stop petting it
please
giving kind words
adoration
make it no more real
than it already is

velveteen monster growls

Don't remember what sparked in me the thought of a dark counterpart to the Velveteen Rabbit. It seems fairly obvious on its face, the way I coddle my anxieties and fears, and how that attention makes them ever more real.

I'm sure a quick Google will show this isn't an original leap, but at some point it would be fun to flesh out anyways.