the koala stalker

I must have been five or six years old when my step-uncle won a stuffed animal from a claw machine. It was the one I wanted and I remember being so appreciative of this gift. It was a creepy little koala bear, that sat on a set of blocks. Its eyes were a vivid green and made of the same thick plastic material that the balls from my hair ties were made from. I brought it home, and then brought it to sleep with me.
The next morning I woke up horrified, that thing, that sweet little koala bear had tried to kill me. I screamed for my mom and told her what happened in my dream. I had to go to the potty so I went to the bathroom, and when I switched on the lights, the koala attacked. It leaped on to me, and stuck its teeth into my neck. I was in tears and I couldn’t stop sobbing. My older brother over heard and wanted to comfort me too. “ Why don’t we just throw it in the trash, that way this can never happen.” My mother agreed and I remember chunking it with such force into the trash can. I felt satisfied and safe.
That night I had to go to the potty. I went to the bathroom, turned on the lights, and to my horror there it sat, looking at me with its stupid plastic eyes, waiting for me on the toilet. I screamed and ran out of the bathroom as fast as I could. Crying and scared for my life, I told my mother it had come back for me. And that is when I heard him, my brother, laughing hysterically, he was so proud of himself. He hadn’t been concerned for me at all. After I bravely discarded the koala, my brother went back and retrieved it. He knew I always had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and he wanted to make sure my dreams came true.
I’m not sure whatever happened to that koala bear, but I vowed never to own another stuffed koala again, and I never did.