It was my very first sleepover party, and everything was going great. My parents warned me that staying the night at someone else’s house could be “scary” and “new,” and that if anything went wrong, I should call them immediately.
All my friends from Mr. Edwards’s fourth-grade class were there: Steven Carter, Bobby Warner, Charles, Chris, and even Jake Jandrowski.
Steven’s house was SO NICE. His parents ordered a giant cheese pizza, we played Nintendo Switch for hours, and we ate potato chips straight from the bag. Then we had a Carvel ice cream cake for Steven’s birthday, and I ate a HUGE slice.
Once we got into our sleeping bags, Bobby Warner said he had a dare for us. Bobby Warner always had a dare.
“Have you guys ever heard of… Sussudio?” he whispered.
We all shook our heads.
“If you go into the bathroom,” Bobby said, “turn off the lights…lock the door…look into the mirror…and say ‘Sussudio’ three times, Phil Collins will appear.”
We gasped. “Nuh-uh,” I said.
Bobby nodded, deadly calm. “Yeah-huh.”
Nobody moved. The room went silent.
“I’ll do it,” I said. “I’ll go in, lock the door, look in the mirror, and say ‘Sussudio.’”
“Three times!” shouted Bobby.
“Three times,” I said.
I went into the bathroom, shut off the lights, locked the door, and said, “Sussudio, Sussudio, Sussudio.”
The bathroom began to rumble. Whooshing surrounded me. Drums started to play, then a synth, then a sax. A disembodied blue head appeared. It was Phil Collins — the exact Phil Collins from the “Sussudio” single cover. He began to sing.
“THERE’S THIS GIRL THAT’S BEEN ON MY MINNNND, ALL THE TIME, SUSSUSUDIO, OH OH!”
I screamed and backed into the door, fumbling with the lock until it finally opened. I bolted out. But Phil followed.
Everyone screamed as Steven’s dad came rushing downstairs.
“TELL ME you didn’t say ‘Sussudio’ three times in the mirror with the door locked and the lights off!” he yelled. “PLEASE tell me you did not do that.”
“BUT I THINK SHE LIKES ME JUST THE SAME, SUSSUSUDIO, OH OH!” Phil continued.
“I think I’m going to have to call your parents, Michael,” Steven’s dad said.
Well…let me tell you. My parents were SO mad, and they’re still mad. They hired a spirit medium to get rid of him, but she’s booked until next week. So I’m grounded until then, and Phil won’t stop singing. Ugh. I wish I had never said “Sussudio.” Help! I’m in too deep!
