HH Story - Notes

"Hey, Stuart! You got a phone call!" Stu's mother called out.

Stu snorted as he woke up from his little nap. His eyes sprang open and his head jerked up. A paper that was on his desk stuck to his mask where drool found a way out through the breather hole. He sat there for a second before pulling the paper off his mask. He looked at it. The paper was from his history class. The lead markings were slightly smudged due to his nap. His pencil rolled off the desk and hit the floor. Stu looked around the room at his posters on the walls. His horror movie collection was on display on shelving across from where he sat. He looked at them. They were arranged in order of when they were released. The movies that had sequels and box sets remained together. He smiled under his mask at his collection.

"Stuart!" his mother called out again.

"Huh!? What!?" Stu looked at his door with confusion.

"Phone!"

"Oh, okay!"

Stu got up from his desk and left the comfort of his room. He slowly walked out into the main room where his mother stood holding the phone. She had a towel in one hand and her hair was pulled back to keep it from getting in her eyes. Unlike her psychotic son, Stu's mother didn't wear a mask of any kind. Her face was always visible. She was young for a mother, young and quite attractive with dark eyes and brunette hair that hung down past her shoulders. Stu nodded at her as he took the phone from her hand.

"Who is it?" he asked her.

"I was in the middle of cleaning the kitchen floor when the phone rang! I thought you would answer it, but you didn't respond. So I had to get up, wipe my hands off, and get it myself! What were you up to?"

"Mom!" Stu interrupted her, "Who is it?"

"Oh, it's some girl from your class. I think she said her name was Samara?" She looked up at the ceiling as she tried to remember the caller's name.

"S-Sadako?" Stu stuttered.

"Ah! That's what she said!"

Stu's mother turned to leave as she murmured words to herself that Stu couldn't make out. He slowly brought the phone up to his ear. Why was she calling him at this hour? His palm began to sweat as he brought the receiver up to his mouth. He drew in a quick breath and opened his mouth to speak.

"Hello...?" he began softly.

"Stu? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me," Stu answered her.

"It's me, Sadako! How are you?"

"Why are you calling me at this hour?" Stu breathed into the mouthpiece.

"Oh, I'm calling because I kinda need some notes for a class. See, I kinda fell asleep during my algebra class and missed the note taking part, and I was wondering if I could borrow them?" Sadako finished explaining her story and slightly giggled. Stu could hear a hint of nervousness in her voice. She sounded embarrassed.

"Um, sure," Stu replied. "When are you going to come and get them?"

"Right now," she replied.

"Oh! Okay. I'll see you in a bit then."

"Great, thanks! Ja mata ne!" She hung up.

Stu stood there silently while holding the phone. It began to beep. He slowly put the receiver down in its place.

"What does "ja mata ne" mean?" he wondered out loud.

"Huh?" his mother poked her head in the room.

"Not you, Mom," Stu told her. She shrugged and went back to doing her cleaning.

Stu walked over to the couch and plopped down. He picked up the remote and switched the television set on. He began flipping through channels in search of something to watch.

"Ah, Horror Masters is on," Stu said out loud. He smiled under his mask as the show played. It was half way through the episode, but he didn't mind. It was a re-run anyway. The girl on the screen was running for her life from a demonic creature. Stu was enjoying himself when the screen jumped.

"Huh?"

The TV screen went static for less than half a second and then went back to his program. The girl was running through the woods now.

"I don't remember this part," Stu softly mumbled. "Wait, does Sadako even know where I live?"

It was at that moment when the girl ran off screen, and in the background was an old well. Stu looked at it without blinking. He definitely did not remember this part of the episode. Just then a hand came out of the well. A dark figure pulled itself out of the well and stood before the structure. Stu stared without moving. The figure came towards him and suddenly reached through the screen. Stu leaned back as a gray hand came into the room via the television screen. Water began to pour out of the screen and onto the floor.

"What the hell?" Stu leaned back more as the figure pulled itself out of the TV. It stood up and looked at him. "W-what do you want?" Stu stammered. The figure cocked its head at him and then pulled its hair back.

"It's me!" Sadako chimed with confusion. Stu relaxed once her saw her pretty face. She let go of her hair and it fell back into place; covering one of her eyes.

"Oh! H-hey," Stu began to feel butterflies in his stomach. He was embarrassed that he didn't remember that this was how she could "get around". Sadako giggled. Stu blushed at the sound of her giggle.

"Um, the notes?" Sadako said hesitantly.

"Oh yeah! This way," Stu motioned for her to come. Sadako slightly smiled and followed him to his room. "Huh? Where are they?" Stu looked around his desk.

"You don't have them?" Sadako asked.

"N-no! Of course I do! I just need to find them," Stu blurted out. He began to look around for his notes from his algebra class. As he searched, Sadako looked around his room. She noticed the movie posters on the walls and smiled. Then she turned her attention to the massive horror movie collection he had. All neatly arranged and still in mint condition. Sadako looked back at Stu. He was on the floor looking under his desk.

"Hey, Stu?"

"Huh?" Stu lifted his head and banged it on his desk chair. "Ow!" He grabbed his head and bobbed back and forth.

"Ah! A-are you alright?" Sadako asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little bump," Stu answered her. He gave her a thumbs up. Sadako smiled and knelt down on the floor.

"Do you need any help?" she asked.

"No, it's okay. Thanks anyway," Stu answered.

"I...I like your movie collection," Sadako continued. Stu stopped and looked at her.

"Really? Well...thank you," Stu said smiling under his mask. It was starting to get hot under the layer of rubber that was over his face. He went over to his backpack and opened it up. He found a binder and pulled it out. He quickly opened it and turned through the pages.

"I like your room," Sadako stated. Stu looked up and stared at her. He nodded nervously and looked back at the pages in his binder.

"Ah-ha! Here we go!" Stu took the pages of notes out of his binder and handed them to Sadako. Sadako took them and smiled at him.

"Arigato, Stu," she said thanking him. Stu squirmed. "Well, I guess I'll be leaving then." The two got up and walked out of the room.

"Oh, before you go," Stu began. He went into the kitchen and then came back with a large plastic bag.

"Huh?" Sadako looked at the bag.

"So that the notes won't get wet," Stu told her. Sadako smiled and nodded once she understood. She took the plastic bag and placed the notes inside.

"Okay, mata ashita ne!" Sadako waved. She was about to crawl back into the TV when she stopped. "Hey, S-Stu?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, may I call you Stu-kun?" Sadako asked. Stu looked at her for a moment.

"Stu-kun?" he asked.

"Hai," Sadako gulped.

"Um, sure. You may," Stu finally said. Sadako smiled with excitement and blushed.

"Arigato for the notes, Stu-kun!"

After that was said, Sadako crawled back into the TV screen. Stu watched as she disappeared into the darkness of the screen. Then a white ring surrounded by a black background flashed up on the screen for a brief moment before going back to the regular program that was on at the time. Stu sighed and plopped down on the couch again. He looked up at the ceiling.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Stu's mother was peeking out at him. She smiled and went back to her cleaning.

"She seems like a nice girl," she said softly. "I wouldn't mind if they went out or something." She quietly giggled.