My Collection of Short Stories and Poetry

Boogieman - Updated

The wind is crisp around me, howling, piercing against my eardrums as it screams at me and whipping my black cloak around my body and under boot. The cold doesn’t penetrate the thick fabric, but I can feel the cool solid steel of the blade against my ankle in my right boot. As I walk, long dead, and dry leaves crunch  under my feet, the bright, moon lit path. The trees are full but allow access, their naked skin smelling of forgotten memories, their elongated arms and fingers reaching out to grab my cloak and entangle  me in their traps.

The wind continues its barrage of yelling, but this time it is talking to me too. It is faint, but the whispers dance around the edges of my ears and play a tune I cannot make out. Remembering my training, I focus on my soft breathing as I watch little clouds come out of my mouth and dissipate in front of my eyes. I can feel something is off, but I’m not sure of what it is that's making the hair on the back of my neck stands up on end like a cat’s when threatened. I don’t think I have ever felt this chilled to the bone before, although I am physically cold.

A chill runs down my spine causing me to shiver, looking around the forest I’ve noticed I have stepped into a clearing. A singular tree trunk is almost dead center, the dead tree itself laying on its body to the right, with splinters and death floating in the air where it split in halves. Swallowing the built up saliva in my mouth, a lump is in my throat and I am once again very aware of the voices in the wind.

It has become more prominent, licking the insides of my ears and making my chest cringe and constrict. My mentor has not warned me of any danger I may be in on this journey; does she even know of it? This feels....unworldly...unholy. The words the racing air has been whispering is now something known, I can make out “Boogieman” although I do not know why or what it is speaking of.

Slowly walking over to the tree, my training kicks in and I crouch near the trunk which allows me to blend into the rugged environment. My cloak is wrapped swiftly around my small, tight body, as I hold my breath to make no noise in order to scan the forest, never allowing my eyes to focus on one spot only lest I miss something.

The wind has stopped and all is silent; no owls hoot and no crickets chirp, save for that slight whispering among the trees. My heart is fast but I will myself to remain calm as I pick up the sounds of Nature… “Boogieman...boogieman...boogieman…”

The whispers run around me and all through the woods, darting through the trees and teasing me with a silent taunt. I do not know why this is the one word playing over and over in my mind and within my ears. My stomach constricts  at the aura around me, feeling as if it is beginning to consume my soul. Blackness, despair, sadness...it engulfs my heart and mind, the energy in the air still and deadly. The once lovely night sky and full moon is now bleak and dreary, settling a chill in the pit of my heart.

Finally within the still night air, an owl swoops low from a high tree top and catches a squealing mouse some distance away, done and gone within seconds. The noise from the mouse and owl is over as soon as it began, the owls hunger sated and it’s victim sedated into death.

After the slight shock of the startling movement, I try to compose myself, my bottom resting on the heels of my boots. Breathing evenly, my chest rises and falls slowly while my eyes fixate on a slight movement in the trees adjacent from me. The clearing I reside in is still dark, clouds shrouding my only source of light. My mission is no longer at the forefront of my mind, but the impending danger I can feel approaching me.

The wind picks up and I can smell sulfur and...sadness, it assualts my nose, boggles me where the source is coming from. The odor is so strong I can practically feel it resting on my tongue, leaving a deadly taste in my mouth.

A throat clears behind me and I stand up quickly, twirling around in order to stare at the person who made the noise from behind me, on the other side of the fallen tree.

“Who’re you?” I ask without a hint of fear in my voice. I grab the dagger in my waistband, hiding my hand under my cloak so the stranger cannot see.

Through the darkness, all I can see is this person's silhouette, he is nothing but the color black for I cannot see his face. His broad outline is intimidating, yet I do not falter.

“I said. Who. Are. You.” I repeat, staring at where I assume the eyes are.

A deep and evil chuckle floats from his throat and sends a chill down my spine. “I believe you already know.” The deep voice says, seeming to float from no mouth.

The moonlight shines bright once again once the clouds moved, and lights up the clearing. This man of black is revealed to be one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever had the honor to see. I’ve been all over the world, yet I’ve never seen someone as exquisite as he.  He too wears a cloak, but the hood drapes down around his neck. His sharp jawline, high cheekbones, and those bright brown eyes give off a glow of beauty.

I try to swallow down the lump in my throat and calm the beat of my heart as I finally accept what I already knew.

“Are you Lucifer?” I ask, not trying to show any fear or worry.

This walking God smiles at me but not of happiness, and speaks up.  “No dear child, I am the Boogieman. Lucifer isn’t real, his name is Hades.”

I nod in understanding, and try to force my voice above a whisper. “Why are you here? I need to be on my way.” I side step around the tree, trying to move past him and continue my original journey.

Stepping in front of me and blocking my path, it’s evident he will not allow me to continue. “I am here because I have a proposal for you.”

“And if I refuse?”

“There are fates much worse than death, child.”

Locking eyes, I can see that he means it and it sends a chill through my entire body, even my soul. My heart sinks into my stomach, settling like a rock.

“What’s your proposal then?” I hold my position sternly, defiantly.

“I want you to be my apprentice, be my helper so I may train you to take my place.”

His words hit me like a brick, shocking me out of my defiance and I sink against the rigged stump of the tree, the wood slightly damp from the recent rain. My heart beats as fast as the thoughts running through my mind at the offering he is giving me.

“I have a few questions first...Why me? Why do you look like that? Are you immortal?” I spew them out, asking them before he even has time to answer.

“I chose you because you have already had a wonderful teacher in the arts of sneaking and hunting, I will just be taking you above and beyond. Your teacher, Arean, is one I have watched for a long time and I love what she does. I look like this because I may take many forms, I try to choose my most appealing when I am not doing my job. To answer your last question...I am...sort of immortal. I have lived a very very long time, child, but I can die. My time will be up as the boogieman, and I need someone to take my place.

I am the darkness. I bring nightmares to children, hide under their beds, sneak in their closets. You know that feeling you get when you wake up in the middle of the night, it's dark and you think you see something out of the corner of your eye? But when you look, nothing’s there? Well, that is who I am.

I bring terror to the minds of the immature, underdeveloped, the undermined, the underprivileged, and the uneducated. I am not someone you want to meet...ever. Not even in these circumstances.”

The words swirl in my head as if they were being written out for me, playing like a book...like a movie...the images and possible situations sinking in. Who am I to take such a place? A dark and terrible position in the world…

“So, child, do you accept or refuse my offer?” Stepping in front of me so I could kiss him if I wanted to, his chest almost touching mine, I breathe slowly and give him my answer with a single, solid movement of my head. Everything goes dark.