
  Muppet Dream

   Newsgroups: alt.folklore.ghost-stories
   From: brianbet@camalott.com (Brian Bethel)
   Subject: A Television Tale o' Terror.
   Date: Fri, 19 Aug 1994 04:01:42 GMT

   Hi, gang! It's me again with more Tales to Scare the Hell Ada Ya.
   Sorry it's taken so long. Though I've responded to several threads,
   there've been no new stories to spring forth from my terminal in
   quite some time.

   I have no idea why I feel compelled to respond to the Strange Stuff
   Having to Do with Television thread. I've only told this story once
   or twice, and although it was believed (as least, that's what THEY
   told me ;>) by the listeners, it's not something yo u'd usually post
   to a newsgroup read by a bajillion people world-wide. But here it is,
   so deal with it. :)

   I will warn you now that this kind of sounds goofy. I honestly don't
   know if this was the waking dream of a child, something supernatural,
   or just something I ate. I leave it to you, gentle reader, to decide.

   But when I think about it, even all these years later, for some reason
   it just rings true. I don't know why. Maybe with luck, I'll never find
   out.

   My Strange and Terrifying Television Experience
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Okay. Here's the scoop. (Yes, we newspaper types really do say that!)

   Long ago when I was about four or five, I stayed over at my grandparents'
   house for the night. My Mom stayed over with me, because Dad was out of
   town on business.

   Granny and Granddad quite enjoyed their television programs, and had a set
   in each of the two bedrooms in the house, as well as in the living room. I
   was still stupid enough to believe TV's flickering, mind-sucking images
   were pretty neat, so I was in he aven.

   Night came on softly, as it only can when you feel safety and warmth around
   you. With one of Granny's home-cooked meals in my stomach, I had begun to
   feel the need for slumber. So, we all piled in the monstrous king-sized bed
   in Granny and Granddad's master bedroom, and soon we were all snoring
   blissfully.

   I woke up in the night and sat upright, looking around. Something had
   disturbed my slumber. Granddad was still snoring rhythmically, and
   Granny looked like she hadn't budged an inch, so I sat back and prepared
   to visit the realm of dream once more.

   Then the television turned itself on.

   Now, I'm only 22 years old, but this was in the days when remote controls
   were the providence of the wealthy and debased. Granny and Grandad did not
   fit into any of those two categories.

   To see a television turn itself on was an interesting thing. I sat up again
   to see what would come on.

   At that time, the TV in my grandparents' bedroom was a black and white. I
   watched the white dot that had formed in the middle expand to full screen,
   but only the static of a dead channel appeared.

   Then, images began to appear.

   I couldn't really describe them. They were sort of shadowy things at first,
   but they seemed to be -- for lack of a better term -- "scoping me out."
   Slowly, an actual image began to appear.

   Muppets! The Muppets were on! I was exalted, elated. I wanted to wake my
   grandparents up, but I then started to feel a bit uncomfortable about what
   was happening on the television.

   Muppets did not usually have fangs as I recall. At least, not ones that
   looked so ... real and out of place in an otherwise standard Muppet-style
   mouth.

   I realize this is sounding goofy. You were warned. :)

   Well, uncertain about what to do, I decided to keep a close watch on the
   television.

   The "Muppets" looked at me. It was common of course on Sesame Street and
   the Muppet Show for them to acknowledge the audience, so I wasn't alarmed
   so much by that.

   I describe these things as Muppets because that's primarily what they looked
   like. Other than the rows and rows of unusual teeth, one looked vaguely
   Groveresque and the other sort of reminded me of Harry the Monster (don't
   know if he's even ON Sesame Street anymore).

   The Groveresque Muppet leaned over and pointed at me, while whispering
   something to his companion. They looked at me in unison, whispering all the
   while in a strange, unusually guttural tongue. It sounded completely random,
   although it did somehow seem to follow the meter and pattern of a language.

   I noticed when the Groveresque Muppet pointed, he had very long, distinct
   talons on his furry hands. This, too, was quite disturbing.

   The Muppets began to dance, sing and cavort about in that strange language
   of theirs. It was sort of amusing, I recall. I began to feel a bit more at
   ease.

   The Muppets motioned for me to come forward.

   I shook my head.

   The Muppets tried again.

   I shook my head. I was beginning to feel frightened. If there ever was a way
   Muppets could look pissed, these guys were doing it. With all those rows of
   fangs, it wasn't pretty.

   I should mention that all of this singing, dancing, cavorting horror that
   was going on seemed to in no way disturb my grandparents. This disturbed
   me as well, because these guys were LOUD.

   I got out of bed and crept into the living room, being careful to avoid
   approaching the screen. The Muppet-things wore visages of absolute anger
   now, motioning violently for me to approach the screen. My attempts rouse
   my grandmother and grandfather were in vain; they would not stir.

   I ran into the living room, crying. I collapsed in my Granddad's chair,
   buried my face into the fabric, and began to weep, certain doom had come
   for me.

   I looked over at the television in the corner of the living room. It had
   already begun to turn itself on, the shadow-forms that had dissolved into
   the Henson-styled horrors already beginning to flicker across its surface.

   I screamed, rooted to the spot. But as the scream left my lungs and two
   grinning, fanged faces burst into being on the television screen, faintly
   and then with increasing tempo I heard footsteps.

   The things in the television looked worried, swirled into their
   shadow-forms and were gone.

   The television winked out just as my Mother ran into the room.

   After consoling me, we went to check on Granny and Granddad. They were both
   awake, and had heard me scream.

   We all sat up for a while talking, and eventually the warmth and love
   returned to fill the chill in my soul.

   I went to bed and nothing more happened that night. Or any other night I
   stayed with my grandparents.

   A waking dream? Probably so. But one that still fills me with terror.

   I was awake of course, Mom will still assert, when I was in the chair.
   So, I did move somehow from the bed to the chair.

   Still, it gives one pause. What better way to snare a young boy than to
   show him something he loves, then pull him in unawares?

   Whatever those two things were, I'm sure the Muppet-forms were not their
   natural shape. I'm sure the fangs and talons were part of it, though.

   If they're still out there, I hope they haven't had much time to practice
   those forms. If they could get them just right ...

   I still wonder what would have happened -- dream or not -- if I had put my
   then-small hands up to the screen there in my grandparents' bedroom.

   Perhaps nothing.

   And then again, perhaps it's better not to know.

   Next time, I'll post some real ghost stories. But the TV thread made
   remember this.

   In case you're wondering, I don't watch much television anymore. It all
   seems so ... diabolical. ;)

   Until next time,
   Brian

--
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::"To see a world in a Grain of Sand  ::::        brianbet@netcom.com        ::
:: And Heaven in a Wild Flower,       ::::   S E E K E R * O F * W I S D O M ::
:: Hold Infinity in the palm of your  ::::  S E A R C H E R * O F * T R U T H::
:: Hand, and eternity in an hour."    ::::S P I N N E R * O F * S T O R I E S::
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