STORIES OF
LOVE , LAUGHTER, CHILLS & THRILLS
LGBTQ AUTHOR & NARRATOR
BLURB: I have a place for everything. Yet, lately, my reality is fraying. Badly. It’s not just what’s missing; it’s the way they’re being taken—and then returned! Someone on Reddit called it a Thumbnail Demon infestation, and if they’re right, my “forgetfulness” is actually something much worse than a sanity slip!
When I stare at the wine key, sure enough, seven of the eight tiny screws are mysteriously back in place. I snatch it up and march back upstairs to my son’s room. I knock on his door and start to enter, barely giving him enough time to say, “Come in.”
I immediately start to interrogate him. “Hey, son, did you replace the screws in this?”
Eddie stares at the wine key and shakes his head. “Nope! Probably Dad.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, then head back to my office to retrieve my phone.
I scroll through the texts to my husband. Just as I remembered, I had forgotten to ask him about the screws. I guess it was possible he discovered them between now and the previous night, but that seemed very unlikely. But what about the sugar cubes, the scrunchie, the mouse dongle, the brads, and the key fob battery… I was losing track of everything.
At this point, my appetite’s gone. I clean up my pizza and place the unopened can back in the pantry. For some reason, I feel inclined—even though it kills me not to put it on the proper shelf—to set it on the lower shelf. I’ll be checking it tomorrow.
While getting ready for bed, I notice that the cap to the toothpaste has not returned, but my hair scrunchie has. There are logical explanations that could be applied.
Ted dropped the cap in the toilet and threw it out. Marie borrowed the scrunchie and covertly returned it, hoping I wouldn’t notice.
See! Perfectly reasonable explanations. Except, where did the five sugar cubes go? My kids may have their flaws, but they aren’t liars about things so petty. Who took the tiny screws in the wine key? All but one returned?
I feel like I’m going crazy. I feel like it’s going to be a long night.
And, unfortunately, it is. I get very little sleep, tossing and turning until my alarm goes off.
The first thing I do upon waking up is check my Reddit account to see if u/Bubumeister22 has posted a reply. She has not.
I don’t have time to reach out this morning. Besides, I don’t want to appear crazy, so I’ll wait until tonight.
The day plays out in much the same way. More items missing. All inconsequential, but just important enough to drive a person mad because they aren’t in their proper place! All day, I check my Reddit account to see if I’ve gotten a reply.
Nothing.
At the end of the workday, I come home to the wonderful aroma of spaghetti sauce simmering. I walk into the kitchen and Ted pecks me on the cheek.
I forgot it’s Friday. TGIF!
Friday is also my husband’s day off, and blessedly, he always cooks. He says it relaxes him. And I’m the one who’s crazy?
Anyway… It’s the one night a week we sit down and eat together as a family. Normally, I look forward to family dinner night, but I’m anxious to get to my laptop and find out if there’s a reply.
He turns from the sauce to say something, takes one look at me, and asks, “Oof, rough day?”
I shoot him a deadpan glare that says, “You have no idea.”
“I’m sorry, babe. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Hey, weird question. Do you know what happened to the cap for the basil? It’s completely gone. I tore the spice cabinet apart looking for it. But, on a plus note, the cabinet is clean and organized now!” He grins.
I grind my teeth and take a deep breath.
“Yeah, not surprising. By chance, did you remove all the tiny screws on the wine key and then put them back the next day?” I try to sound flippant, even though I feel anything but.
He gives me a weird look, his mouth hanging agape. “Are you okay, hon?”
“Yeah,” I mumble.
I shake my head and walk over to the pantry. I pull open the door and step inside. I pick up the seltzer can. At least it’s still where I left it. The tab is still missing.
“I’ll be right back,” I say to Ted and jet upstairs to my office. I boot up my laptop. Relief floods me to the point I could cry when I see the message from Bubumeister.
“Hey, I know it’s only been less than a day, but I think that guy took care of my problem! It was getting so bad I was certain I was going cray-cray. Today is the first day in months that nothing is missing. And he recovered all my lost items! I guess I’m not mental after all. Contact him – u/ParaExterminator666. If you’re going through the same thing, and it sounds like you are, it’s not pleasant. Believe me, I understand. And I hate to tell you this, but it’s only going to get worse. Take care. I hope you resolve things.”
I read the message through a few times. Her advice was pretty cut and dry. Yet, there’s a huge part of me that doesn’t want to believe her. It all seems too—fantastical to be real.
And yet…
“Dinner’s ready!” I hear Ted call out from downstairs.
The kids set the table and we all sit down to eat. I’m quiet during dinner, letting the kids chatter away. It’s par for the course, but usually, I’m responsive and animated toward their childlike anecdotes about their juvenile weekly woes. Normally, I enjoy hearing about their school drama. Tonight, I can barely muster a smile.
After dinner, I help Ted clean up. It’s our routine. He’s randy, and usually I don’t mind. A glass of wine and a little cuddling, puts me in the mood, but tonight, it’s the furthest thing from my mind.
“You seem spaced out. What’s wrong?” Ted asks me. To his credit, he withdraws the second he realizes we aren’t going to do any horizontal mamboing tonight.
“Uh, this is going to sound weird, but lots of little things have been going missing. Then turning up the next day.”
Ted furrows his brow. He responds slowly. “Well, we do have two kids and a cat. I mean, stuff goes missing all the time.” He tries to laugh, then stops when he realizes I’m not joining in.
I blow out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, I know. It’s hard to explain. Let’s just watch a movie.” I don’t have the energy to try and explain the nuances of what makes these recent incidents especially weird and disturbing.
“Okay, sweetie. No problem.”
Ted picks out an old 90s action flick, but I can hardly pay attention. My brain keeps ruminating on that message. After the movie, while Ted is brushing his teeth, I slip into my office and send Bubumeister a reply.
“Hi, thanks for getting back to me. I’m glad this guy solved your problem. What do you mean he found all your lost items? So, what exactly was the problem? Can you be more specific about his solutions? How much are his fees?”
I sit and wait for a few minutes, even though there is no little green dot by her profile pic tonight. I’m still hopeful.
“Mary?”
I turn in my chair. Ted has an inquisitive look on his face.
“Yeah, sorry, I just needed to—” I close my laptop lid, stand up, and move to him, giving him a quick kiss. “Just something I forgot to do at work.”
He smiles, but he knows I’m lying. I never bring my work home with me. Never.
Ted works weekends, so it gives me time to get caught up on household chores. Normally I find cleaning to be cathartic.
This weekend, I’m dreading it. I don’t want to deal with the inevitability of missing items that’s going to erode my sanity even more.
My prediction is correct. All Saturday and Sunday it’s the same game—stuff missing, some of it returns the next day. All inconsequential things, but enough to cause irritation and anxiety as each item appears and disappears.
Intermittently, I keep checking my messages. I even send a few more with basically the gist of: “So sorry to bother you again, but…”
She doesn’t reply. My heart sinks when I open up the app on Sunday night before bed and I see the words [Deleted] in place of her username.
I guess I don’t have a choice. If I want answers, and what I do have is a “Thumbnail Demon” problem, I have to contact this ParaExterminator dude.
Oh boy.
First Published on Reddit March 5, 2026
Copyright © 2026 by Mary Black Rose & Black Rose Reads
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