Daemonophobia; The Fear of Demons

"Gry, come on Sweetie, let's go the the park." Mommy said.

My small, six year old fingers fight hard with the buttons on my coat. I will do this myself. After a while, I give up and throw the coat across the room. I don't need it.

"Honey, you need your jacket. It's cold out." Mommy comes in and takes the jacket off the floor.

I struggle a little as she puts my arms into the fabric. No. I don't want to ware it. No But Mommy buttons it up and pulls my soft hat on my head.

"No, I want ears..." I take the hat and tug it off my head, flipping it to the ground.

I walk over to my clothe pile and push it over. The clothes spread onto the floor, revealing my pink hat with the cat ears on it.

"Really, Gry. You don't need to make such a mess." She takes the hat and places it on my head.

She takes my hand and slowly we leave the apartment. As soon as Mommy locks the door to home a press my body to her, holding her hand. Don't let me get lost. I don't like it here. It's too big. Too noisy. No mommy, I don't like it.

I look up at her, my one eye seeing her in a odd perspective. I tug at the edge of her coat with my other hand. She looks down at me and smiles.

"Homey, I know it;s the big city, but I'm here with you and you're safe." She smiles and leads me out the door.

Safe? My hand goes to my eye. touching the skin. Mommy grips my hand and pulls it away. Stop it... my eye hurts. It HURTS!

"Honey stop it. Stop Scratching It! This is why you hurt it in the first place. This is why your eye is a funny color!, You are so .... STOP IT! STOP CRYING!" Mommy yells.

Safe? No mommy. Not safe. She changes like this, more and more. I only want to make her happy. But it still hurts. My eye still hurts.

"Gry... I'm sorry, baby, Mommy isn't angry. Come on, let's go to the park." Mommy takes my hand and we move down the hall, and out into the streets.

~

The park is big. Huge! The green and air and everything. It's so open. It is safe.

"Sweetie, remember to stay close." Mommy holds me close.

No Mommy, it's okay. Let me run now.

"Mommy, I wanna go there!" I point to the fountain. My fingers slip out of my glove as I race before Mommy.

"GRY! COME HERE! STOP!"

No, mommy. You should come to me. Here.

I lean forward, across the edge, touching my free hand to the water. So cold... I put my cold fingers against my right eye. No pain... safe.

"Stop, mommy, No. MOMMY! NO!" I shriek as she pick me up and away form the water.

"That's it! You can not do that Gry. We are going home" Mommy drags me towards the gate.

No. You don't understand. Please. You can't do this. "NOOO!!" I reach. Stretching forward and kicking out to get free, I pull myself taunt and loose.

Mommy puts me down and holds my arms tight. She shakes me, hard. I- I- Can't mommy stop.

"Gry... So help me... If you-, "her voice dips low at people pass by, "Honey... Please don't scare Mommy like that. You need to make it easy for Mommy. You know you have to be good for me, now that Daddy isn't here. So, Sweetie please stop crying and let's go home now...Okay?"

"Yes." I nod, trying to obey. I want you to me happy, Mommy. Please don't be sad I hold my fingers out and touch Mama's cheek.

She looks up at me and takes my hand. Gently she puts the glove back on and gently we walk towards home.

~ + ~

We step out of the park gates and walk among the talk buildings. The sky seems choked out and the concrete swoops in on me.

"Mommy... Why are-

"You you ask why we are here one more time, Gry I will not let you go to' Mikey's tomorrow. Please, Gry... You don't need to be scare of the city. It's not like something is out to get you."

No mommy. It's not me they wanted.

I keep quiet. I want to see Mikey, so I hold her hand like the good child she would want. The one I don't seem to be.

We round yet another corner, passing yet another alley. Then I see it. A wisp of light in my vision, off to the side in the alley.

You are still alive, I see. Well done, Dawn. Let me fix this damage, you have work still to do.

What? What are you doing? HEY!

The wisp had a voice, now it takes on a shape. It walks beside me; the form of a man. He walks in front of me, and turn to face me. I stop, making my mommy stop beside me.

"Gry?" I ignore her.

The wisp of light, in the form of the man stoops down to me. His hands reach out for me. One lands gently on my shoulder, and the other covers me right eye. The pale one. The blind one. Then there is heat.

"AAAHH." I cry out, a flash of light blazing through me.

"Gry? Honey what is it?" I hear the concern but again I ignore her.

There. Now. Go about your work.

He rises from in front of me. The shape then goes and the voice goes too. Only the wisp is left. That too, disappears into the ally.

No. Wait! What work? I'm only a little girl, what can I do?

I let go of Mommy's hand and race after the retreating light. I round the corner in the alley. Running. I hear my mother screaming for me to come back, but I can't; I have to keep running.

I have to follow the Angel.

That is all this wisp of light could be. I chase that wisp. My legs burn and it hurts to run so long and so hard. Soon my breath is coming in short.

I can't see straight and the ground isn't smooth. I trip, landing hard on my hands, my knees suffering from the fall as well.

I look up and .... Wait.

I see. Through both eyes.

The pale one, the right eye of mine, looks out on the world in the ally way. I am lost. No, really. I am lost.

Tears burn in the back of my eyes. I am alone Panic grips my six year old body, forcing the muscles to contract, curling me into a ball where I had fell.

Get. Up.

My head snaps up. There, the wisp of light. A surge of calm overtakes the panic and I uncurl my small frame, the limbs becoming sturdy and strong beneath me.

The wisp moves. I follow. The end of the alley comes into my vision, but I ignore it. The wisp moves on and I follow it past the edge of the alley and into the streets.

Past people. Past cars. Past all things that are not wisps of light. But I see them, the wisps of Smoke. Now that my right eye sees, I can make them out again.

I ignore them, focusing on that one, single wisp of Light. That wisp comes to a building and disappears. From there I don't ignore the world. I look around. It looks familiar.

"GRY! Oh, Baby, What have YOU DONE?!?" Mommy clutches to me. I smile as she dotes over me. Caring for me.

"Mommy." I place my small fingers on her face. " I can see."

She stops and looks at me. Then she starts crying, but she is smiling and laughing. Mommy pulls me into a big hug. I laugh too and hug her back.

She carries me inside and I float to sleep.