3An open door, a simple closet door that hadn't been open for the past seven years… I had to check it out. I had just scared the pee out of a young man, and I was ready for a new challenge. The closet looked like any other 90s little lady's closet, but instead of the pile of discarded toys I usually trip over, there was a small bookshelf holding comics wrapped in their protective cellophane. Comics? I mean, it is odd for a little girl, but that wasn't nearly the worst of it.
A nightlight in the room is always a good sign that there is a little fear present. I couldn't stop the sinister grin that slinked across my face when I heard the minor tones of a Frankenstein theme. I could see a little head peeking out over the arm of an old armchair. I had to crane my neck, but there didn't seem to be a parent in sight, which explains why the volume sat at about 11. I moved from my closet spot to under her bed but kept my eye on her. Little girls and scary movies are the perfect mixture. I would have a breezy night and be over my scare quota for the week. But as the music began its swelling intensity, a sound came that didn't match the current tone…is she crying? A sniffle vibrated through the air, and this little girl was crying. Why? Under her breath, I thought I had heard her plead, "Just leave him alone." This girl was not normal, and if I were smart, I would've seen that as a sign and booked it out of there, but I stayed. I had to know what this girl would dream about since she obviously sides with the monsters.
As soon as the credits began rolling, she quickly shuffled to shut everything down. As she picked up her pillow and returned to her room, I realized I needed to get further under the bed. She seemed to pause mere inches from my hiding place as if she were thinking about something. Before I could figure out what this little person was up to, she sat crisscrossed in front of me and silently began to set up a board game. She pulled out the red and green player pieces and did a terrible job shuffling the cards. What is she doing? She flipped the top card to reveal a red square and moved the red player to the first available red square on the board.
She sat there for about a minute, waiting for something to happen."It is your turn, silly," she whispered. She shouldn't know that I am here. I hadn't revealed myself. What is going on? She sat there for about 30 seconds before she shifted to her belly, reached under her bed, and grabbed my hand."Here. You take the cards from this pile and move your piece to the same color. Have you played Candyland?"
SHE TOUCHED ME! Not good… if an immortal – actually a legendary – like me is caught by a mortal, we have to grant them a wish. There was no way I would tell this girl about that; she would most likely make me play Candyland with her every night, and there was no way I would waste my time doing that. But I owed her a wish, so I would just wait until she said something that could be a wish and just use that. Shady? Heck, yes, but that is my thing. I decided that I had no choice but to play until she made a"wish."
"Can you see me," I asked. She smiled brightly and just nodded."How can you see me?"
She put her finger to her lips and hushed me, then moved her piece again.
"What made you cry earlier," I ventured. Once again, she just hushed me but motioned for me to continue. After three or four more unanswered questions, I just gave up.
She won about three of the five games that we played. A creaking floorboard told us that someone was coming. She jumped into bed, and I retreated deeper underneath it. I felt like I was the monster being stalked in her movie. How could this all have gone wrong so fast? I had been doing so well, but now I am stuck under a bed, waiting for a little girl to slip up.
The door flung open with a spooky," What do you think you are doing!"The giggles coming from the girl were a dead giveaway that she had not been sleeping."Tawni, what was the deal if I let you stay up to finish your movie?"
"I was supposed to go to bed."
"Exactly, what were you doing?"
"Teaching the monster under the bed how to play Candyland." She said it with such authority that I couldn't even fault her for disobeying.
"Excuse me," he chuckled.
"I wasn't tired, so I thought he would want to play a game."
"You know the rule," he pointed out.
"What rule?"
"No boys in the room if there isn't a ring involved," he explained. What is he doing? She is talking about a monster under her bed, and he is talking about boys in her room." That includes monsters. So send him home," he demanded. Get her to make a wish!
"I will take care of it, Daddy."
"Love you, night, night," he whispered, and she repeated.
It took him a minute, but he finally left the room, and she snuck out of bed. She moved to the bookshelf across the room. I heard something shuffling, and then she came to lie beside me."What is your name, Mister?"
Does she not know? I decided that I couldn't fight this anymore. I came out and sat across from her. She just smiled and waited for me to answer her. I flashed her my most sinister grin and sneered, "I am the Bogyman."
She cocked her head to the right as if she was trying to assess my honesty. She moved to one knee, "Will you marry me, Mister Bogyman?"She held out a ring pop.
How do you tell a little monster champion, no? I took the ring as I tried to suppress the sigh trying to escape me. I opened the package and slipped on the ridiculously large candy ring. As I slipped it over the second knuckle, I felt the wish take place. She closed the gap between us and kissed my cheek, "There, now we are engaged. So, you can play games with me any time you want. Oh, I'm Tawni, by the way."
She climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep… smiling. As soon as I got home, I discarded the candy ring on my desk and prayed that it would disappear. I have so much paperwork to do tomorrow.
Twenty Years Later…
"Abby!"Oh, how I love the sound of fear in the night. I slipped back into the shadow, patting myself on the back for another job well done. I turned, expecting to see my apartment, but stood confused in a crowded waiting room. The blinding white walls hurt, but the black leather seats were a helpful contrast. In the corner was a large window with a soft face looking out. I moved closer, clearing my throat, "Um?"
"Ah," The Clerk exclaimed. "Glad you could get here so quickly."
"Oh," The Clerk tried again," Herald wanted me to summon you. I wasn't given much information other than that. Please take a seat, and I will call you back as soon as he finishes his previous appointment."
I looked around and once again noticed the crowded room. Each immortal either looked nervous or proud. Santa always looks jolly, but today, I saw an extra sparkle in his eyes. Well, he has something good going on. I am not up for review, so I had no idea why I was summoned. But like any other administrative body, no one knows the real reason for anything. So I took a seat next to the jolly, overgrown elf.
"So, what are you here for," I ventured to make small talk.
"I am finally getting a Mrs. Claus," he exclaimed. His excitement took me aback.
"I thought—"
"Yeah, everyone does, but she is a human construct. The mortals wanted me to have a companion, and I finally convinced the Big Boss that it would be good for me to have someone else to help out around the factory."
"Why?"That idea seemed incredulous to me.
"Have you ever been to my neck of the woods?"He questioned. His bushy white eyebrows were challenging me. I just shook my head."That's what I thought, shadow boy."
"But we aren't supposed to fraternize with humans," I reminded him.
"That is why I am asking the Big Guy Upstairs to create me a companion," he snarked. He winked, and I just shrugged. "What are you in for?"
"I have no—"
"Herald is ready for you, Mr. Bogeyman, "The Clerk interrupted.
I nodded and looked at my companion, "I'm about to find out."And here we go. Coming out of the office came a seventeen-year-old goth chick who looked like she was just returning from a Rob Zombie concert. She did not look happy.
"Hey, Cupid," I greeted, "is he in a good mood?"
"Would you be if you were only middle management?" She rolled her eyes. I just smirked and replaced her in the door jamb of the office. As always, she is so helpful.
"Ah, Mr. Bogeyman, I am so glad that came so quickly."Herald stood in the corner looking at a bookshelf as if focused on the titles."Please take a seat. How was your latest scare?"
"Successful," I replied as I sat in the sterile stainless steel seat. The room was a dull gray, not exactly a hopeful atmosphere, but since this is middle management, almost anything can happen. I just hope this is as far up the administration ladder as I am called to see. I continued, saying, "Aggravated babysitters make my job very easy."
"Not that you need the help. You are normally very good at your job," he agreed. I began to accept the compliment when I stumbled over a word.
I barely stopped myself from the double take."Normally?"
"Oh yes, you are great at your job, but even the world's best pianist can make a mistake."
"Mistake?" That is when I saw the paper. Oh no… This can't be. The faded pink paper felt like it was baring into my soul. I thought… there has to be…Isn't there a statute of limitations on something like this? Twenty years ago, I filed that awful piece of paper because a brazen little girl coerced me into an engagement. When I heard nothing, I assumed it was filed away and forgotten. It was one incident, and I have been meticulous about never letting something like that happen again. I never entered that house again, and there were glaring opportunities.
"I can see by the shock in your eyes you've figured out why you are here."Herald smiled."This was one tough case to decide on. It went all the way to the top, so it took a while to get back to my desk."
"What needed to be decided on?"
"Well, you know our policy about marriage between immortals and mortals." He began.
"Wait? Marriage?" I balked. "No, there is no marriage happening here."
"That is what we plan to avoid, but your promise is binding as a wish was involved."
"Are we taking a seven-year-old's proposal seriously?"
Herald finally sat behind his cold steel desk and flipped open a shockingly thick folder. "Normally, no, we wouldn't be taking this seriously. Most children grow out of their childish wishes, and your actions were understandable for the circumstances you were caught in."
"Thank you," I agreed.
"But, we have been watching this girl for a while now, and she is not a normal case. She is taking the engagement seriously."
"Are you kidding me?"
"I am not allowed to kid about these types of things," Herald replied in his matter-of-fact way."Ms. Tawni has interfered with missions for many of the other immortals, but it all comes back to this wish, so you are the only one who can rectify the situation."
"Oh, no! There has to be another way," I stood and started pacing."Couldn't Cupid hit her with an arrow and just have her fall for someone else?"
"You know that I can't trust Cupid with that type of mission," Herald laughed.
"What about sending Sandman in and making her believe it was all just a dream?"
"We tried that. She caught him trying and told him that he could give her nightmares for a year, but she would never forget you," he folded his hands and waited for me to suggest something else.
"There has got to be another way," I pleaded.
"Why?" he practically whispered.
"What?"
"Why must there be another way?"
"Because…"I don't think I could face her again… "Because she scares me. You said that she has interfered with other immortals. There has to be something wrong with her."
"Only because she caught you. Children usually grow out of their childhood, but when she touched you, the side effects never subsided. She can only interfere because she can see things that should be invisible to humanity." He sifted through the file, "Do you at least want to see what your fiancée looks like now."
He was too pleased with his jab. "I thought you weren't supposed to kid about these things?"
"Playful jab is alright every once in a while," he explained as he flipped a photo before me. Her face had filled out a bit, but this was the seven-year-old I met all those years ago. Her long auburn hair framed her heart-shaped face. I got stuck on her forest green eyes, magnified by the bold red spectacles on her nose. I noticed a few acne scars, but they were scarce. She looked into the camera with quiet confidence as if she knew she wasn't a supermodel, but she was something special. She had that same smirk she gave me when I told her who I was.
"She grew up," was all I could manage. Something was holding me back from engaging any more than necessary. I knew that I had to end this. I couldn't let it go any higher up the ladder, and she needed to be able to move on. I took a deep breath and sat again, "How do I fix this?"
Herald cracked his knuckles, flipped open the folder, and stated, "I thought you'd never ask."