Alfred C. Bogeyman

This an excerpt.


Sam’s screaming woke everyone at 3 a.m. Mom scrambled down the hall and found him hiding under a blanket with a flashlight.

She flipped the light switch. “What is it, Sam?”

His tiny arm emerged from under the blanket as he pointed toward the closet.

Mom opened the closet door and looked inside. “I don’t see anything.” She sat beside him on the bed and pulled the blanket off his head. The static from the blanket made his hair stand wildly. She licked the tip of her fingers and brushed his hair down with her hand. “You just had a nightmare, sweetie.” She kissed him on the cheek.”

He shook his head and rose up on his knees. “No, momma, he shook my bed, and I went like this.” He rose up and tightened his little fists and shook his head. “...and he ran into the closet.”

Adrian, Ralph and Sean scurried down the hall and stood in the doorway. “What’s going on?” Adrian asked, yawning.

“Boogieman shook my bed again.” Sam yelled.

“Hon, There is no such thing. Calm down... okay. How about you sleep with me until morning?”

Sam grabbed his blanket and Adrian watched him as he followed on mother’s heals down the hall.

The boys returned to Adrian’s room and slipped into their sleeping bags.

Adrian sighed. “Poor Sam, that old boogieman won’t leave’em alone.” He leaned on his elbow and stared off into space.

“Does he wake up screaming like that every night?” Sean asked.

“Yeah.” Adrian sat up, leaning against the footboard of his bed. “Ever since Dad got deployed, that old boogieman’s been bothering him every night.”

“Reckon he probably picks houses with no dads in them?” Sean asked. “Cause my dad is always home, and I’ve never had a boogieman in my room.”

“Could be. How would that old Boogieman like it if someone went to his house and scared him?” Adrian said, crossing his arms defiantly.

Ralph sprang up to a sitting position. “That’s it!”

“What?”

“Why don’t we go make sure that ol’ boogieman get’s no sleep… do to him what he does to your brother. “ Ralph said.

“We?” Sean shook his head. “I ain’t bothering nooo boogieman.”

“How we gonna find him?” Ralph asked, ignoring Sean.

“I got an idea.”