Horrifying Tales of Shivering Jemmy

She the Shivering Jemmy

"Upon a frosted winter day, across an endless sea,
there came a child cold and grey and oh so shivery,
up to the door of old man Gloom, and pleaded with a plea.

'Oh please do let me in, good chum,' the child's voice did ring.
'So hungry now have I become, I'd eat most anything.'
And so the door of old man Gloom did open with a swing.

'Good child, come inside and eat,' the gloomy man did say.
'I have my sweets, I have my meats, so have your fill this day.'
And so the child saw a treat that would make it worth her stay.

She left the meat, she left the bread. She left the candy sweets.
She left the fruits, the apples red. She left the fancy treats.
But old man Gloom now lay there dead, in pieces as she eats.

She the Shivering Jemmy. She the Shivering Jemmy."

Modern Day
Jump City Elementary School: Counselor's Office.


Mr. Brown removed his reading glasses to look at the girl who had just walked in the door. He didn't recognize her. He thought he had memorized the names and faces of all the students here. It was a lot of work, but he thought it was necessary. What kind of school counselor could he be if he didn't know a student by name?

She must be a transfer. Mr. Brown took note of her bright orange eyes. He felt ashamed to find them a bit unsettling. She was also carrying a balloon around. Was it her birthday?

Shivering Jemmy sat down on the big couch and looked around at the funny pictures on the wall. The room was designed to make kids comfortable.

"Hello," Mr. Brown said. "That's a beautiful balloon. Did your parents get it for you?"

"No."

Mr. Brown chuckled. "I'm terribly sorry, but I can't remember your name."

"I'm Jemmy, and I'm new here."

"Okay Jemmy." That was certainly a different name. Mr. Brown smiled. "You can call me Mr. Brown. How can I help you today?"

Jemmy kicked her feet as they dangled from the couch. "Well, someone was making fun of me and...it hurt my feelings."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mr. Brown said. He meant it. Bullying was far too common these days. "What did they say?"

Jemmy frowned and started to shiver. "They called me ugly, and they said I got beat with the ugly stick, and they said I was pathetic." Jemmy sniffed. "And they kicked me and spit on me."

Mr. Brown was very solemn now. This sounded serious. "That must have been really hard to go through."

Jemmy felt a few tears coming down her cheeks. It only reminded her more that her eyes were now permanently orange. She had been so angry at Rhett that she had changed her eye color, and now she couldn't change it back. "Why would they do that?"

"They're probably insecure about themselves," Mr. Brown said. "They might be jealous of you. By pushing you down, they're trying to feel better about themselves. You know, when you do something bad to someone, eventually something bad will happen to you. One day, they'll regret being so mean to you."

"Really?" It made Jemmy feel a little bit better to imagine Rhett in a state of agony. On the other hand, she had been mean to a lot of people throughout the last few thousand years, and she didn't regret any of it. Jemmy frowned. This guy didn't know his stuff. "Hey, do you think I look attractive?"

Mr. Brown's eyes opened wide. He certainly wasn't expecting that question. "You're very pretty."

Jemmy locked her orange eyes with his own. "My eyes look weird, don't they?"

Mr. Brown hesitated. "No. Of course not. You just look different, and different is a good thing. If everybody was the same, then the world would be boring."

"So if nobody's ugly, then nobody would be pretty? Is that what you're saying?" Mr. Brown was quiet. This girl was talking him into a corner. "How am I going to get the boy I like to like me back if I'm ugly? Tell me!"

"You're smart," Mr. Brown said at last. "There might be girls who are prettier than you, but I can tell you're very grown up for your age." Jemmy chuckled in her mind. Mr. Brown continued. "In the end, being smart will be a lot more useful than being pretty. It's who you are on the inside that matters most. And I'm sure a lot of boys will like you a lot. Some of them probably already do. They just don't show it yet."

Jemmy thought about it. Mr. Brown hadn't really said anything that had changed her life, but it did feel good to vent about her feelings. It was nice to have someone to share personal stuff with. She stood up, wiping the last tears from her eyes. "Okay. I feel a little better now. Thanks." Jemmy decided not to kill the man, at least not today.

The man climbed onto the rooftop. From here he would be able to see people in need. The man was wearing a red coat, a fake white beard, heavy black boots, and a Santa hat. He had decided to take to the streets this Christmas, his pockets filled with money and his heart filled with cheer. Whoever he saw in need, he would give some money to, and do his very best to make their holiday season more cheerful.

So far, he was having a great time doing it. He felt like the real Santa Claus. This, he decided, was the true way to celebrate Christmas.

"You're not the real Santa," a little voice said. Santa turned around and saw Shivering Jemmy standing behind him. She wore a coat with the same colors and theme of his own, as well as big red mittens and bright blue boots. A red balloon floated at her side, wearing a Santa hat. Jemmy herself wore no hat, and the gentle snowflakes were collecting on her yellow hair. She was shivering, and no wonder, it was cold. "I met the real Santa," Jemmy continued. "He disappeared in the Vanishing. The world's been without a Santa Claus ever since."

Santa smiled. "You're a smart little girl," he said. "Yes, the Santa Claus you knew disappeared. He went away. He was the original, but he is not the only Santa." Jemmy tilted her head, curious. "I'm sure if Saint Nick were here, he'd say that there are many Santa Clauses. Everyone with cheer and giving in their heart can be Santa Claus. You know, just one person can't deliver all those presents. Whenever you give someone else a gift, to them you are Santa. That's the magic of the man. He could be anyone, and anyone could be him."

Santa took his own hat and put it on Jemmy's head. "Even you can be Santa Claus, if you have the spirit to give."

Jemmy smiled. "I've never thought about it that way, but I guess you're right. After all, who am I to question Santa Claus?"

The man laughed. "Well, you're a fellow Santa Claus, of course."

Jemmy gave him a hug, thanked him for the hat, and then went on her way. When morning came, every poor family in town found a ripe banana on their kitchen table, picked fresh from the tropics. Their doors had been locked, and their windows had been shut tight. The only explanation: Santa Claus had visited them that night.

Ancient Japan

Kamatari cried out as the bandit stabbed his wife through the chest. He couldn't believe that this was happening. He had never wanted his family to suffer like this.

"Mama!" Kaori cried. The 8 year old girl ran to her mother and knelt down by her side. Kamatari panicked as a bandit reached a hand out to grab her, but a sword was placed at his neck, stopping him in his tracks.

"She's dead, little girl," one of the bandits said to Kaori. "And you are too." He stabbed her through the chest.

"No!" Kamatari yelled.

Kaori's hair turned yellow. Her eyes turned blue. Her body grew a few years older. The bandits and Kamatari were now equally horrified. Just what was happening? What were they seeing?

Kaori stood up, and her wound closed itself up without leaving a scar. She frowned down at her blood-soaked kimono, and the blood slowly disappeared as the cloth rewove itself.

Shivering Jemmy glared at the bandits. "Now you've done it. You've ruined my life." Energy flowed from her hands, forming into orbs that slammed into the bandits at high speeds, knocking them off their feet and breaking their bones. Not a single one escaped, and she cracked their bones until they all stopped moving. "And stay dead!"

Kamatari picked up a sword from one of the fallen bandits. He timidly held it out at the girl who he had thought was his daughter. "What are you?"

Jemmy sighed. "I'm...I'm a thing. I have magic and stuff. You wouldn't understand. I never wanted you to find out. You see, I've always wanted a family. I've been your daughter for about 6 years now, and it's been fun. Maybe we can both just forget."

"My daughter...what have you done with my daughter?"

Jemmy bit her thumb. "She...she was delicious." Kamatari's eyes were shaking with anger. He let out a scream and stabbed Jemmy in the neck. She backed up slowly and the wound healed, almost instantly. "That wasn't very nice."

"Get out! Get out of here, you monster!"

Jemmy's lip started to quiver, and tears formed in her eyes. "But...all those times that you said you loved me..."

"I loved my daughter. My real daughter. And you killed her. I hate you, now get out of here!"

Jemmy was crying now. She wiped her tears with the sleeve of her kimono. "If...if that's what you want. Goodbye, Daddy."

Shivering Jemmy ran away, her tears obscuring her view. She tripped and fell in the dirt. She started to get up, but decided she had run far enough away. She stayed there on the ground and cried.

"Child of Chaos, what has come over you?"

Jemmy looked up and saw a black panther sitting in front of her. "Oh, hi Amnesia. It's a long story."

"One that I already know." The panther put a paw on her shoulder, as if to comfort the Lord of Chaos. "It is a very sad story, as well. Nobody should have to go through that." Jemmy gave him a hug and cried into his fur. "Say, what if I made you feel all better?"

Jemmy looked up at him. "You can do that?"

Amnesia smiled. "Of course I can. I can take away all your memories, and all the pain that goes with them. You'll feel like a new woman. What do you say?"

Jemmy sniffled. Lose all of her memories? She had some good ones too, but the bad seemed much stronger right now. She didn't want to feel sad like this. Jemmy nodded. "Go ahead. Take away all my memories. What do I owe you?"

"Oh, the satisfaction of a good deed is enough reward," Amnesia said. He put his paw on her head, and took hold of all the memories in the Lord of Chaos' mind. She was old, very old, and had many memories for him to devour. They were delicious memories, salted by tragedy and sweetened by celebration. Amnesia ate all of her memories, until she had nothing left to give.

Jemmy dropped to the ground, unconscious. Amnesia allowed himself a wicked grin as he looked down at her. Before she woke up, he faded away into nothingness, returning to a world far removed from Earth. "Farewell, Lord of Chaos. I will see you again in a thousand years or so."

The little girl sat with her back against the cave wall, shivering and alone. She pulled her blanket tighter, but it didn't do much good. The night was too cold. Without a fire, she knew she would freeze.

Maybe she should go back. The bright light should be gone by now, right? She hoped so. Stars were pretty enough, but they belonged in the night sky, not here on the ground.

The girl tracked her way through the snow deep, moving back to her village. Everything was burned. Where was everyone? Sure, the tents had burned, but there was still a fire here, and it was nice and warm. The girl sat by the fire, warming herself. It wasn't quite enough to stop her shivering, though.

And then she realized, it wasn't just a fire that was warming her body. It was a person. A person made of fire. The fire person opened their mouth and spoke. "Cold...So cold."

The girl was surprised, of course, but too tired and cold to act like it. This fire person was scary, but what choice did she have? She could go freeze to death in the snow or stay and be warmed by the flames. "You're cold?"

"Cold!" The fire person writhed.

"I'm cold, too. What's your name?"

"Name?"

"Yes, your name. My name is Jemmy. Who are you?"

"My name is Jemmy?"

The girl laughed, nervously. "No, my name is Jemmy. What is your..."

"Cold!" The fire person looked at Jemmy, focusing on her intently. Suddenly, it lashed out at her, grabbing her with burning arms. The girl screamed as she was pulled into a maw of flames. The maw snapped shut, and the girl's screams went silent. The fire person was left alone in the snow. "Cold...cold...cold." The heat provided by eating the human girl wasn't taking the cold away, but it was giving the fire person the strength to withstand it. The fire person stood up. It grew shorter. Thinner.

"My name...?"

What was it's name? What was a name? It decided that it must have been correct before. The flames shaped into a human body, before changing into flesh. The fire person had taken the form of the girl it had just eaten, complete with yellow hair and bright, blue eyes.

"My name...is...Jemmy."

And Jemmy was cold.