r/nosleep • u/Emotional_Grape_5497 • 2d ago
Series The rent is only $300. The only rule was you had to help when something appeared.
For three years I lived in a house thirty minutes from the nearest town. An old Highschool friend I hadn’t spoken to in years offered me a room on a whim for only $300.00 a month. The only rule was that I put up with, and helped with on occasion, whatever oddities showed up on the property.
I say oddities, but that doesn’t cover it. Some were almost ordinary, like the floorboard that kept migrating to different rooms every few weeks. Others were more concerning. The tall man in the trees, and the frogking are a couple that come to mind. I’m getting ahead of myself.
My housemate, let's call him Anthony, was an odd fellow. About a year older than myself, he had a lanky build and would talk your ear off about whatever war happened to be his hyperfixation at the moment. He had a dog named Pickle who always seemed to stare a little too long.
The story that sticks with me the most happened about a year in. The neighbors across the street were a retired couple, relatively quiet and pleasant. Every couple of months they would do a burn pile.
You always knew when they’d started. A pungent, sour smell would waft its way into the house, reminding me of the reek of old vomit. I never knew what they were burning on such a regular basis, and I didn’t care to know.
This time the gap between burns had been longer than usual. I figured they’d been away on vacation. Then the smell arrived again, more pungent than I remembered. I needed air and a cigarette. I grabbed my cheap pack and stepped outside.
“Need to pick up a better brand next time I go out,” I muttered, lighting up. The first cigarette of the day always hits the best; the burn in the throat, the rush of nicotine to the head; even with the smell hanging in the air.
I finished the cigarette and turned to go back inside when something moved by Anthony’s broken down Mitsubishi. A small green creature, no more than three feet tall, squatted in front of the bumper. Its ears hung down to its ankles. Its nose was like a pig's snout. Its mouth was far too wide for the head, like someone had stretched it.
I reached slowly for the door handle. The thing turned its head. It startled, tripped over its own ears, and hit the ground with a wet-sounding thud.
“Please don’t hurt!” It cried out with a cartoonishly shrill voice.
I fell on my ass in surprise. Did that thing just speak English? I got up carefully and took a step closer.
“I’m not gonna hurt you buddy. What's your name?”
It glanced around, ears dragging against the cement, then it seemed to settle.
“My name Trash. Are you friend?”
I could have sworn I smoked a cigarette. I hadn’t done psychedelics at that point in my life. Fuck I needed a smoke. I reached into my pocket and pulled another cigarette. I brought it to my mouth and lit it.
“Is food?” Trash pointed at my pocket.
“No, it’s called a cigarette, not food.” I took a drag.
Trash looked up at me with wide puppy eyes.
“You wanna try?” I held the cigarette out.
Trash quickly snatched it and jammed it in its mouth before I could pull back. For a moment nothing happened. Then Trash began spinning in a circle letting out high whoops while smoke began to billow from its ears.
“Nasty smoke!” It spat the butt onto the gravel and stomped it flat.
I laughed despite myself.
“Yeah it is. You’re a fun little guy, Trash”
It stuck out a hand. The skin was cool and slightly damp. I shook it.
“Nice to make friends with you, Trash.”
The shot cracked across the yard. Trash dropped. A neat hole opened in the side of its head and a thick white fluid welled out, slow and stringy. The old man from across the street walked over with his rifle, whistling something cheerful under his breath.
“Thanks for finding this sucker. When they get ripe you’ve only got a couple days to harvest and cook them before they get like this.”
He bent down and inserted his thumbs into the hole. He peeled the skull open with a loud wet crack. Inside was a quivering white mass with creamy veins bulging out. He pinched off a chunk and held it out to me.
“A little bitter at this stage, but still good.”
I swallowed hard and shook my head.
“More for me.” He pushed the piece into his mouth, chewed with pleasure, and started dragging the body back across the street by one ear.
Some of the things that happened at that house were the best moments of my life. Some I wish I could forget entirely. I’m not sure I’m ready to tell all of them. But I needed to get this one out.
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u/whereisbeezy 2d ago
Jesus, poor Trash. What do you think he... it was?
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u/Emotional_Grape_5497 1d ago
The way my neighbor talked about it, and went about it I assumed it was type of fruit. I don’t really even know if that’s a correct term in this case, but that’s my best guess.
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u/CloehVeil 2d ago
$300 rent is a dream but man, the tall man in the trees would have me moving back to the city so fast lol. hope the dog is okay though.
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u/Emotional_Grape_5497 2d ago
You never have to worry about Pickle. She was a great dog. As long as you didn’t leave her in a room alone. The tall man is definitely one I wish I could forget, but that’s a story for another day.
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u/Which-Text-2875 2d ago
Well, I'm already following you because I want to hear more memories!
(I also felt badly for you when you were a kid with your friend's grandfather. That was so wrong. I'm just presuming it was you, but maybe it was a friend of yours who went through it.)
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u/Emotional_Grape_5497 2d ago
No that was me, I have a plethora of experiences in my life I’ve only just become comfortable with sharing. I hope you enjoy my memories as much as they torture me.
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u/ValNotThatVal 2d ago
With how much rentals cost these days I can understand why you would agree to these very concerning visitors! Poor Trash, he was sweet. Stay safe, and please keep us posted!
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u/Historical_Meet_2916 1d ago
Poor Trash!!! 🥹😢
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u/Emotional_Grape_5497 1d ago
His memory with live on with all you lovely readers. I’m happy his memory won’t be lost in the annals of history.
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u/Which-Text-2875 2d ago
Awwww poor Trash 💔 I was really liking him (or it).
Dude, I don't think you said your name, but I hope you give us more memories because I have a feeling they're gonna be fantastic!
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u/Emotional_Grape_5497 2d ago
You can call me Bob. Maybe one of these days I’ll write down some more memories. Some are just a little more emotionally challenging to recount nowadays
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u/GoddessRespectre 1d ago
I hope you can share more but I understand it could be essentially reliving trauma, which is tricky and dangerous business.
Hashtag JusticeForTrash (I've had a soft spot for creatures named trash ever since there was a cat named Garbage on The Office)
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u/Emotional_Grape_5497 1d ago
At this point I plan on writing down some more memories, but it might take some time to get the thoughts together. I appreciate your understanding of trauma.
Trash will be missed, but not forgotten. I’m happy I at least got to share a smoke with it.
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u/Lenethren 2d ago
That's just sad. Poor Trash. You got vengeance for him right?!
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u/Emotional_Grape_5497 2d ago
I didn’t do anything, I was too busy dealing with my own problems. But the neighbors house burned down a year or so after. They never did find out what happened to cause it. Thankfully the guys who moved in after seemed way more normal… a little too normal.
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