Tía’s room. “I need to get to bed.”

Antonio dropped to the ground, crawling. Crawling was quiet, right? He moved silently, the eggs rattling quietly in his pocket, the click of the flashlight hitting the ground. He had abandoned his slippers, opting for his own feet, which were much quieter. He crawled up the stairs glancing back. The eyes. They stared at him. So menacingly. “Casita…help?” He cried softly, tears dripping onto the steps.

And for the first time that night, Casita moved,

It seemed aware of the silence. The stairs shifted moving him up one at a time, like an elevator. It was surprisingly quiet, as if Casita was aware of the situation. Finally, he reached the top floor. He gave up on trying to use his flashlight, instead tiptoeing to the nursery. In the corner of his eye he could still see the eyes. He closed his eyes, mumbling a quiet prayer of protection. His hands touched the cold doorknob of the nursery. His eyes opened and he gasped silently in delight.

He didn’t even bother dumping the eggs in the drawer. Casita closed the door, muffling the grinding noise. He curled under his covers, clutching his flashlight. He squeezed his eyes shut, tears still streaming down his face. “It’s just a dream…it’s just a dream.”

Chapter Text

“Oh! Antonio? What’s the matter?” Alma asked, placing a gentle hand on Antonio’s head. He had clung to her the entire day, but he had just ran up the stairs from the basement after helping Bruno with laundry. “You're shaking!”

Antonio glanced up at Alma’s soft eyes. The eyes of a mother, a grandmother. Not whatever that thing was the previous night. “N-Nothing, Abuela. I just really missed you.”

Alma chuckled, kneeling down. “Well are you sweet,” she said, petting his head. “You know, I heard you found your mamá’s earring. You’ve been so good all year.”

Antonio smiled, leaning into her touch as she cupped his face. “Really? I have?”

“Sí,” Alma whispered. She reached into her pocket, pulling out something. Something beaded. “I was going to wait until Christmas Eve or Christmas to give it to you since it’s on Sunday, but I think you should have it now.”

Antonio glanced at his Abuela before taking what was in her hands. It was a rosary. It was far shorter than his hermano’s or his primas’, but it was his. “For me? Really? I get to have my own?”

“Yes mijo,” Alma petted his hair. “Your very own. I made it just for you.”

“Gracias Abuela,” Antonio said, hugging her close.

————

Antonio blinked, staring at the ceiling. It had already been 5 minutes and he could still hear that Tattletail. He didn’t know where it was coming from, but it was starting to keep him from sleeping. He stood, grabbing his flashlight, he left his slippers, walking out of the room. He looked around, trying to pinpoint the sound. It sounded like it was coming from…outside?

He wasn’t supposed to go out by himself. But he didn’t want whatever happened last night to repeat. So, with a deep breath, he opened the door. The cold air hit him hard. Shaking his flashlight, he continued on. He rounded the house, finding himself in the shed.

There was his Tattletail, the purple one, and another. It was yellow, but sounded identical to his. He paused, shaking his flashlight and glancing around again. No red eyes. He moved forward, picking up the purple one but leaving the yellow.

“Who are you?” He asked softly.

“Me Tattletail! Me love you!” It repeated, and Antonio jumped. Its voice echoed loudly in the shed, and the last thing he needed was any more noise.

“Shhhhhh!” Antonio seethed, rushing out of the shed. He kept his flashlight on the mysterious Tattletail, his eyebrows furrowed. Where did it come from?

“Let’s play a game!” His Tattletail practically yelled.

“A game? Now?” For once, Antonio didn’t want to play. Every time he did, something bad happened. But he also knew his Tattletail would just keep saying it over and over.

“Let’s play a game!” Both Tattletails said this time. It freaked Antonio out, and he felt a cold shiver run up his spine. This was not normal. These were not normal toys.

But he had no choice.

He went over, picking up the other Tattletail. “No peeking…” It said quietly.

The small lightbulb in the shed went out, and so did his flashlight. He jumped, dropping the other Tattletail, his breath picking up as he glanced around. He abandoned the idea of even attempting to find the other Tattletail, instead making his way back to Casita. The house rumbled, almost in concern and possible fear.

Antonio shook his flashlight. And he flashed his light. It went out immediately. He looked up and saw them. Those horribly terrifying red eyes. They bore into his very soul, and he turned around, moving quickly but quietly. The grinding noise rang in his ears, and he felt like he was having a heart attack; whatever that felt like.

Then it all just…stopped. The lights flickered back on, and the eyes were gone. He realized he was in the dining room. He glanced around, shivering. “I-Is it over?” He whispered to himself.

“Give me a treat!” Tattletail said. Antonio almost launched the thing because it had otherwise been strangely quiet, aside from the giggling.

He walked to the fridge, grabbing an apple from the dish on the side table. The Tattletail somehow ate it, despite having no teeth. But Antonio didn't care. He shuffled out of the dining room, and into the main room.

“Where's Tattletail?” Tattletail asked. Antonio sort of stared at it with wide eyes before remembering the Tattletail that was outside. He was going to go back out when he noticed something under the Christmas tree.

“Is that?” Antonio moved closer. It was. The yellow Tattletail, by some strange force, was under the tree now. “How did you get under here?” He asked half to himself half to the Tattletail. He was about to touch it but hesitated.

Did he really want to do that? Last he did it lead into that whole game, if one could even call it that. It was scary, and he had never been that scared before. At least, not since that time Camilo insisted they played hide and seek in the dark. That was pretty scary.

Is that what this was? Some twisted version of hide and seek. Antonio had only just noticed but that entire time he had been blind, almost as if covering his hands. Then when the lights turned on he had to find the other Tattletail. This was hide and seek. Just a far more scary version.

“I don't like this game” Antonio pouted, his nose stinging.

“Let's play a game!” The other Tattletail said. Antonio felt like crying. Again? That thing wanted to play again?

The small boy took a deep breath, before touching the other Tattletail. The lights went off. The grinding, the shaking of the flashlight. Moving from room to room. It was a repeat of the last round. But Antonio knew, he knew, that thus lasted longer. By a long shot. What couldn't have been more than a minute felt like literal hours. Everytime the grinding got close he felt those beady red eyes staring him down from just a room over. .

But he played their scary game. He played, he sat in the dark, waiting for them. And then he finally found him. The Tattletail. They made him go through that whole thing two more times. Each longer than the last. What was worse! He still had to feed, brush and charge the Tattletail he had. It always seemed to be asking him to do something, making so much noise. The grinding would get so loud, and he'd hear the voice of ‘Mama’. That big Tattletail from last night.

Finally he found the other Tattletail. Antonio swallowed thickly, his pockets filled with more eggs, ones he had found in the process of searching for that Tattletail. That was just about the only thing he found to be anything good. The eggs were like good luck to him.

“You found me!” The yellow Tattletail exclaimed. It was in the basement. The one place he didn’t want to be. Antonio huffed, touching it, and it finally went quiet after one last giggle. He picked up the egg in front of it, and his eyes drifted to the side.

“A tape?” He mumbled softly to himself. He picked it up, his hands turning it carefully. It was like the ones that had the movies, like the ones upstairs. “Wonder what's on it?”

Antonio glanced back at the yellow Tattletail. Deciding to leave it behind, he made his way back upstairs to the main room. The big box T.V. sat there. He touched the screen, feeling the lingering static and warmth from the movie he and his siblings and cousins watched. He set down the Tattletail, moving to the VCR. He carefully shined the light, pressing the tape in before grabbing the remote. He sat down next to his Tattletail, and pressed play.

It was black before a dim screen popped up. Several options popped up. Using the remote, he switched through them. They looked like the cameras that the mall had.

He clicked through the camera angles. They were too dim, but he could make out the faint outlines of Tattletails and eggs. “Oh, so that's where the eggs came from!” Antonio nodded. The Tattletail giggled. He finally got the one that said ‘Cam – Mama’.

It was Mama Tattletail. He could barely make her out, but her head turned and stared at the camera.

At him.

He shifted back, and finally got to the bottom option. Instead of ‘Cam’, it said ‘Play’. “A movie maybe?” Antonio askes out loud.

He pressed the play button. It was black again before. upbeat music started playing, and the Tattletail, his Tattletail, came onto screen. A voice came in, singing a catchy tune that Antonio couldn't help but smile and nod his head at. Though, the words were warbled.

“Baby Talking Tattletail!” The voices sang. “He really eats! So give him treats! Baby Talking Tattletail!”

Antonio nodded along. He remembered this. He heard a commercial on the cable T.V.! He remembered begging his parents if he could have one. They said he could if he was good—and it looks like they listened. He found he was still able to flick through the cameras. He looked through them, seeing the different items. Then the…other voice came. Mama.

“Mama's coming…” She said, just over the singing voices. The camera switched to a view of Mama Tattletail. A mama was on the ground, turning and kicking in pain. Like when his tío Agustín fell and hurt himself. The Mama Tattletail just stood there ominously. Like she was the one who caused that.

He flicked through the camera angles, his eyes wide in horror. They seemed to get dimmer and dimmer and creepier. A few he couldn't even view anymore. One of them had a bunch of Tattletale in all kinds of colors, their eyes completely white. They stood on a couch with a few eggs, while a strange black trash bag that wasn't there before sat in the background.

They all said the same thing. “Playtime for you!”

“What is this?” Antonio whimpered, his eyes watering. His Tattletail had been dead quiet.

The music ended, and he turned off the T.V. he didn't even bother taking the VHS out. He just ran down to the basement, unceremoniously shoving the Tattletail back into its box and buried it under other gifts. He wasted no time getting back to the nursery.

He dug himself under the covers, clutching his flashlight. He had realized something. That there was something wrong with these Tattletails. Very wrong.

Chapter Text

Antonio held onto his fathers hand, listening to the pastor give the last sermon. He held the rosary his Abuela gave him tightly, staring with wide eyes as the man held his bible and stood at the podium.

“Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 10 to 11,” the pastor said, his voice loud and clear but warming. “‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.’”

Antonio stared. He blinked, thinking hard about the pastor's words–as hard as a 4 year old could anyway. He gripped his rosary a little tighter.

————

“Wake up, wake up, wake up!” the Tattletail repeated, over and over. Antonio stood, rubbing his eyes. It had been a routine at this point. Instinct. He didn’t even question how his Tattletail got into the nursery. Maybe Casita. Maybe some other act. He kicked aside his slippers, Casita opening the nightstand drawer allowing Antonio to grab the flashlight within. He looked at his rosary for a moment, before grabbing it, placing it over his neck. For protection.

He picked up the Tattletail, still yawning as he walked out of the door. He didn't know how, but this needed to end. “This needs to end now,” Antonio mustered up as much determination as he could. His Tattletail perked up.

“You're up! We're having a party f-for Mama-a,” Tattletail spoke, his voice glitching. It had been doing that since last night. “Go.e help us.”

“Us? Antonio muttered. He walked into the main room, where a gift box sat. It was oddly similar to the one his original Tattletail was in. Antonio only hesitated for a moment before opening it. It was another Tattletail, the yellow one from the night before. He took it out of the box and it giggled. “Oh, that's what you mean.”

“T-T-Tattletail, that's me!” The one in his hands laughed. Antonio walked off, shaking his flashlight. Were there more? He knew there were other colors, like in the tape. Where was that tape anyway…?

He continued walking around Casita. He had found a few eggs, and fed and brushed his Tattletail. He eventually made his way to the basement, where he could hear the distinct sound of Tattletails laughing. A blue one and a yellow one. The charging dock sat on top of a small spare table, and he carefully sat his Tattletail on top.

They giggled more before the blue one perked up. “More, more!”

“More what? Tattletails?” Antonio asked. They had to be in the basement. He already searched most of Casita, safe for the family members' rooms. Then again…they had a habit of moving. He would check by the tree, at least there.

He rushed up the stairs, shaking his flashlight. But he barely got a chance to step into the hall when the lights flickered out, including the one in his hand.

But he wasn't scared. Not this time.

Well, he was a little scared. But that's ok. He asked the pastor at mass and he said it was ok to be scared sometimes. He clutched the small cross, walking out; he glanced around, searching for the eyes, keeping an ear out for the grinding. He actually tripped over an egg, picking it up. They seemed to be luckFinally he could hear faint giggling. Shaking his flashlight, he shined it by the dark tree. Another Tattletail; another yellow this time.

“Me Tattletail, me love you,” it chatted. Antonio wasted no time getting down to the basement. He did not want to risk an encounter with the Mama Tattletail, no matter how scared he was. “Brush me!”

“I have to brush you?” Antonio whispered and shouted. The grinding was loud now, grating in his ears. Finally he managed to make it back to the basement.

“More, more!” Two of them said, Antonio pouted, but nodded his head. Back up the stairs.

He walked around blindly, trying to find the next Tattletail. It wasn't until Casita rumbled quiet, shuffling him towards the side door that led to the garage. It didn't take him long. He managed to shake his flashlight a bit, finding another clue Tattletail, and an egg. As soon as he picked it up, the lights flickered on again. But as soon as he got near the basement, the flickered off.

“Hehehe, Mama hates you,” the Tattletail laughed. It was unnerving, but Antonio didn't freeze up. He couldn't.

“I have to keep going,” he whispered to himself. The cool beads and the faint scent of roses grounded him as he hurried down the flight of stairs. “There. One, two, three, four, five Tattletails…What now?”

“Decorations!” The purple one said. “Antonio nodded. He was actually listening to these things. This was crazy. But then again, there was a scary-murder-demon Mama Tattletail on the loose. So was it really that crazy? He asked himself.

Antonio picked up his Tattletail. As soon as he got to the stairs, the lights went out. He shook his flashlight, not expecting anything but the grinding. But he heard it. Heard her.

“Mama's looking after you,” the Mama Tattletail said. He couldn't pinpoint the voice, but it made him flinch. He felt tears well up but he wasted no time going upstairs. Tears or not, he had to keep going.

“Hehe, Mama saw you!” The Tattletail practically shouted. It sounded like it in the quiet house anyway.

“Shh,” Antonio shiched, pressing his finger to the mouth of the Tattletail, as if that would stop it. But it didn't seem to have an off button, no matter how hard he looked. So he just had to suck it up.

Through very loud declarations from Tattletail, and the fear of Mama getting him, he actually found the decorations. Turns out all they wanted was some janky old Christmass lights from when his mamá was his age, and a bunch of old half melted candles that were hidden under the sink and in the tool closet. He found a few more eggs. He didn't even know how many there were at this point. It was like a habit now.

He took them downstairs before the Tattletail yelled something about food. He ran back up, feeding it leftovers. But then it said something about food and its friends. He felt bad about taking them, but he took the basket of buñuelos off the counter. His Tia had made them for tomorrow, but…she wouldn't mind right?

“The fate of the family” Antonio whispered, balancing his Tattletail, flashlight and the basket in his hands. “It's in my hands!”

He rushed down the stairs, choosing to ignore the grinding. As soon as he got down, he almost dropped the basket to the ground. Why they needed them, Antonio didn't know. But he wasn't about to question it now. If it would get rid of that thing haunting Casita, he'd do it. But it was the least of his worries now.

“Wow!” His Tattletail exclaimed.

Wow, that was right. The Tattletale had used the lights to form a strange circle, the lights too bright from him to make out much. But a tape lay in the middle. The tape he left in the VCR the night prior, the one where when he tried to show his family, all they saw was static. He placed his Tattletail down in the empty spot, his hands shaking as he backed away a bit. They even managed to light the candles, the grill light not far away.

“Rewind the tape,” it said. Antonio moved forward again, scooping up the tape. He copied what he had seen the other adults do countless times, his tiny fingers fumbling with the tape but managing to turn it back. He practically dropped the thing, walking back and hiding behind boxes.

“No more Mama!” They all shouted.

Antonio clutched the rosary, tears streaming down his face. He felt a tremor in Casita, and the Tattletale continued shouting.

“No more Mama!”

All the lights were out except for the Christmas lights and the candles. Antonio whimpered as he heard the faint music from the commercial sound out. He didn't bother looking for where it came from. He just clutched the beads, crying softly as he stood in the croner.

“No more Mama!”

Antonio peaks open his eyes. The candles. They were gone. The Tattletails were still shouting. No, no. “Like on T.V.!” Antonio gasped in fear. The candles. In the scary movies, when they did that thing, what was it called? An exorcism? The evil thing always made the lights go out. “I-I gotta find them!”

“No more Mama!”

Antonio ran around the basement. He didn't care about the noise. The Tattletails were the loudest things right now. He threw open boxes, flitted past shelves, and broke vases. It took him a few minutes, but he found them. He wasted no time putting them back in their spots before running back to his hiding spot.

“No more Mama!”

Antonio was kneeling now, whispering the prayer his Abuela would say to him whenever he was scared about going to sleep in the nursery by himself. Tears ran down his face, the warmth strangely ground.

The Tattletails chanted over and over, “No more Mama.” They kept going, and Antonio didn't dare let go of his rosary or open his eyes. He just kept repeating the prayer, kept repeating the pastor's words in his head over and over, like a broken record or cd.

The song began to play again, in reverse. They still kept going. Antonio dared open his eyes. They widened as the VHS tape began to rise, no longer black but glowing a bright white, like a beacon in the dark. It spun slowly, rising higher and higher.

“It's working! It's working, like in the movies!” Antonio watched, but continued his small prayers while the Tattletails went on.

The tape suddenly stopped and the Tattletale stopped chanting. Antonio stared. Wait…in the movies, they had to destroy whatever the evil was taking over. It was never the Tattletails, Casita, the eggs or even the Mama Tattletail herself.

It was the tape.

Antonio, his rosary wrapped around his small hand, ran up to the tape. He reached up, standing on his toys, and bent the tape with all of his strength. Finally, with a final snap, it broke. The room was suddenly plunged into darkness and Antonio froze.

“Hello?” Antonio managed to croak out.

The lights beamed back on, and he found that the Tattletails had been replaced by gift boxes. All in the same animal print wrapping paper with an orange bow. He didn't even open though. He left the basement, running up the stairs. Caustics tiles rumbled not in fear, but in triumph almost. He rushed past his moms room, only stopping when he saw the egg placed in front of it. Looking around he picked it up, popping it open.

Car keys. The car keys to his mamá and papà's car. He dared knock on the door, a few times actually, but got no answer. He shrugged, putting them back into the egg and going back to his room.

His body ached as he dumped the rest of the eggs into the nightstand drawer, as well as his flashlight. He kept his rosary wrapped in his hand though. He climbed into bed, yawning as he closed his eyes. He didn't know if any of this worked.

But he had a feeling he'd find out tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Antonio woke up, really early. Usually Mirabel would wake up the family, but he couldn't wait. He needed to check and see if everything was ok. If he was done, if it had worked.

He crept out of the nursery, rushing down the stairs. He went straight to the tree, where all of the gifts had been placed. Including the one with his Tattletail in it. He looked around. It was quiet, really quiet. He could only hear the faint sound of the fire in the kitchen from when his tía had started some of the Christmas dinner food the night before. He looked down at Casita.

“Should I?” He asked the house. It responded by using tiles to push the gift closer. He dropped to his knees, picking at the bow for a moment, before finally pulling it off and opening the top of the box. And there was the Tattletail. He opened the box, pulling the Tattletail out and setting it on the ground.

“Me Tattletail! Me love you!” It sang happily. Antonio smiled a bit. It seemed normal, and it was glitching anymore. “Present for you!” Antonio peeked into the box. There was a tag, saying the birthday of the toy.

“Huh,” Antonio laughed a bit. “Felíz navidad…y cumpleaños.” There was another box. Smaller. He knew it wasn’t from one of the family members though, the wrapping was all off. He opened this one just as cautiously. “Another flashlight? He mumbled.

He shook it. His eyes lit up; it was way lighter than the one he had before. “A golden flashlight! Thank you Tattletail!”

The Tattletail only giggled. Antonio sighed, sitting back. Everything was normal. Nothing was wrong. Tattletail was giggly and asking to play too. No grinding noise, no red eyes, no rituals, no demon Mama Tattletail. He finally heard a familiar voice.

“Couldn't wait huh?” Mirabel asked, running down the stairs. Camilo was hot on her heels, and both practically tackled him, scooping them into their arms. As his family made their way downstairs, he finally relaxed for the first time in days. His Tattletail laughed, and Camilo and Mirabel teased him about it, asking him about his new toy.

It was finally over.