Daemonophobia; The Fear of Demons

"MIKEY!!!!" I run up the stairs to his room, only tripping once.

I hear Mommy laugh behind me as she sits down to lunch with Mrs. Hale, Mikey's mommy. I couldn't care less, because I can't wait to show Mikey my eye.

The door at the end of the hall swings open and I tackle the opener. Mikey laughs at me. He's my age, but I'm older by five months my mommy says.

We shove each other around the room till my coat is too heavy. I push Mikey away, and sit down on the floor. My fingers wrestle with the button. These is awful... Who even needs buttons

Mikey squats down next to me. I look up at him and he smiles that goofy smile I like. But I couldn't tell him that. He's got boy germs.

"What?" I ask, giving up on the buttons, and instead trying to wriggle out of the coat.

"You still can't do buttons." He says, staring at me with his green, brown eyes.

"So?" I pout at him, giving up on getting out of my coat completely.

"Buttons are easy. Wait till you have to try and tie your shoes." Mikey takes the bottom of my coat and fiddles with the button.

After undoing the bottom one, he takes my hands. Slowly I manage to pull the second button out, then the third, the fourth. When I'm finished I look up at Mikey and smile.

He pushes me over and laughs a little. I scrunch up my nose and shake off my coat. Then I grab after Mikey. He runs and I chase. Our game.

I leap onto the bed and bounce off. Mikey breaks my fall and looks up at me. Then his eye widen and he squirm. I move over and hold his arm.

"Are you OK? Did I hurt you?" I look at him, asking franticly. If i hurt him, i might not get to see him.

But Mikey shakes his head and gently touches my right cheek. Oh.. I forgot! I reach for his hand and hold it there.

"I can see Mikey! With the pale one, I can see." I say to him.

He smiles. His hand moves from my right cheek and covers my left eye. Then he hold up his other hand.

"How many fingers?" He asks.

My gaze falls and my smile falters. I look up at him and his hand.

"I don't know. I can't count." I say.

"Me neither, I saw this on T.V." He says, moving his hand away from my left eye and ruffling my hair.

I smack his hands away and ruffle his light brown hair in return. Mikey grins and ruffles my hair again. When I reach out to get his hair, he darts away and opens the door, running out of the room.

We hurl ourselves down the stairs. I grab the hem of Mikey's shirt and pull him down hard at the base of the stairs.

"GRY! Stop that rough housing! You'll hurt --"

"-- Oh it's OK. Mike is tough enough." His mommy says, patting Mommy on the hand.

"Yep" Mikey gets up and walk over to them, while I follow, a little more subdued.

"You guys hungry?" Mrs. Hale asks us. "Y'all have been busy, playing and laughing."

"Oh Beth." Mommy says under her breath,

"Now now, Judy. They are so cute together." Mrs. Hale looks down at us. "His dirty blond hair and hazel eyes and her black hair and ... Oh, I'm sorry Judy."

"It's alright. Besides she's got her sight back in that gimpy eyes of hers." Mommy looks down at me, not smiling like Mrs. Hale. "Happened last week, like I told you on the phone, right after she ran off."

"Oh, I remember." Mrs. Hale gets up and goes to the kitchen. "Now let's get you two a snack."

Mikey and I race ahead of her and climb up on the barstools. I sit still and Mikey spins around one his. Mommy comes in the room and places her hand on my shoulder.

"Beth, I think we'll be goi--'

"Mother, can Gry stay over with us tonight? We can take her with us to school." Mikey splits in. "Please, it'll be ok, Gry's stayed over before."

"Oh Honey, I don't know if Mrs. Willow would want..." Mrs. Hale starts but my mommy holds up her hand.

"No No, I wouldn't mind. In fact, if you wouldn't mind taking the little darling off my hands, I have to get to work." Mommy pats my shoulder, her hand landing heavily.

I look up at Mrs. Hale and then back at Mikey. He smiles and holds out his hand under the bar, and I take it. Then my mix-match eyes turn back to Mrs. Hale.

"Of course!" She answers, smiling at me. "If you have to go so soon, I'll walk you to the door."

The two parents leave and I hear them move to the out to door and take up a conversation on the front step.

"I guess I get to stay over." i say, letting go of Mikey's hand.

"YEAH!" Mikey yelps and bounces off of the barstool and into the kitchen.

I watch from my chair as he pulls a step stool over to the counter and climbs to get two glasses. Then he opens the frig and pulls out the apple juice. He pours it without spilling and puts away the juice.

Then he hops up on the counter. My eyes widen as he picks up one glass and walks across the kitchen sink and over the stove top.

"Here ya go." He walks over carefully and places the glass in front of me. Then he makes the return trip, places his own glass next to mine and then hops off the counter.

Mikey races out of the kitchen and climbs up into his seat. He smiles at me, while I stare at him, then he starts to sip his apple juice.

Mrs. Hale comes in the room. She sees the glasses of juice and looks at us. She raises one eyebrow, but she is smiling.

"Y'all want something to eat with that juice?" We nod in responds. "Oh, and Mikey... please clean off you foot prints before you two go off again."

Mikey starts laughing and I smile.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Mrs. Hale tucks me into trundle bed, the spare one that rolls out from under Mikey's. She smiles a kind warm smile and sweeps my bangs out of my face. I think she looks at my blue eye for a moment before turning to Mikey and giving him a kiss good-night.

"And remember, Michael: I will always love you."

It was the only time I ever heard her call him 'Michael'. It made me smile a little. She turned out the light and shuts the door.

I turn onto my side and look at the base of Mikey's bed. I sigh and close my eyes.

"Hey." I look up and Mikey has his head sticking out over the edge. "You really got your sight back, huh?"

"Yeah," I nod, "An Angel fixed it."

Mikey kicks off his covers and slides down onto the trundle, sitting next to me. I sit up and look at him. His hazel eyes grow serious.

"Really? You believe you saw an Angel?" He asks. "Even though... you know... you don't have a dad, and you mommy is mean?"

I look down, thinking it over. I Look up at Mikey, my sole confidante and keeper of my Secret, and I smile.

"I saw it Mikey. I felt the warmth and know I can see." I touch his cheek, "Yeah, I know it was an Angel."

Mikey smiles and crawls back to his own bed. I hold still till his breathing is deep and then I kick off the covers. I walk over to the window and look out at the late night streets.

I stare, letting my pale eye pull in the lights and shadows for the first time in almost year. The city crawls with life. I look closely, and the shadows morph and float; little wisps in the black.

"Can you still see them?"

I jump and spin around to see Mikey standing next to me. His closeness makes me jump back further. I shake my head of my fears and take my place by his side. We look out the window together.

"Yeah." I answer. "I see them."

He nods and wraps his arms around me in a clumsy little hug. I hug back and bury my face in his pajamas.

"Don't worry, Gry." Mikey says. "I'll be your friend."

I smile and pull away. I look up at him and he kisses me on the forehead. I raise an eye brow and he smiles.

"I saw that on T.V. too." He says, kissing my forehead again, "I think I like it."

I breath a silent little laugh and hug him tightly. We go back to bed, he is his and me in the trundle bed.

I close my eyes and drift into sleep, warm and with a smile on my face.

~ + ~

"Gry! Are you ready?" Mrs. Hale yells up the stairs.

"Almost!" Mikey yells back for me, and then finishes buttoning the top of my coat. "Ready?"

I nod and together we race down stairs. This was the second day I was with Mikey. Mommy had been busy at work, but she had come by to visit. She had dropped off a bag of clothes too.

"Good morning, Gry. Mikey. Ready now?" Mrs. Hale asks as she hands us our lunch boxes.

"Yep!" Mikey says, taking his box, a TMNT... teenage mutant ninja turtles, and smiling up at Mrs. Hale.

"Me, too." I say, taking my Transformers box. It is really one of Mikey's old ones.

"Alrighty! Off we go!" Mrs. Hale users us out to the car and we start our drive to school.

I press my forehead to the glass and as the world roll by. Suddenly, me eyes focus on a wisp of smoke forms. A Demon.

It clings with no form to the top of the car. As I stare at it, a single red eye emerges out of the smoke and glares at me.

My eyes widen as the wisp becomes more compact and dense. This demon takes no form as it climbs closer to my window.

The red eye glares through the glass, and then it takes a form. Shaping into almost a monkey-like shape, its proportions are distorted and eye is cruel.

It points with one limb to the driver of its car. I dare to look. The man is drinking from a bottle. I don't understand, but it can’t be good if this demon is so delighted with my confused look.

I jump and look at Mikey, who had touched my arm. His eyes ask me the question that his voice could not. I nod. Yes. I see one. Its right there. I know you can't see it. It isn't going to come over here... it already has a host.

He nods and looks back out his window. I look back to the car, but the Demon has lost form and is simply a wisp of smoke following the car beside us.

Mrs. Hale turns into the driveway to the school. I look out the window, a little more excited. Mikey bounces up and down in his seat and I smile at him.

"Got everything?" Mrs. Hale asks, looking into the backseat at us.

"Yes ma'am" I manage to answer before Mikey.

He gets out of the car, and I unbuckle my seat belt. I pick up my lunch box and reach for the door handle. Mikey beats me to it, opening the door for me. He smiles at me as I get out of the car.

We wave to his mom and head into the building. I look around, pulling in all the details. This is the first time I had been back at school with my healed eyes. My eyes, the green and the pale blue one, look around in quiet excitement.

"Come on!" Mikey yells and runs off into the building.

"Hey! Wait for me!" I shoat and race after him.

I pause for just a moment to notice the wisps of smoke that curls around the flagpole. I shake my head, and race into the building.

The bell rings as I shove my lunchbox and school bag into the cabinet next to Mikey's. I walk slowly into the room, my eyes finding Mikey.

I smile and he waves me over to him. As I go towards him, one of the other girls walks up to he and holds my arms, stopping me. She points a finger in my face.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" She asks.

"Nothing." I whisper.

"Then why they a funny color?" Her finger comes closer.

I push it away slowly and walk over to Mikey. He smiles at me and I barely look at him. I am too busy worrying about the little wisp of smoke that is resting in the girl's little dress pocket.

She is still staring at me, the wisp not taking form, but resting in the pocket. We lock eyes, she and I. Her eyes widen and she whips around and runs to the teacher, Mrs. C.

They exchange whispers and then Mrs. C stands up and looks down at the girl, a stern look.

"Now Martha! We do not call other students names, and we certainly do not call them witches" She says in a firm whisper. "Go take your seat. I will talk to you after school. And you're parents will be involved."

Martha... So that’s her name, hmm. She takes a seat next to me and leans close to me. I try to lean away from her; the wisp in her pocket has gained red eyes.

"You're a witch. All witches have weird eyes like you." She whispers.

Not softly enough. Mikey hears her and I watch his face contort as he leaps up out of his seat. He moves around me and shoves her chair hard, knocking her over.

"Don't You say that! Don't YOU Say That!" He shoats at her.

The room is dead silent. Mrs. C sweeps up Martha, then she grabs Mikey. They sweep out of the room.

I haven't moved. Witch? Witches can see demons. Can witches see Angels? No. I'm not a witch. No! I'm Not a witch! I don't believe you!

My hands start to shiver and i shake my head. Soon a student teacher comes in and takes over the class. I'm called into the office so I leave to room. My knees quiver under me.

My first day back at school. fun