[ WP ] Be mindful of the things that go bump in the night , be scared of things that make no noise at all .

Late at night, deep asleep, little James was dreaming of... he was n't sure. It was dark in the dream, that was for sure. And there was something in the darkness... but he could n't... quite... see what it was... Everything seemed to be moving so slowly, so strangely. 
 
 And then a floorboard creaked, and he awoke with a gasp. 
 
 Still delirious from the dream, he did n't see the creature at first. But when he finally focused on it, he slowly took in both the size and the abnormal color. It was tall and scaley, with bluish-purple spots, and its head was full of horns. A nightmare, living and real. 
 
 The two stared at each other for a few minutes, two eyes to five, until the monster softly growled, seemingly surprised at being seen. James, sleepy, nodded, and lay back down, falling back into the feeling of the blankets and the fluff of the pillow. 
 
 The monster watched him carefully as he drifted off again. Leaning over, he lay his clawed hands on the ground and peered under the bed. 
 
 A shadow, indistinct and malicious, flitted around. It had not left, not left. The monster knew, he *knew* that the shadow was there for the boy. It was there for the nightmares. 
 
 And just the same, he knew that he could not allow the monster to feed while the boy was asleep, or something bad would happen. 
 
 It reached as far under the bed as it could, careful not to disturb the boy, and swiped at the shadow. It slithered out of the way, avoiding the claws, and attached itself to the bottom of the bed. Silent, sinister. 
 
 The monster sighed, and stood back up. He would wait, and watch. 
 
 As soon as James began to toss and turn again, he stepped back, his foot resting on the squeaky board that always gave him away. It made a twisting, groaning noise, and James started awake again. This time, the monster stayed out of view, and let James peer around blearily. 
 
 The shadow twisted under the bed, frustrated at the intervention, and the monster smiled grimly. James might not get much sleep tonight, but he would be safe from the shadow that wanted his dreams. It would give up, soon, starving itself out. 
 
 And the monster knew that he was much, much more stubborn than the shadow that threatened *his* boy.
