She didn't like how his arctic blue gaze seemed to slice her in half, making her feel vulnerable and divided, torn between wanting to hide and not being able to move. With trembling voice, she said, "I'm asking you once again nicely, please leave my house."

"I can't. I'm hungry."

He was. She could feel it. His need hung heavy in the air between them, but his need wasn't her concern. "I'll fight you," she said.

"If you must. I will have to munch on your fear while you're at it then." He crawled back up, expanding as he flew closer. 

"I'm not scared of you. You just told me. It's not real. You won't hurt me. It's only my imagination. I'm not scared of you anymore."

"You seem to forget who you're talking to," the bogeyman whispered, his breath landing in hot puffs on her forehead, his claws curling closer to her chin, "You can't hide your fear from me. The smell of it rolls from your pores, like waves of sweet, heavy cologne ... and I want it. I need it. I crave it."

"I'm not afraid," she insisted, scrambling back on her hands, away from his paralysing gaze. She scanned the room for something she could use to defend herself. Her fingers touched a crate of toys. She grabbed the first thing, a robot? Good enough. She flung it at his head.

He ducked and hissed. "Stop doing that. It's no use. You're still scared as a bog. All you're doing is slowing down the feeding process."

A plastic dinosaur hit his thigh. Or whatever it was. The smokey tendrils that floated from his waist down flared out and wavered. The dinosaur whizzed through.

"You're making this unnecessarily painful for both of us. Stop it and let me eat."

Her hand closed around a firetruck. Her muscles tightened. She squinted and aimed. The truck hit his crotch. He gasped and staggered back, grabbing for the place she'd hit. "Boggit!"

Selina raised her eyebrows. There was something there. Under all that ghostly, wavering nothing sat something solid and vulnerable. Surprise, surprise. With renewed vigour, she commanded, "Now please leave!"

"I can't!" He blew up and in a blink, loomed over her again, the stuff of nightmares caressing her skin. "I can't leave until I eat, and don't you think for one second that because I'm not in the habit of hurting people that I can't. I can hurt you, lady."

She held her breath while he enveloped her in a mist of nightmares. "Or your son," he added and fear returned instantly in all its overwhelming power, engulfing her, swallowing her, destroying her.

"Yes," she heard him croon, "yes, that's it. More. Just a little more. Think about my claws on Lowie's precious little neck."

She winced and whimpered, the image imposing on her, choking her, or choking Lowie? No, not Lowie. Lowie's breath staggered. Was he dying? No, no. Noooo ...

"That's it. That's it. That's it."

And then suddenly it stopped. The bogeyman took a step back. The image of Lowie was gone. The fear was gone. All that was left was exhaustion.

But he looked better. His face was a little fuller and his eyes shone softly in the dim lighting, not cruel and cold like before, but peaceful, a crinkle of a smile around the edges. "That's enough for tonight." And with those words he slithered to the foot end of the bed, allowing her room to breathe.

"You said you couldn't leave until you eat. You've eaten. Please leave."

"One feeding is not enough. Moving to another room, another house is hard work. It's not in our nature. I need at least seven nights of consistent feeding to assemble that kind of energy."

"Seven nights?"

He rubbed his bald head and thought on it for a while. "Seven should do it."

"What happens if you don't feed? How long before you die?"

He laughed. "Bogeymen don't die. We only get hungrier."

She rubbed her arms, a remnant of a shiver coursing through her body. The terror she'd experienced was not something she wanted to do again. It was also not something she wanted to subject her son to. Was there no other way to get rid of this ... this bogeyman?

"I've been in this room for a long time. Believe me when I say that a change of scenery sounds enticing. I'm willing to move, but you're going to have to give me seven nights. Seven nights with the boy or seven nights with you. Children are easier, but I'm not picky."

His mention of her son sent fresh anxiety up her chest.

"Oh lady," he clutched his stomach. "Your fear is so luscious, you're going to give me indigestion. I think it's time we sleep this off, okay?" He stretched out his arm towards her. She recoiled but he was faster. Instead of the nail she expected to scratch her, his furry knuckles gently caressed her cheek. "You're tired," he said in a husky whisper, "so am I."

"You can't have my son. I have to go to work tomorrow, but I'll come back at night. I'll do it."

"Seven nights in a row, no fighting."

"I can do that."

"Sure you can. No more stabbing?" He nudged her hair behind her ear with his knuckles and watched her intently.

She shook her head. "No more stabbing." Tears pushed behind her eyelids, but she'd rather he sucked the life out of her than show him her tears, so she maneuvered away from him and off the bed, not waiting for his permission.

"Wait!" he crooned behind her, "no more firetrucks?"

She shook her head once more, not looking back.

"Alright," he said, "deal."

With her hand on the doorknob, she hesitated and turned around to look. All tension had seeped from his form, even the nightmares around him danced in a sedate, lazy rhythm. If she wanted to negotiate with him, now seemed a better time than when his hunger returned. She bit back the tears. "Tomorrow, the nightmares ... can we do something other than Lowie. Can we not include Lowie?"

His shoulders hung relaxed, his gaze sort of marveled at her. "If you want. They're your fears, lady, your imagination, not mine."

"So I can change them?"

"He can't be the only thing you get anxious about?"

The suggestion clouded her thoughts. It was hard not to think of Lowie. "I don't think so." Worry overtook her. How was she going to survive seven nights of this, if every question he asked her spiraled into visions of Lowie ending up dead?

"Shhhh, enough for today. I'll think of something," he said, almost nicely, then deadpanned, "something scarier."

She swallowed and turned towards the door. He didn't do anything to stop her, only said, "I'll see you tomorrow then ... wait, what do I call you? What's your name?"

Why was it impossible not to answer his questions? The words just flew out of her mouth. "Selina, Selina Sardi."

"Selina Sarrrdi ..." The bogeyman purred, rolling the 'r' in her name with a satisfied smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Elias, Elias Zwarteveen."

"Well, Elias. It's so NOT nice to meet you."

She quickly slipped through the door and after pulling it in its lock, she sagged to the floor and cried.

WC 1210 Words
TWC 5892 Words