ALL IN THE HEAD 1

THE BOOGEYMAN

Tonight, the Boogeyman will get you, tonight he will take you away, for right now the Boogeyman he sees you and soon you will never see day again ...

Danny's big brother often taunted him, saying the Boogeyman will come and get him, take him away and hide him some place where Danny would never see the day light again. Ken more so done this to tease his little brother, there was never any malice or badness to it, it was something he just felt that big brothers do to little brothers especially since it's only ever the two of them.

There is mum and dad too of course but there are no sisters and no other brothers. Danny may be seven years old, and he knows that there is no such thing as the Boogeyman but still, he couldn't help but wonder every once in a while, as to what if the Boogeyman is real?

With Danny and Ken having no sisters and no other brothers, they were lucky enough to each have their own bedroom and with Ken being eleven, nearly twelve, he got to stay up later than his little brother. So, when the night before Halloween came round Danny began to dread bedtime from the moment it began to get dark.

Tonight, the Boogeyman will get you ...

'Right Dan, time for bed now ...' calls out mum, words that Danny does not want to hear.

'No, please ... I'm not tired yet, just one more hour please ...'

'C'mon Dan, you know the deal' calls out dad, 'listen to your mum.'

'But it's nearly Halloween; can I stay up for a little while more?'

'I'll come up with you little brother' speaks Ken seeing how worried Danny looks and guessing to why this is so.

Danny thinks about it for a second or two 'alright but can we check for you know what ...?'

'Yeah sure.'

Up the stairs the brothers go, Ken first with Danny close behind. Into Danny's room they go and on goes the light.

'Will you check the closet?'

Ken does as he is asked; moving into the closet to prove there is nothing there that shouldn't be, 'all clear, see?'

'And the curtains too.'

Ken checks the curtains, opening then closing them back over. 'Nothing here either.'

'Maybe he only comes out when it is dark.'

'You know he is not real, right? I do only be messing with you; it is what a big brother is meant to do.'

'But what if he is real?'

'He's not, Danny. You know there is no such thing as the Boogeyman.'

'Don't say that word' Dan says with fear in his voice and speaking a little louder than what he had been doing.

'What, Boogeyman?'

'Ken ...'

'Alright, alright, I'm sorry ... keep calm bro. It's fine. Get into bed before I head back downstairs.'

'I don't want to ...'

'It's alright Danny, you are safe here. You are always safe at home. There is mum, dad and me. Between us all here nothing bad will happen.'

Beginning to feel a little calmer, Dan does get into bed and Ken waits until he is in and covered.

'You alright now?' asks Ken.

'Kinda, yeah.'

'Alright, I'll probably be up to bed soon too, I will check in on you then.'

'OK.'

'Goodnight Danny.'

'Night Ken ... can you leave the door open a little?'

'Sure.'

Ken turns out the light, closes over the door and does what he had been asked, leaving the door open just a little. Hours pass and a loud thud wakes Danny. He almost immediately sits up in his bed. The first thing he notices is that his bedroom door is fully open and not slightly open as Ken had left it earlier.

The thud sound that had woke him sounded as if it came from somewhere outside his room. He gets up out of bed slowly, quietly calling out for his brother. No response comes back so Danny slowly makes his way out of his room, only to see that Ken's bedroom door is also fully open. The door to the parent's bedroom is fully closed over.

Danny threads lightly forwards and into his brother's room once again quietly calling for him. There is no one there. Ken is not in his bed; he is not in his room at all. A noise drops in this moment as if something has been knocked over downstairs. This of course frightens the hell out of Danny though he does manage to rationalize that maybe Ken is downstairs and has simply knocked something over.

Having moved back out into the upstairs hallway, Danny considers for a moment going in and waking his parents but soon decides not to. He'll simply go downstairs, see his brother possibly making something or other in the kitchen and all will be well so to the stairs Danny goes.

It's dark, there are no house lights on, and any existing lighting is being provided by the moon and the street lighting outside shining through into the front side of the home with the main house curtains not having been pulled all the way over. Halfway down the stairs and Danny once again quietly calls out for his brother and once again there is no reply. So fearfully, Danny continues to move on.

There is a chill, a cold breeze coming at him. The kitchen door to the back yard is open and out past that door looks to be pitch black, nothing but darkness beyond that door. Why is it open? Before Danny can even think about heading over to close that open back yard door, he sees something else. Someone is lying on the ground in the kitchen a few feet away; someone is flat on their back on the kitchen floor, that someone is ... Ken.

Danny is at a loss for what to do. He wants to go to his brother and help him, but Danny is too afraid. 'Ken ...' he says quietly, as if he were to speak louder then someone or something may be disturbed.

'Ken ...'

A few seconds pass before Danny takes a step forwards and is stopped in his tracks. Ken sits up quickly and suddenly when before this he had yet to move a muscle. It may be dark in here, but it is clear to see that Ken's eyes are glazed over, as if he under the control of something ... scary. A few more seconds pass ...

'Ken ...'

Sudden movement occurs again. Ken leans back slightly and in no more than one or two seconds he is outside as if something grabbed him under his arms and dragged him out into the back yard. In turn, Danny only hesitates one or two seconds then rushes to the open door to that back yard. The streetlights are on the other side of the house so out here is more or less pure darkness. Danny can see nothing never mind see his brother.

'Ken ...' Danny calls out, loudly this time. 'Ken ...'

There is still no answer. Danny turns to look back inside. Yeah, it is dark, but it is a little easier to see within the kitchen. There is someone here, a tall dark shadowy figure. Danny can see it clearly.

'W-w-wh-who are you?'

'I'm The Boogeyman ...'

Puff ... the dark shadowy figure turns to smoke and the smoke quickly dissipates. Danny lets out an almighty roar. Dad rushes into the kitchen and turns on a light, mum soon follows, and Danny drops to his knees, having come back inside, and begins to cry uncontrollably.

Years pass, years that Ken has been missing. No answers ever came; no body or person ever is found, no clues, nothing. No matter what age Danny is ever to become, he is sure The Boogeyman got his brother, and brought his brother to an unending darkness. His future, always to be haunted by such a big event.

Tonight, the Boogeyman will get you, tonight he will take you away, for right now the Boogeyman he sees you and soon you will never see day again ...