The Can of Torment

The Can of Torment

“Hey, Ma! Uncle Max! Guys!” Timon exclaimed, and his uncle Max and mother, whose name was Nina, turned to face him. Max’s wife Vitawny did as well, along with Timon’s own wife, Shenzi. “Look what I found!” He was holding a silver can that was almost as tall as he was.

“What’s in that?” Shenzi asked him.

“I have no idea,” Timon shrugged, “I guess we’ll find out.” He set the can down, hopped on top of it, and started opening it with Shenzi’s help. But the group jumped back when a bunch of white floating hands and black tentacles all with long-nailed hands abruptly burst out!

“What the-?!” Max exclaimed, as the group were on their lower backs, with their arms supporting them.

“I don’t like the way they’re looking at us,” Timon remarked.

“How can you tell that they’re looking at us?” Vitawny asked him, “They don’t have eyes; Or faces.”

One of the tentacles went up towards Nina, who cringed in fear, but sighed in relief when it drew away. But to her surprise, it pushed her away in the bush! “Call it a hunch,” Timon replied, staring in shock. It then drew towards Vitawny, but pushed her in the bush, and did the same to Shenzi, who crashed into Vitawny after Vitawny crashed into Nina.

“Hey! What was that for?!” Timon exclaimed in anger at his wife, mother, and new aunt getting hurt. But then it drew towards him, but he was able to kick it away. It just came back, and shoved him in the bush, so he crashed into Shenzi, leaving Max alone.

“… Shove me in that bush, and I’ll break all your fingers and then some,” Max threatened. But to his surprise, it didn’t do that; it and another just grabbed his wrists. “Hey! Let go of me!” He yelled angrily, as he tried to pull his arms out of their grasps, but to no avail.

Then the tentacles pulled his arms up above his head, and lifted him off his feet, “What the- What are you-! Hey, put me down! Right now!” He yelled as they set him on his butt on a tree branch, keeping his arms up the whole time.

But suddenly to his surprise, they let go of his wrists, practically tossing him in the air, and grabbed one of his ankles! “Put me down!” He yelled again, as he ended up dangling upside down from one leg. “I SAID put me down!!” Max yelled louder, as he tried to pry the hand’s fingers off his ankle, but to no avail. He was left dangling, with his arms hanging down.

But what happened next made him start to feel uneasy; a hand with long nails floated up to Max, getting too close to him for comfort. “D-don’t touch me!” He yelled, mentally smacking himself for stuttering like a scared idiot, “Or I’ll tear your fingers off! I mean it!”

But it just came closer and closer. “Don’t tou-aey!” He was interrupted by the hand abruptly poking his stomach. “I said don’t… aah! Stop that!” The hand poked him again, then started poking his ribs, stomach, and armpits repeatedly. “O-okahay, okay,” He started giggling, “Th-that’s starting to tickle, you can stop nowehehehehehe! S-seriously!” Thankfully, the poking stopped after a few seconds. “Now let go of me!”

All the while, the others were watching from behind the bush. “What are they doing to him?” Nina wondered aloud.

“Maybe they’re… oh jeez,” Shenzi said, realizing what was happening to him when she heard him giggling.

“What?” Nina turned to her.

“They’re tickling him,” Shenzi told them, and Timon clapped a hand over his mouth, muffling his laughter. Vitawny smacked his arm in annoyance.

“Ow!”

“We have to help him!” She exclaimed.

“But how? They have him up in the air!” Nina pointed out, as Max was taken away from the tree, so he couldn’t grab it.

“L-let go of me! Let go o- Whoa, whoa wait, don’t let go of me! Don’t let go of me!”

“We wouldn’t be able to reach him,” Nina finished.

“She’s got a point,” Vitawny nodded reluctantly. “Hmm…” She tried to think of a plan, but they all jumped in surprise when they heard Max let out a loud yelp.

“A-ay! Hahahahahahaha!!” Max burst out laughing, as the long-nailed hand started spider-tickling all over his stomach and ribs, “Stohohohohop! That tickles! Aahahahahahahahahaha!!” He started flailing his arms and free leg around frantically, trying to escape as the hand tickled his slightly pudgy tummy.

Nina then noticed something out of the corner of her eye: The can was still on the ground, completely unattended. After spotting it, she started getting an idea. “You guys stay here,” She whispered to the others.

“Wait Ma, what are you…?” Timon started.

“Shh!” She gently shushed him, “I’m going in.” She sneaked over, attempting to stay quiet, but before she could grab the can, she gasped quietly and stopped dead in her tracks upon noticing that another hand-tentacle saw her! Luckily, it didn’t touch her; It just grabbed the can by its top rim before she could, and started lifting it up out of her reach. In a swift move, she jumped up, and grabbed the can, with her arms around it.

But much to her dismay, she was slipping; she ended up gripping on it by her fingers, and dangling in the air. “Nihihihinahahahaha! Gehehehet mehehe dohohohown frohom hehehehehere!!” Max begged when he saw her, as his tummy was still being tickled, “I c-cahahan’t stahahahand thihis anymohohohohore!!” He was already almost in tears of laughter. Plus he was starting to feel light-headed from laughing so much, and from hanging upside down.

You see, despite being tough as nails, Max is very ticklish. It’s one reason why he’s so jumpy. He was lucky that the hands weren’t touching his sides; They’re his most ticklish spots! But his pudgy tummy was almost just as sensitive. And he was starting to lose his mind.

“I’m trying!” Nina told him, as she tried to tighten her grip and pull herself up. And much to her horror, one of the long-nailed hands came floating up to her, and it didn’t seem to go for the can. “Hey, g-get away!” She stuttered fearfully, trying to kick it away, but to no avail. “Get away from me!”

“Huhuhuhurryhyhyhyhy!!” Max begged as the hand tickled his quivering ribs with one finger, “I’m gonna fahahahahahaint!!” His ribs are just as ticklish as his tummy is.

“Don’t laugh, then!” Nina was getting frustrated, as the hand at her and another kept getting closer and closer. She tried to kick it away again, but to no avail.

“Easy for you to say! You’re not being tickled right now! GYAA!!! Aaahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!” Max yelped, as two hand-tentacles stroked his armpits. He was getting tears in his eyes; His armpits were closer to being as ticklish as his sides were than his tummy and ribs. “Oh Gohohohod stohohohohohohop!!” In a desperate move, he grabbed the tentacles, and tried to yank them away, but two new hand-tentacles grabbed his wrists and pulled his arms down, or up, at either side of his head.

Then to his surprise, he heard feminine laughter! He peeked his tear-filled eyes open, and to his shock, Nina was kicking her legs, cracking up as two hands were tickling her sides and armpits to make her let go of the can.

“Gyaahahahahahahahahaha!!” She laughed, keeping her grip as tight as she could, “Stohohohohohop!!”

“Hehehehehey!! L-leave her alohohohone!!” Max glared through his hysterical laughter.

“Oh man,” Timon muttered in shock, seeing the whole scene.

“Not so funny now, is it?” Vitawny sneered, still sour about him laughing at her husband.

“Vitawny, we don’t have time for that!” Shenzi cut in, “She could fall!”

“We have to help her!” Timon exclaimed, before running out of their hiding place, “I’m going in!”

“Us too!” Shenzi and Vitawny ran out after him, the younger hyena trailing behind. After some waiting, Timon and Vitawny whipped around upon hearing a familiar squeal of laughter.

“Aaah! Aaahahahahahahahahahahaha!!” Shenzi was on her back, kicking her legs as a hand was stroking her tummy, “Make it stohohohohop!!”

Meanwhile in the air, Nina accidentally loosened her grip on the can, the tickling too much for her, and she started to fall! “Ma!!” Timon screamed in horror, as he pulled Shenzi and Vitawny in his mother’s shadow, and they all formed a makeshift cushion for her, as she fell on them.

“Oh, th-thanks,” She panted, “But Max is still up there!” She said in concern.

“How are we going to get him down without hurting him?” Shenzi wondered aloud, relieved that the hand tickling her just a couple minutes ago lost interest in her.

“Sohohohohomebohohohody hehehehehelp mehehehehehe!!” Max begged, as the two hands drew circles in his ticklish armpits, and another dug in his sensitive ribs.

“I’m goin’ in,” Vitawny glared in determination, before stealthily running over to the tree, and started climbing up its trunk, luckily going unnoticed. Once she was on the branch that Max was on a while ago, she cut the ninja act. “Hey!” She yelled, getting the hands’ attention, and making them stop tickling poor Max. “Leave him alone!” Max was panting, as his fur was getting a bit damp with sweat.

Before Vitawny could do anything, two hands zipped up to her, and started tickling her sides. “AAAH!! Aaahahahahahahahaha!!!” She squealed before bursting into a laughing fit. Like her husband, her sides are her most ticklish spots. Then while she was distracting, she was pushed off of the branch! “Aaaaah!!!” She screamed, as she was falling head-first.

“Vitawny!!” Max yelled out in horror. In a swift move, Timon ran over to her shadow, and caught her in his arms.

“Th-thanks Timon,” Vitawny panted, as he set her down.

Up in the air, Max’s ankle was released, and he was set back on the branch on his backside, with his arms held up. “Let go of me!” He yelled, trying to pull his arms down, but to no avail. But he didn’t give up; he growled through his teeth, as he pulled as hard as he could. “GYAAA!!!” Max yelled out and abruptly stopped when he felt two hands without nails poke his sides. He held in his hysterical laughter with his cheeks puffed out, as the hands started poking intermittently.

When the hands stroked the areas right above his hips with one finger each, holding in his laughter got a lot harder; They were one of the few areas on his sides that were insanely ticklish. The other places were right under his armpits, on his hips, and right below his ribs. Max bit his lip hard as tears leaked out of his squeezed-shut eyes, and sweat ran down his face. His fingers were spread out and his legs kicked from the unbearable ticklish sensations until two more hand-tentacles grabbed his ankles.

After a few seconds, Max accidentally broke the barrier. “Oh shohoot!! Gyaaahahahahahahahahahaha!!!” He sputtered out and burst out laughing, as the hands tickled up and down his sides, still using only their index fingers. “Stohohohohohohop!!!” Luckily, it stopped after almost a few minutes; Poor Max was a sweaty, teary, laughing mess.

But they weren’t done with him yet. They tossed him back up in the air, and grabbed his ankle again, leaving him hanging upside down. Before Max could say or do anything, two hands started tickling his sides again, but more intensely with all their long-nailed fingers. “Gyaaahahahahahahahahaha!!!!” Max laughed hard, tears gushing out of his eyes. His laughter increased when four more hands tickled his tummy, ribs, and armpits. He never laughed so hard in his life; He knew he was ticklish, but he didn’t know it was this bad!

Truthfully, he feared that he would be tickle-tortured by those demon hands forever. This was all Timon’s fault! If he ever got out of this trap, he’d choke him to death with his bare hands, then tear him apart, and feed him to the jackals. “Tihihihihimohohohon, yohohohouhuhuhu ahahahare sohohohoho deheheheahahahad!!!!” Max screamed out through his hysterical laughter.

“Wh-why’s he blaming me?” Timon wondered aloud cluelessly.

“I, I dunno,” The older hyena shrugged, “But that's not really important.”

“But you still have to help him!” Shenzi piped up with a concerned tone.

“Alright,” Timon grinned nervously, before glaring in determination. “I’m goin’ in… again… What do I do?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Vitawny exclaimed, startling him, “Just help him!” She shoved him forward.

“Okay, okay!” He said in slight irritation, before letting out a nervous puff of breath. ‘Don’t worry, Uncle Max, Timmy’s comin’ to save ya!’ He thought in determination. After thinking of an idea, Timon started climbing up one of the tentacles stealthily.

“Hehehehehehehelp!!!!” Max begged, before he saw his nephew. “Timohohohohohon!!!! Hehehehehehelp mehehehehehehehe!!!! Pleheheheheahahahase!!!!”

“… Promise not to kill me?” The redhead smirked.

“TIMON!!!!!” The girls screamed in anger and aggravation.

“Kidding! Just kidding!” Timon exclaimed, “I’ll help you!” He started kicking and yanking the hands away one by one. But without warning, one lunged up to him, and started tickling his slender tummy. “Gyaahahahahahahahahaha!!” Timon burst out laughing, as he tried to protect himself. “B-beat it!” He yanked the hand away. “Be right back.” He jumped on the branch, grabbed the can, and jumped back on the tentacle.

In swift moves, Timon shoved all the hands in the can, as Max was panting and sweating heavily, his little body quivering. He wrapped his arm around his uncle’s waist, Max flinching when his nephew’s hand touched his hip, and pried the hands’ fingers off his ankle. After shoving the tentacles back in the can, Timon swiftly jumped down on the ground, taking Max with him.

Max flopped on his back in complete and utter exhaustion as Timon tied the can shut firmly.

“Are you okay?!” Vitawny exclaimed in concern after she ran over to her husband.

“I, I, I’m f-fine,” Max stuttered out between pants, “Oh God, that was awful!” Timon came up to them, brushing his hands together in pride.

“Welp, that can is now buried in the ground, never to be dug up again,” He announced to the others. “You okay, Uncle Max?”

“I, I’m fine,” The older meerkat panted, “I just need a hic!” He jumped, and covered his mouth in surprise.

“You need a what?” Shenzi asked in confusion.

“A little re-hic!-est,” Max finished, “Oh, fa-hac!-abulous. I got the hic!-hiccups.”

“From laughing too much,” Nina concluded.

“Tha-hac!-anks Nina,” Max said sarcastically, “That’s so helpful- Hic! Ti-Hic!-imon, I have two things to sa-Hac!-ay to you.”

“What is it?”

“One: Thanks for sa-Hac!-aving me,” Max started, while standing up, “Two: I’M GONNA- HIC!! KILL YOU!!!” He yelled angrily. Timon tried not to laugh at his hiccup ruining his threat.

“If I were you,” Shenzi whispered to her husband, “I’d run.”

“Duly noted,” Timon whispered back. “AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!” He screamed, before running away at top speed. Max ran after him, but was going slow from fatigue.

“Get ba-Hac!-ack here!” Max yelled, “I’m too exhausted to run! Hic!”