Jakob Jokenheimer

Thriller Stories | Apr 23, 2012 | 8 min read
32 Votes, average: 4 out of 5
It was only the middle of their third week at a new school and they were still assimilating.  Kevin and his brother Tyler had moved to Kansas with their parents recently and Kevin was still having a hard time.  He knew a few kids, but didn't really consider them friends yet.  On the other hand, his brother had begun picking on a lonely kid which was garnering him plenty of laughs and rising popularity.  Kevin looked up to his brother, who was three years older than him at age twelve, but thought he was acting like a jerk.

Being that it was early April, there was the ever-present threat of tornadoes in Kansas.  Kevin was terrified at the thought of the roof being ripped off and being tossed around in a twister.  Tyler capitalized on this fear and teased him  almost daily.  One morning he was screaming that there was a tornado as he shook Kevin's bed.  He was so scared he wet himself a little.

But this morning Tyler went too far.  On the school bus, he was making fun of Matt, the lonely kid, by calling him "mouseface."  The more Tyler taunted him, the more the other kids laughed.  Finally, it was too much for Matt and he began to cry which was met by a busload of cheers.

At lunch, the principal came and got Tyler so they could discuss what had happened on the bus.  Kevin saw them leave as Andy and Steve, the only two guys Kevin really talked to, came to sit with him.

"Man, your brother is toast," said Andy.  "Jakob Jokenheimer is gonna snatch him up for sure."

"Jakob who?" replied Kevin.

"You never heard of Jakob Jokenheimer?" asked Steve.

"No, does he go to school here?" inquired Kevin.

Andy and Steve looked at each other wondering who should explain. Or even more importantly, if they should.

"No man, Jakob Jokenheimer was from some other country a long time ago.  Way back before T.V. or even baseball," Andy whispered while collecting his thoughts.  "He was a kid who talked funny, walked funny, looked funny and even wore funny-looking clothes that his mother made for him.  Because of this, all the other kids at school teased him and made up jokes about him.  The word joke comes from his name, Jokenheimer."

"Yeah, and you better be careful who you tell jokes about or Jakob Jokenheimer will get ya!" exclaimed Steve with a sinister grin.

"Shut up, Steve"  said Andy.  "Just listen Kev, the kids used to chase Jakob home from school every day.  Well, one day as he was running through the woods on his way home he tripped and fell over a rock.  He landed right on top of a poisonous snake."

"Did the snake bite him?" Kevin asked.

"Of course it did you moron," retorted Steve.

Andy continued, "Yeah, it bit him and slithered away.  By the time the other kids caught up to him, the venom was already starting to work.  He was paralyzed.  He couldn't move anything; not his legs, his arms or even his fingers.  Jakob could only breath, blink and cry.  I can't even imagine what that would be like!"

"Didn't the other kids help him," Kevin asked.

"The other kids didn't know or didn't care that he was hurt," said Andy.  "They stood around him for hours, until sundown, making jokes and laughing.  All Jakob could do was cry, and the harder he cried the harder they laughed."

Kevin swallowed hard and asked, "So what happened to him?"

"He died, what did you think?" said Steve rolling his eyes.

Kevin looked to Andy as if hoping for a different result.  However, the grim expression on his face said it all.

"Like Steve said, he died," Andy confirmed.  "They found a few parts of him the next day."

"Parts of him?" Kevin cautiously questioned.

"Yeah, his body was so dry that most of him had turned to dust and was blown away by the wind before they found him.  Every drop of water Jakob ever drank he cried out through his eyes that day.   The rest blew away before his parents could bury him."

Andy paused for a moment, "they say he still travels on the wind seeking revenge."

"Revenge?" Kevin questioned.

"Yeah, revenge," Steve interrupted.  "They say he got back at all those guys that tormented him...laughed at him while he was crying and dying.  One by one all those kids just disappeared and were never seen again.  They say you only see Jakob once, and if you do, no one will ever see you again."

"That's right," Andy chimed in.  "And that's why you gotta be careful Kev.  If Jakob Jokenheimer comes for your brother, whatever you do, don't look at him or he'll take you too!"

"Ah, come on, you guys are just trying to scare me," Kevin tried to convince himself.

"Listen Kev, I'm serious," Andy continued.  "Tyler made mouseface cry by telling jokes about him and Jakob doesn't like that.  He takes his revenge on any kid dishing out the misery he went through.  They say the last things Jakob ever heard were those kids telling jokes about him and laughing."

"Aren't you afraid of Jakob?"  Kevin cautiously asked.  "I mean, you called Matt a mouseface."

"But we never made him cry!" shouted Steve.

"And that's the difference Kev," Andy pointed out.  "It's telling jokes and calling a kid names so that they cry is what gets Jakob angry...like what happened to him.  So if he comes for Tyler in the middle of the night, you better be sure and bury your face under your blankets and don't look otherwise he'll take you too!"

"Don't any of the adults know about Jakob...can't they do something?"  Kevin asked desperately.  "I mean, Tyler was just kiddin' around."

"I asked my mom once about Jakob," replied Steve.  "She said it's just a story like the Headless Horseman or something and I shouldn't worry about it, but not to tease other kids anyway...just in case."

"Yeah, if he's not real, why do so many kids disappear every year and are never found?" inquired Andy.  "Do you really think it's all just stranger danger and creeps with candy?  Wake up man, you don't wanna be around when Jakob comes to town!"

Steve got up and motioned to Andy.  "Just don't look at Jakob!" were Andy's parting words.

Kevin certainly had a lot to think about on the bus ride home.  He figured that if he could convince Tyler to leave Matt alone maybe Jakob wouldn't come.  Perhaps the principal already solved that problem since his brother was trying to talk to some pretty freckle-faced girl at the front of the bus.

That night neither Kevin nor Tyler mentioned anything to their parents about the principal.  Dinner conversation only consisted of tornado speculation.  The weather was just right to spawn terrifying twisters and that had everyone on edge, not just Kevin.  So much so, he nearly forgot all about Jakob Jokenheimer.

"So what did the principal say?" Kevin asked Tyler when they were alone in their room later that night.

"He threatened me with detention if  I even talk to mouseface again," Tyler replied.  "And he told me some stupid story about another kid to scare me, like he thinks I'm a baby or something."

"Jakob Jokenheimer?" Kevin asked excitedly.

"Yeah...who told you?"

"Andy and Steve told me about him," Kevin answered.  "Aren't you afraid he'll come?"

Tyler laughed uncontrollably.  "You really believe that garbage!  That's just a story to scare babies.  You're not scared, are you?  You are! Hahahahaha"

"Well, maybe a little," Kevin was ashamed to admit.  "They made it sound so true and you did make that kid cry!"

"Don't be such a scared little baby Kevin," his brother scolded.

"The guys said I can't look at him if he comes for you or he'll take me too!" Kevin exclaimed.

"Oh no, Jakob Jokenheimer!" he laughed some more.  "There's nobody comin' for me or you so just relax," Tyler said, trying to calm the nervous nine-year old.

A few hours later, the brothers lay in their separate beds.  Tyler's snoring echoed throughout the room only to be interrupted by the occasional weather-related phenomenon.  For Kevin, sleep did not come easy.  Tornadoes twisted through his dreams.  Both the wind and the rain had picked up quite a bit since dinner.  The crack of a tree trunk snapping in the distance roused Kevin from his slumber.  But it was Tyler's blood-curdling cries that nearly made him jump out of his skin.

"Kevin, help!" Tyler screamed.  "It's Jakob Jokenheimer!  Help me!"

Kevin buried his head beneath his blankets.  Not because of Andy's warning, but because fear had gripped him.  He could hear the thrashing coming from Tyler's bed.  It sounded as if his brother was fighting for his life.  Jakob's breathing was so heavy and loud; it shook the whole room.

"He's got me Kevin, help!" Tyler pleaded.

The crotch of Kevin's pajama bottoms was moist and spreading quickly.  He was shaking violently under the covers and his heart felt as if it would explode through his chest.  He wanted to help his brother, but he was paralyzed with fear.

"Kev, Kev, get him off," Tyler was gasping while being choked.

With his eyes shut tight, he screamed from under his blankets, "Leave my brother alone!"

"Keviiiinnnnn," Tyler groaned one last time.

Minutes passed and all was quiet.  But for Kevin, it seemed like an eternity.  He listened intently for any sign of Jakob's presence.  The silence mocked him.   As he cowered under his covers, he wondered how he could explain this to his parents... to anyone.

"Boys!" his mother shouted, bursting into their bedroom.  "Get dressed, we're going to the storm shelter!"

With a quick glance, she noticed Kevin was hiding under his blankets.  She wanted to comfort him, but there wasn't enough time.  After all, a tornado had just passed so close to their house it nearly demolished their neighbors.

"Come on, Kevin!" she said trying to be firm yet reassuring.  "Your school's gymnasium is the shelter and we've got to get going!  Tyler, get your brother moving!"

Kevin's heart sank when there was no response from his brother to his mother's direction.  He was so afraid to look, but slowly poked his head out from under the blankets.  Tyler's bed was a mess.  Shivering with fear, he walked over and felt it.

All of a sudden, Tyler leapt from the closet and shouted, "Jakob Jokenheimer!"

Kevin was startled and turned quickly toward his brother.  Tyler immediately saw the large wet spot on Kevin's crotch extending partially down his left leg.  He couldn't contain his laughter.

"Kev's got a baby's bladder!" Tyler mocked.  "Need a changing, pee pee PJ? ahahahahaha."

"Hurry up boys," their father yelled up the stairs.  "Just grab your jackets, no time for anything else!"

On the ride to the shelter, Kevin cried quietly in the back seat.  Tyler was being scolded for scaring his brother, especially during a time of real emergency.  When they arrived at the crowded gymnasium, Kevin tried to hold his jacket in front of him so no one would see his shame.

"Listen Kev, I'm sorry," he said.  "Take the cot next to mine."

"You're only apologizing because of mom and dad," Kevin replied while laying down and throwing a blanket over himself.

"No really, I'm sorry.  I didn't think you'd get that scared.  Listen, I got a bag of those chips you like in my locker.  I'll get it and split it with you."

Kevin drifted off to sleep before his brother's return.  He dreamed he was being chased through the woods by Tyler.  When he tripped and fell, for some reason, he couldn't move.  His brother stood over him laughing and calling him names.  The taunting seemed to last far longer than his slumber.

When he awoke, a crowd was gathered around Tyler's empty cot.  His mother was frantically repeating, "Where could he be?"

Some people in the gym remember Tyler leaving.  Others could swear he never left.  The only thing they all had in common was no one had seen him return.

In the coming weeks, hundreds of man hours were lost searching for Tyler.  His body was never discovered during the tornado clean-up.  Deep-down, Kevin knew what happened.  You only see Jakob once, and if you do, you're never seen again.  But the question that will haunt him until his dying day; did Jakob take Tyler because he made Matt cry, or because he made him cry?

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Reviews

Gary Apr 26, 2012

Hey William. Great story sir. The first paragraph was a little awkward but once the tale got going, it was spooky good.

William wraith Apr 26, 2012

Thanks Gary, I really appreciate the comment! Glad you enjoyed it:)

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