The Ball Pit

Josh never thought it was real, the Backrooms stories, until he fell in. He couldn’t tell how long he had been there, but it felt like a day or two at the very least. First, it was the level with the yellow wallpaper, then it was a weird warehouse that felt weird, and now it was a pizzeria? An arcade? He wasn’t entirely sure what this place was, it was like an infinite in-door playground. There were ball pits, big play sets full of tunnels and nets, arcade machines that didn’t work, everything you’d find in a kids play place. The carpet smelled funny, and was that old, 80s style full of brightly colored lines and squiggles on a dark background, and the walls were painted like a sky full of clouds, but cartoony, like a child painted it. The thing he hated most was the low drone of music that played just loud enough to hear, and the fact the ceiling was so high up it looked like a pitch black void in the dimly lit complex. Truth be told, the whole place gave him extreme anxiety; he never thought those ‘fake’ images online were scary, but the real deal? Terrifying. He traversed the halls and big open rooms, until something changed.

There was movement in the ball pit of the room he entered, and that scared him more than anything he had seen so far. He froze, watching in horror as a strange creature rose from the ball pit; it was a Kitvoren, but it looked… strange. Like it was out of place yet exactly where it belonged at the same time. It looked like a weird jester in blue and red, and a white face. It was an unmasked kit with strange eyes, like the eyes didn’t belong to it. The strange jester stood on its hind legs and stared, then tilted its head before reaching into the pouch on its abdomen and taking out… plastic balls? They were the same as the ones in the ball pit, and it began to juggle. Josh watched in terrified fascination, confused as to what this Kitvoren was trying to do. Most of the ones he had met were friendly, just like any human, but this one… this one didn’t seem friendly. It stopped juggling and grinned menacingly, then let out a strange, creepy giggle that distorted like it was being played over a radio. 

Josh slowly took a step back, and that caught the attention of the jester because it instantly dropped the balls and pounced out of the ball pit. Josh screamed and ran, running as fast as he could down the way he came. The jester was hot on his heels, and Josh was terrified. He had heard some Kitvoren, feral ones, eat people, and he was scared that was going to be his fate. He rounded a corner at a four way split and slid a bit, dashing down another hallway. The kit tried to follow but slid and crashed down the hallway in the wrong direction. Josh ran until he found a room and ran inside, carefully closing the door so as to not make noise. He hid in a pitch black janitor closet. He slowed his breathing as much as he could, trying to be quiet. He heard the giggle again, echoing down the hallway as the kit prowled passed the door. Josh stayed there, quiet and scared, until he thought the Kitvoren was gone. Slowly, and with much reluctance, he opened the door and peeked out. Seeing the coast was clear, he slowly exited the closet and went out into the hallway. He heard the giggle and froze, looking up slowly as he realized the jester was on the ceiling. Josh screamed as it pounced him, tearing into him with its claws. The jester unhinged its jaw and millions of eyes opened within. Josh screamed, struggling, trying to get free, but it was no use. The Juggling Jester was to consume him, and consume him it did.