Sweets to the Sweet | Creepy Kid Story | Podcast

This is a horror short story by Robert Bloch that was first published in Weird Tales in 1947. The story is about a lawyer who investigates his brother's treatment of his niece. A little, blonde girl appears to be the victim of a savage parent, but in truth who is the victim?

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:28):
From the macabre Minds of Laughing Devil production comes another
story from the night Shade Diary. You know what that means.
Check under the bed and make sure no one or
nothing is there. Is the closet door securely shut. Then
leave your disbelief behind, amp up your imagination and hang

(00:49):
on tight for another ride into terror and mystery. And
like all good horror stories, just imagine it's a dark
and stormy night, and remember screaming like a little girl
is permitted. Sweets to the Sweet by Robert Block Irma

(01:18):
didn't look like a witch. She had small, regular features
of peaches and cream complexion, blue eyes, and fair, almost
ash blonde hair. Besides, she was only eight years old.
Why does he tease her so sobbed Miss Paul. That's
where she got the idea in the first place, because

(01:39):
he calls her a little witch. Sam Stever bulked his
paunch back into the squeaky swol chair and folded his
heavy hands in his lap. His fat lawyer's mask was immobile,
but he was really quite distressed. Women like miss Paul
should never sob their glasses, wiggle, their thin nose, twitch

(02:01):
their creasy eyelids, redden and their stringy hair becomes disarrayed.
Please control yourself, coax Sam Stever. Perhaps if we could
just talk this whole thing over sensibly. I don't care,
Miss Paul sniffled. I'm not going back there again. I
can't stand it. There's nothing I can do anyway. The

(02:24):
man is your brother, and she's your brother's child. It's
not my responsibility. I've tried. Of course you've tried. Sam
Stever smiled benignly, as if Miss Paul were foreman of
a jury. I quite understand, but I still don't see
why you are so upset, dear lady. Miss Paul removed

(02:47):
her spectacles and dabbed her eyes with a floral print handkerchief.
Then she deposited the soggy ball in her purse, snapped
the catch, replaced the spectacles, and sat up straight. Very well,
mister Stever, she said, I shall do my best to
acquaint you with my reasons for quitting your brother's employ

(03:09):
she suppressed a tardy sniff. I came to John Stever
two years ago in response to an advertisement for housekeeper.
As you know, when I found that I was to
be a governess to a motherless six year old child,
I was at first distressed. I know nothing of the
care of children. John had a nurse the first six years.

(03:32):
Sam Stever nodded. You know, Irma's mother died in childbirth.
I am aware of that, said Miss Paul. Primly, naturally
one's heart goes out to a lonely, neglected little girl.
And she was so terribly lonely, mister Stever. If you
could have seen her hoping around the corners of that big,

(03:53):
ugly old house, I have seen her, said Sam Stever,
hastily hoping to for stall another outburst. And I know
what you've done for Irma. My brother's inclined to be thoughtless,
even a bit selfish at times. He doesn't understand he's cruel,

(04:14):
declared Miss Paul Celiviament, cruel and wicked. Even if he
is your brother, I say he's no fit father for
any child. When I came there, her little arms were
black and blue from beatings he used to take a belt.
I know sometimes I think John never recovered from the

(04:37):
shock of missus Stevers's death. That's why I was so
pleased when you came to your lady. I thought you
might help the situation. I tried, Miss Paul, whimpered. You
know I tried. I never raised a hand to that
child in two years, though many's the time your brother

(04:57):
has told me to punish her. Give the little witch
a beating. He used to say, that's all she needs,
a good thrashing, And then she'd hide behind my back
and whispered to me to protect her. But she wouldn't cry,
mister Stever, do you know I've never seen her cry?
Sam Stever felt vaguely irritated and a bit bored. He

(05:20):
wished the old hen would get on with it, so
he smiled and oozed triacle. But just what is your problem,
dear lady? Everything was all right when I came there,
but we got along just splendidly. I started to teach
Irma to read, and was surprised to find that she
had already mastered reading. Your brother disclaimed having taught her,

(05:46):
But she spent hours curled up on the sofa with
a book, just like her. He used to say, unnatural,
little witch doesn't play with the other children. Little witch,
that's the way he kept talking, misters, as if she
were some sort of I don't know what, And she's
so sweet and quiet and pretty. Is it any wonder

(06:09):
she read. I used to be that way myself when
I was a girl, because but never mind. Still, it
was a shock that day I found her looking through
the Encyclopedia Britannica. What are you reading, Irma, I asked.
She showed me it was the article on witchcraft. You

(06:29):
see what morbid thoughts your brother has inculcated in her
poor little head. I did my best. I went out
and bought her some toys. She had absolutely nothing, you know,
not even a doll. She didn't even know how to play.
I tried to get her interested in some of the
other little girls in the neighborhood, but it was no use.

(06:51):
They didn't understand her, and she didn't understand them. There
were scenes children can be cruel, thoughtless, and her father
wouldn't let her go to public school. I was to
teach her. Then I brought her the modeling clay. She
liked that. She would spend hours just making faces with clay.

(07:12):
For a child of six, Irma displayed real talent. We
made little dolls together, and I sewed clothes for them.
That first year was a happy one, mister Stepher, particularly
during those months with their brother was away in South America.
But this year when he came back. Oh, I can't
bear to talk about it, please, said Sam Stever. You

(07:36):
must understand John is not a happy man, the loss
of his wife, the decline of his importrade, and his drinking.
But you know all that. All I know is that
he hates Irma. Snapped miss Paul suddenly he hates her.
He wants her to be bad so he can whip her.
If he don't discipline the little witch, I shall, he

(07:58):
always says, and he takes her upstairs and thrashes her
with his belt. You must do something, mister Stever, or
I'll go to the authorities myself. The crazy old biddy
would dead that. Sam Stever thought, remedy more triacle. But
about Irma, he persisted, she's changed too ever since her

(08:21):
father returned is here. She won't play with me anymore,
hardly looks at me. It is though I failed her,
mister Stever, and not protecting her from that man. Besides,
she thinks she's a witch. Crazy stark staring, crazy Sam

(08:42):
Stever creaked upright in his chair. Oh you needn't look
at me like that, mister Stever. She'll tell you so herself.
If you ever visited the house. He caught the reproach
in her voice and assaged it with a deprecating nod.
She told me, all right, if her father wants her
to be a witch, she'll be a witch, and she

(09:03):
won't play with me or anyone else, because witches don't play.
Last Halloween, she wanted me to give her a broomstick. Oh,
it would be funny if it weren't so tragic. That
child is losing her sanity. Just a few weeks ago,
I thought she'd change. That's when she asked me to
take her to church one Sunday. I want to see

(09:24):
the baptism, she said. Imagine that an eight year old
interested in baptism reading too much, that's what does it. Well,
we went to church, and she was as sweet as
can be, wearing her new blue dress and holding my hand.
I was proud of her, mister Stever, really proud. But
after that she went right back into her shell, reading

(09:47):
around the house, running through the yard at twilight and
talking to herself. Perhaps it's because your brother wouldn't bring
her a kitten. She was pestering him for a black cat,
and he asked why, and she said, because witches always
have black cats. Then he took her upstairs. I can't

(10:08):
stop him, you know. He beat her again the night
the power failed and we couldn't find the candles. He
said she'd stolen them. Imagine that, accusing an eight year
old child of stealing candles. That was the beginning of
the end. Then today, when he found his hair brush missing.

(10:28):
You say he beat her with his hair brush. Yes,
she admitted having stolen it, said she wanted it for
her doll. But didn't you say she has no dolls.
She made one, at least I think she did. I've
never seen it. She won't show us anything anymore, won't
talk to us at table. Just impossible to handle her.

(10:53):
But this doll she made, it's a small one. I
know because at times she carries it tucked under her arm.
She talks to it and pets it, but she won't
show it to me or to him. He asked her
about the hair brush, and she said she took it
for the doll. Your brother flew into a terrible rage.

(11:14):
He'd been drinking in his room again all morning. Oh
don't think I don't know it. She just smiled and
said he could have it now. She went over to
a bureau and handed it to him. She hadn't harmed
it in the least. His hair was still in it,
I noticed. But he snatched it up and then he

(11:34):
started to strike her about the shoulders with it, and
he twisted her arm and then he. Miss Paul huddled
in her chair and summoned great, racking sobs from a
thin chest. Sam Stever patted her shoulder, fussing about her
like an elephant over a wounded canary. That's all, mister Stever.
I came right to you. I'm not even going back

(11:55):
to that house to get my things. I can't stand
any more. The way he beat her, and the way
she didn't cry, just giggled and giggled and giggled. Sometimes
I think she is a witch. That he made her
into a witch. Sam Stever picked up the phone. The
ringing had broken the relief of silence after Miss Paul's

(12:17):
hasty departure. Hello that you, Sam. He recognized his brother's voice,
somewhat the worst for drink. Yes, John, I supposed the
old bat came running straight to you to shoot her
mouth off. If you mean miss Paul, I've seen her, Yes,
Pay no attention. I can explain everything. Do you want

(12:41):
me to stop in. I haven't paid you a visit
in months? Well not right now. Got an appointment with
the doctor this evening. Something wrong, pain in my arm,
rheumatism or something. Getting a little dithermi, But I'll call
you tomorrow and we'll straighten this whole mess out right.

(13:03):
But John Stever did not call. The next day, a
long about supper time, Sam called him. Surprisingly enough, Irma
answered the phone. Her thin, squeaky little voice sounded faintly
in Sam's ears. Daddy's upstairs sleeping, he's been sick. Well,

(13:23):
don't disturb him. What is it? His arm? His back?
Now he has to go to the doctor again in
a little while. Tell him I'll call tomorrow. Then, Uh,
everything all right, Irma? I mean, don't you miss miss Paul. No,
I'm glad she went away. She's stupid. Oh yes, I see,

(13:48):
But you phone me if you want anything. And I
hope your daddy's better. Yes, so do, I said Irma,
And then she began to giggle, and then she hung up.
There was no giggling to fall afternoon. When John Stever
called Sam at the office. His voice was sober, with
a sharp sobriety of pain. Sam, for God's sake, get

(14:10):
over here. Something's happening to me. What's the trouble? The pain?
It's killing me. I've got to see you quickly. There's
a client in the office, but I'll get rid of him.
Say wait a minute, why don't you call the doctor.
That quack can't help me. He gave me diathermy from

(14:32):
my arm, and yesterday he did the same thing for
my back. Didn't it help? The pain went away? Yes,
but it's back now. I feel like I was being
crushed squeezed here in the chest. I can't Breathe sounds
like pleurisy. Why don't you call him? It isn't pleurisy,

(14:52):
he examined me, said I was sound as a dollar. No,
there's nothing organically wrong. I couldn't tell him the real cause,
real cause. Yes, the pins. The pins that little fiend
is sticking into the doll she made into the arm,
the back, and now heaven only knows how she's causing this. John,

(15:16):
you mustn't. Oh, what's the use of talking. I can't
move off the bed here she has me. Now, I
can't go down and stop her. Get hold of the
doll and nobody else would believe it. But it's the doll, right,
the once she made with a candle wax and the
hair from my brush. Oh it hurts to talk, that

(15:37):
cursed little witch. Hurry, Sam, promise me, you'll do something, anything,
Get that doll from her, Get that doll. Half an
hour later, at four point thirty, Sam Stever entered his
brother's house. Irma opened the door. It gave Sam a
shock to see her standing there, smiling and unpert turbed.

(16:01):
Pale blonde hair brushed immaculately back from the rosy oval
of her face. She looked just like a little doll,
a little doll. Hello, Uncle Sam, Hello, Irma. Your daddy
called me. Did he tell you? He said he wasn't
feeling well? I know, but he's all right now. He's sleeping.

(16:23):
Something happened to Sam Steaver. A drop of ice water
trickled down his spine. Sleeping, He croaked upstairs. Before she
opened her mouth to answer, he was bounding up the
steps to the second floor, striding down the hall to
John's bedrooms. John lay on the bed. He was asleep,

(16:43):
and only asleep. Sam Stever noted the regular rise and
fall of his chase as he breathed, his face was calm, relaxed.
Then the drop of ice water evaporated, and Sam could
afford to smile and murmur nonsense in his breath as
he turned away. As he went downstairs, he hastily improvised

(17:05):
plans a six monthifacation for his brother, avoid calling it
a cure, an orphanage for Irma. Gave her a chance
to get away from this morbid old house, all those books.
He paused half way down the stairs, peering over the
banister through the twilight, he saw Irma on the sofa,

(17:26):
coddled up like a little white ball. She was talking
to something she cradled in her arms, rocking it to
and fro. Then there was a doll after all, Sam
stever tiptoed very quietly down the stairs and walked over
to Irma. Hello, he said. She jumped both arms, rose

(17:46):
to cover completely whatever it was she had been fondling.
She squeezed it tightly. Sam Steaver thought of a doll
being squeezed across the chest. Irma stared up at him,
her face a mask of innocence, and the half light
her face did resemble a mask, the mask of a
little girl. Covering. What Daddy's better now, isn't he lisped Irma, Yes,

(18:15):
much better. I knew he would be. But I'm afraid
he's going to have to go away for a rest,
a long rest. A smile filtered through her the mask good, said, Irma.
Of course, Sam went on, you couldn't stay here all alone.
I was wondering, and maybe we could send you out

(18:36):
to school or to some kind of a home. Irma giggled. Oh,
you didn't even worry about me, she said. She shifted
about on the sofa as Sam sat down, then sprang
up quickly as he came close to her. Her arms
shifted with the movement, and Sam sever saw a pair

(18:57):
of tiny legs dangling down below her elbow. They were
trousers on the legs, and little bits of leather for shoes.
What's that you have, Verma, he asked? Is it a doll?
Slowly extended his pudgy hand. She pulled back. You can't
see it, she said, but I want to, As Paul said,

(19:19):
you made such lovely ones as Paul is stupid, So
are you go away? Please? Irma let me see it.
But even as he spoke, Sam stever was staring at
the top of the doll, momentarily revealed when she backed away.
It was a head, all right, with a wisp of
hair over a white face. Dusk dimmed the features, but

(19:44):
Sam recognized the eyes, the nose, the chin. He could
keep up to pretense. No longer give me that doll, Irma,
he snapped, I know what it is. I know who
it is. For an instant, the mass slipped from Irma's face,
and Sam Steaver stared into naked fear. She knew, she knew,

(20:07):
he knew. Then just as quickly the mask was replaced.
Irma was only a sweet, spoiled, stubborn little girl as
she shook her head merrily and smiled with impish mischief
in her eyes. Oh, uncle Sam, she giggled, You're so silly.
Why this isn't a real doll? What is it? Then,

(20:28):
he muttered. Irma giggled once more, raising the figure, she spoke,
Why it's only candy, Irma said, Candy. Irma nodded, Then,
very swiftly, she slipped the tiny head of the image
into her mouth and bit it off. There was a
single piercing scream from upstairs as Sam Steaver turned and

(20:51):
ran up the steps. Little irma, still gravely munching, skipped
out of the front door and into the night beyond