Boogieman

There it was again! For the past three nights, 5 year-old Micheal and his sister Karen had stared in fascination at the floor beside their bed, wondering what made the occasional breathing sounds they heard in the middle of the night. No matter how many times they told their parents, they simply dismissed it with the usual ‘its just a bad dream’ parental response. Kyle had slept with the lights on for many a night after it first started, but he had had enough. Gathering his sister and his favorite action figure, he set out to find what made the noise. He reached down for the underside of the bed, and a black, shriveled hand shot out.

Kyle screamed, and before Karen could blink, he was gone.