𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀

Sometimes, a door is closed for a very good reason…When Susie steps through a strange door in her new home, she finds herself face to face with an alternate reality—a parallel world where everyone has button eyes. The other mother and father, with their black-button eyes and eerie demeanor, are eagerly waiting for her to them. But once Susie steps through, she realizes that returning may not be easy. She will have to gather her bravery and wits, and try to find a way back to her own reality, or will she be with them forever?"

Based on the book Coraline, by Neil Gaiman, and 2009 stop-motion animated film directed by Henry Selick. A Reimagined retelling written by Miles Ash Fox, cover artwork by Brandon. This is also a prequel story, before the events of the Fazbear Frights story Coming Home. Original lyrics of the rats, were written by Neil Gaiman from the original book published by HarperCollins.

This story is dedicated to my friends, and those I care about deeply. Those friends are: Snowflake the Rabbit and Marth the Moth Credit, to the lyrics of the Other Father’s song, from They Might Be Giants.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀

CHAPTER SIX

The Jumping Mouse Circus

Susie Davies and the other Jeremy, walked around the side of the house, and went up the steps that led up to where—in Susie’s world; led to the attic, where Mr. Bobinsky, the rather eccentric ring leader, who was performing a jumping-mouse circus. Here, in the Other-World, where Susie’s Other Mother: who had either created this world—seemed to put a rather whimsical, exaggerated version of the people in her world.

The sky was beginning to get dark, as Susie rested her hand on the iron railing, as the two went up the metal steps, clanging as their feet touched the steps. It felt old, and rusty—but otherwise sturdy.

The house was lit by amber spotlights, which lit up the afternoon, orange-tinged sky. The sun was beginning to slowly go down, as both Susie and the other version of Jeremy, made it up to the attic apartment.

“The other mother,” Susie began, rather timidly, “she didn’t hurt you, did she?” Jeremy turned to look at her, with his huge, black button eyes, and slowly, he shook his head.

He held up his hands, and in a hand-like motion, he insinuated the motion of sewing his mouth shut—as if telling her that the Other Mother had sewn his mouth shut; and that there wasn’t any pain. All in all, she couldn’t help but feel frightened and sorry for him, as she couldn’t imagine what it must’ve been like to have your mouth sewn shut.

But, Susie thought to herself, It must surely have been very painful.

Suddenly, high above in the sky—above them—there was a small, glowing blue blimp. It was puffing out plumes of blue smoke, with a little sign written in velvet ink: THE AMAZING JUMPING-MOUSE CIRCUS!

Susie and Jeremy broke out in a sprint, and they dashed over towards the ledge of the balcony of Bobinsky’s attic, and the sight of the little blimp made them both stop…and stare!

Susie watched as the flying blimp float above their heads, and entered through a little window—above the door to the attic apartment of Mr. Bobinsky—and closed shut softly. Susie looked at Jeremy, who couldn’t help but smile, encouraging her to go and knock on the door.

She knocked on the door, softly, and the door swung open. A bright, golden-yellowish light poured onto the ground, seeping over their shoes. From within the attic; there came grilling music, from that of a circus, and the smell of rich, buttered popcorn wafting out from the door and into their noses.

Susie and Jeremy walked into the attic apartment, and the door swung shut behind them.

It was nice and warm inside, and the brilliant lights helped make Susie feel welcomed.

All around the attic was filled with things from a circus. There was mini-sized versions of canons standing along in a row beside them; a Ferris wheel contraption, which held cones of perfectly spun cotton candy in all sorts of colors; a large yellow chicken that sat on top of a contraption, that constantly pecked at a cob of corn, its belly lit up with a yellowish light from a window, then, the chicken pooped out freshly popped—lathered in butter—was yellow popcorn dispensed into red-and-white striped buckets of yellow popcorn on a little circus wheel below.

Standing in the center of the room, there was a little circus tent, which was also draped and decorated in vibrant red-and-white stripes.

There was a little opening, with more yellow light that was coming out from it.

While Susie was grappling two buckets of popcorn, Jeremy wandered over to one of the miniature cannons, stepping onto one of its pedals. BOOM!

A white cone of pink-colored cotton candy flew up into the air, and landed into his hand.

“Woah, Jeremy, look at you,” Susie cried with laughter at his appearance. He was stuck—covered—head to toe in cotton candy, from all the bunch of miniature cotton candy guns that he had set off, and now we're stuck to his body. Jeremy simply smiled, blushing a bit embarrassed. Suddenly, there was an energetic, cheerful voice that floated out from the tent: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! I, Mr. Alexander Bobinsky, proudly present to you…An amazing act…!”

Susie and Jeremy raced to the opening of the circus tent, got on both their hands and knees, and crawled into the tent—which they were both stunned to find that it was far bigger on the inside than it was on the outside.

Surrounding them were miniature benches where the audience would sit, except, it was only them in the entire tent, while spotlights went around the walls of the empty tent.

“The world’s first, and AMAZING…JUMPING MOUSE CIRCUS!”

Suddenly, out from the back wall of the tent, there came the same blue puffing blimp, and as it floated towards the inside of the inner ring. It soared high up into the air, it then nose-dived to the ground. The blimp bursted open, like a flower, and out from the blimp there came hundreds—thousands, of little, and beautiful white mice.

They were dressed in little ringleader outfits, with one larger mouse, who was holding a gold-topped walking cane in its hand. He was the leader.

Suddenly, they all began to form a ring, and from within that ring, they formed a word: by standing up on top of one another, and, slowly but surely; they created a word out of the mice.

That word was: Welcome, Susie!

“Look, Jeremy, look!” Susie cried, her eyes widened. She held onto his arm, bursting with excitement. “It’s my name!”

The Other Jeremy smiled, nodding his head.

The leader of the mice, now standing on top of a red-and-white striped ball, began bouncing on top. Brandishing a baton which he twirled around in his little pink hands, excitedly.

They held little, golden instruments in their hands, which they began drumming, and playing tiny, little melodies on the golden little instruments.

The large mouse of the group (the leader), held up his baton in the air, and the other mice stood still. Then, waiting for the signal, the mouse began to twirl the baton; giving the signal to start playing!

The group launched into a wild, Russian circus march. Which flooded the whole entire tent.

The music was magical, whimsical, otherworldly…and rather an enticing show for both Susie and Jeremy!

Susie turned to look at Jeremy, who thoroughly enjoyed the enticing show, began nodding his head, side-to-side, at the beat of the music. “It’s amazing, Jeremy!” Susie smiled happily, and began to start eating the popcorn in her paper bag.

The other Jeremy smiled, and nodded his head. And even though he couldn’t speak, Susie thought she could think what he was saying: It really is a marvelous sight, Susie thought to herself, an idea of what the other version of Jeremy would say.

The bass drums continued beating, and the mice began hopping and changing formations—pinwheels, X’s, circles within circles, and most astonishing of all—they formed a tight ring…and the ring slowly began to change shape. Changing…changing…changing…until it resembled the face of Susie Davies!

Susie couldn’t believe her eyes! She was completely stunned beyond words!

Jeremy looked at Susie, and he lightly tapped her shoulder with her hand, bringing her back from the sort of trance-like spell that it had put onto her.

She breathed in deeply, collecting herself; trying to find the courage and strength for what she wanted to say, when what came out of her mouth was: “It’s wonderful, Jeremy,” was all she could say.

All the mice in the tight ring, now began to spiral outwards. And, suddenly, as they began to stretch out to the edge of the ring, in the center of the circus. The floor began to spiral upwards.

It nearly touched the roof of the tent, but only a few yards away, but still pretty close that the top of the spiral and the roof of the tent seemed to touch.

The tower was at least six feet tall.

Standing on the very top of the tower, there stood the drum major; who was still balancing and jumping on the ball, now began to run down the spirals of the tower, twirling his baton as he did.

“I can’t look!” Susie gasped, and covered her eyes, not wanting to see if the little mouse would fall. Jeremy looked over at Susie, then lightly nugged at her shoulder, encouraging her to look.

Susie opened her hand, into little slits, and watched as the drum major mouse ran down the tower.

As the large white mouse was bouncing on the ball, he balanced himself with ease as he ran.

When he finally reached the ground, the tower fell away, and standing inside of the tower was the other version of Mr. Bobinsky!

The other Mr. Bobinsky pulled out a long black whip, which he cracked, loudly, in the tent.

Susie and Jermey stood up and clapped, happily.

“This was amazing, Mr. Bobinsky!” Susie cheered. The Other version of Mr. Bobinsky, who had a much healthier shade of blue-tinged skin, and where his eyes should’ve been were black buttons! He was dressed in a ringleader’s outfit.

He wore a black ringleader’s coat, with gold sashes that were attached on the left side of his chest—which dropped downwards in a U-shape; gold buttons that ran down his coat; light gray dress pants; tall black boots with gold trims; on his face, there was a well-kept and groomed black mustache; pearly gray gloves on his hands, and finally, on the top of his head, there was a tall black top hat! With a red band around the brim.

The Other Mr. Bobinsky kneeled down onto one knee, took off his hat with one hand, and with the other; he held it out to the side.

He was smiling brightly, full of energy and was larger than life!

“The whole show was amazing, Mr. B,” Susie exclaimed with joy. “And the way those jumping mice played those instruments, the music, and the dancing…Oh, it was magic!”

Mr. Alexandre Bobinsky smiled, as he listened as Susie praised the jumping mice’s performance. “Thank you, thank you very much, ladies and gentleman!” Then, Bobinsky looked down at the largest mouse of the group, smiled, and then motioned with one of his hands. Suddenly, the drum leader began bouncing on the ball once more, signaling to the other mice to follow him.

As if on cue, the mice all began to scramble, madly, into the arm sleeves of Mr. Bobinsky’s coat, up his pant legs.

When there was only the largest mouse left, he jumped up from the ball, climbed onto the Other Mr. Bobinsky’s moustache—swinging calmly to and fro—then climbed up the man’s face and stood on top of his head.

Then, Mr. Bobinsky put his tall black top hat back on, and the last mouse vanished.

“We loved the show, Mr. Bobinsky!” Susie said again, and clapped once more.

And this time, Jeremy clapped along with her, and he pretended to whistle loudly in return.

“Thank you very much, little Susie!” Other Mr. Bobinsky said, smiling. “You are welcome to come here anytime you like. You, and your good friend, there. Nice meeting you, Susie,” he said, and held out his gloved hand to her.

She took his hand, and he kissed it in return.

Later, as they were leaving the circus tent, the other Bobinsky said to Susie, “Please, do come back again sometime,” and then, his voice deepened a little. But, it was far too distant to be heard. Susie swore there was a sense of hunger in his voice: “Come back anytime you like, Susie. You can also come to see the rats…FEED….”

But she wasn’t quite sure if he had misheard him. Later, as Susie and Jeremy had left the attic apartment of Mr. Bobinsky, after seeing the amazing jumping mouse circus, she wondered if there were any more surprises waiting for her.

Shortly, she was about to have a rather shocking…and horrifying surprise waiting for her as soon as she would see her other mother and her other father as they would be waiting for her.

Both Susie and Jeremy took the steps down, two at a time, while watching the sun set over the horizon in the distance. The deep purple hills stretching over for miles and miles as far as the eyes could see! Indeed, there was something…sinister…that was in store for Susie Davies.

At the bottom of the steps, the Other Mother and her Other Father were calmly waiting for her. There were smiles on both of their faces, as they watched both Susie and Jeremy climb down the steps from the attic apartment of Mr. Bobinsky.

“Did you enjoy Mr. Bobinsky’s jumping mouse circus? the Other Mother asked.

Susie Davies nodded her head, energetically. “I sure did! And the way those mice played those little instruments, the wonderful music,

and the several hundreds of tricks they did! Oh, gosh…! It was absolutely magic!”

The Other Mother smiled sweetly. “I’m glad that you love being here, Susie.” And she patted Susie gently on her shoulder, with her long white fingers. Susie nervously shuddered at the cold feeling of her other mother’s hand, and she pulled away. “Please, I don’t like it when you do that,” Susie said, looking up, nervously, at her other mother.

The Other Father looked down at Susie, and there was a look on his face. There was something on his face that made Susie uncomfortable.

Susie couldn’t quite understand, but the one of the things that stood out to her was worry…and fear? in those big, black button eyes.

“So…,” the Other Mother continued. “Do you like it here, you could stay here—-if you want to, Susie.”

The three of them walked around to the front of the house, went up the stone steps to the porch, and the other mother opened the door for them both. The other father gently nudged Susie inside.

Before the other mother went in, she turned to look over her shoulder at the other Jeremy.

Suddenly, her face changed.

With her free hand, she pointed to her face, and a forced smile of happiness grew on the other mother’s face. Then, she went inside, closing the door behind her.

CHAPTER SEVEN

A Horrifying Surprise!

Susie’s other mother looked down at Susie, and said in a soft voice, “Do you like it here, Susie?”

Susie looked up at the Other Mother, and she could see that her teeth were much longer…and sharper than ordinary teeth that humans had.

Her black button eyes glistened in the light, and she gently put her hand onto Susie’s shoulder. She shook her shoulder away, and stepped back away from her Other Mother. “Please don’t do that,” Susie said, “I don’t like it when you do that.”

The other mother frowned a bit, and pulled her hand away from Susie. Her button eyes seemed to glisten, reflecting back the lights that hung on the wall. They were electric flambuexe lights.

They were gold plated, and designed to look like old-fashioned London gas lamps.

“Did you have a fun time watching the jumping mice perform?” the other father asked.

Susie nodded her head, slowly. “It was fascinating!”

“I’m glad you’ve had fun,” the Other Mother repeated. “Because, I’d like to think that this is your home. You can stay here forever—if you want to.”

Susie felt an odd—yet wrong feeling—that began churning, deeply, inside her stomach with the way her Other Mother proposed that statement. Nervously, she replied, “I can…?”

“Sure you can!” the Other Father answered, joyfully. He led Susie and the Other Mother into the kitchen (where the three of them had had lunch), placed Susie, gently, into one of the seats, while saying: “We shall sing; make up funny songs; play games, and Mother will cook your FAVORITE meals!”

“There’s just one tiny thing,” the Other Mother began, “that we shall have to do; if, that is, you want to stay here forever and always!”

The Other Father chuckled to himself, and smiled. “Well, Susie…,” the Other Father chuckled once more. “That’s why it is called a ‘SURPRISE!’” He kindly sat down next to her, pushed his black glasses up onto his face; where his polished black button eyes stared back at her.

The Other Mother walked around the long table, and in her hands, she could see that she was carrying a little, beautifully wrapped present box, with a crimson-red bow tied on the top. “For you..our little doll!” The Other Mother handed Susie the little box. Susie grabbed it, then opened it…And what she saw laying neatly inside, was a spool of black thread, with a sharp sewing needle.

Sitting neatly, in the center of the box, were two large black buttons glistening up at her.

Susie gasped at the sight of the two buttons…and her mind finally clicked, with what was about to happen if she chose to stay there forever!

“Noooo!” Susie cried in fear, and quickly shoved the box away. The box slid over to the Other Mother; who lightly reached out a hand, and stopped the box from sliding off from the table.

“You’re not sewing buttons into my eyes!” She cried and placed her hands over her eyes, protectively.

“Oooh, but we need a YES,” she said soothingly, “if you want to stay here!” Susie’s Other Father smiled, nodded his head, and took out the sewing needle from the box. He lightly pricked the tip of the needle, with the tip of his index finger.

“Why, it won’t hurt you, Susie. It’s SO sharp, you won’t even feel a thing—oooow!” The Other Mother angrily glared at the Other Father, and hit his knee from under the table. Which caused the Other Father to cry out in pain.

A metallic noise of something metal, rang out when the Other Mother kicked him. He quickly pulled his right knee up onto the chair, and he began rubbing it softly.

The Other Mother quickly—in one fluid motion, got up from the chair, softly—a soothing look on her face grew, as she approached Susie carefully. “There, there now, Susie. We only want what’s best for you,” she said, and extended the arm out to Susie with the box with the buttons in to her.

Susie reeled back in fear. She footed back her fair, stood up, and said in a wet, urgent voice, “I’m going. Right now!”

“You’re going…but, right now,” the Other Father asked, questioningly. “Why, it’s almost time for dinner. We’ve hardly eaten anything.”

Susie quickly began to back away from them, keeping her eyes on them, while making her way towards the living room.

“No, I think I should leave…!” Susie said again, backing away from her Other Mother and the Other Father. Who stood watching her every move.

“I’m sure that if we could all just settle down,” the Mother said, calmly. “If we have some dinner, and give you some time to think it over—,” but Susie shook her head firmly. “No. I’m leaving right now!”

The looks on both the Other Mother and Other Father seemed disappointed. But there was something else in the Other Father, that she couldn’t quite notice. There was a look of genuine worry for the poor girl.

The Other Mother stood quite still—as if her whole body had been rooted to the ground. And, as she watched Susie leave the kitchen, her long black hair continued floating above her head. As if it had a mind of its own, or that there was an invisible force (like some sort of wind)that seemingly blew and made her hair float about like that.

“I’m leaving now,” Susie Davies said, firmly. And turned, putting her hand into her pockets. Her fingers wrapped around the stone with the hole in it that the real Misses Spink and Forcible gave her. From within the pocket, the brown stone emitted a faint, low, green glow that came from her pocket.

The Other Mother backed away from her, and her long, pale white arm, with the hand—with the longish white fingers—scuttled away from her shoulder. As if some magical property, or some form of protection surrounded Susie!

“We will see you real soon, shortly,” the other mother said softly. Then, just as the Other Mother had said this, the Other Father stood up, walked up next beside her and said, “Come back soon!”

Susie wanted to say something, but her mouth inanely felt numb, and her words got mixed up. “And when you come back,” she said, “we can all be a perfect, happy family again!”

Susie turned and fled into the living room at full tilt. She didn’t dare to look back , to see what her other mother nor what her other father would do to her. She raced along down the corridor, as fast as her feet would be willingly to carry her.

She nearly collided into the huge, old, brown: intricately-carved wooden door at the farthest corner of the living room.

Quickly, she pulled open the door, and instead of the wall of red bricks, the long, black corridor was there. Meeting her was the dark, black corridor. Which seemed to elongate and stretch itself.

It was a darkness, and looking closer: she could hear faint, distant noises coming from within.

Susie hesitated, she was nervous to step back into the long, dark corridor. Because, she itted to herself that she was afraid of the dark: she didn’t know what could be lurking in the corridor.

She turned to look over her shoulder. The Other Mother and her Other Father were slowly walking towards Susie.

She looked at both of their button eyes, and Susie wasn’t sure if they were looking at her or not. After all, there was a saying that she'd learned in school: that the eyes are often the windows, into the person’s soul. Knowing that, Susie looked once more at their button eyes.

There were no real eyes. Only huge, black-polished buttons! Taking that information in, she shivered and began wondering: what are their intentions? Why do they want to keep me here, Susie thought to herself, before plunging into the dark corridor. The door behind her closed shut, and she was left in complete, pitch darkness.

Before the door had swung shut, she had seen the Other Mother beckoning to her, with one of her free hands, cocking a finger up to Susie. And, before the door closed shut, she mouthed the words “Hope you come back, real soon.” But no words escaped her lips. Only silence.

She closed her eyes tightly, against the darkness of the tunnel. Which seemed to make things only darker and scarier for Susie Davies.

There was something in there with her, and Susie was not sure what the thing was, but she thought that it wasn’t a good thing. The tunnel, itself, seemed to be that of some old, slow, and ancient monster that was both old and alive! Still, Susie pressed on. The darkness lingered on, and her bravery only grew. Susie was scared, not about the dark—but what could be hiding in it.

And she was certain that it was a creature. A creature that was waiting to snatch her, once she had fallen and wouldn’t be able to get back up.

Susie’s chest felt heavy and tight, and her heart was beating so hard; that she was afraid that it would soon burst out of her chest.

She kept her eyes closed, tightly. And she pushed her way through the dark corridor, when she suddenly felt something hit her foot.

Susie opened her eyes, looked down, and noticed that she had hit her foot against one of the old, claw-footed legs of her grandmother’s chair in the living room. She looked around, and she noticed where she was. She was back home at last!

She turned to look over her shoulder, at the door at the far corner of the room.

The dark ageway was gone, and in its place was the familiar, rough wall of red cemented bricks. Which separated her apartment; from the other,

empty apartment that was still for sale.

She breathed a sigh of relief. She was back home.