The Mickey Ears Stare

The kid in the Mickey Mouse ears wouldn’t stop staring. His eyes were wide, unblinking,

fixed on Jake from across the crowded plaza like he’d seen a ghost. Jake shifted his

weight, pretending to check his phone, but when he glanced up again,

the kid was still there—same hollow stare, same frozen smile. The ears looked

too big on his head, like they might topple him over if he moved too fast.

Then, without warning, the kid started smashing his face into the canvas

wall of the nearby souvenir stall. *Thud. Thud. Thud.* The sound

was wet, muffled, rhythmic. Parents gasped; a cast member in