[ TT ] A child is kidnapped . Outraged , the monsters that live under their bed and in their closet vow to find them .

I have been here since the beginning. When life on this planet was simple so was I- the growl in the night, the scratch of claws on stone, the smell of a predator's musk. As life grew more complex so did I, for I feed on fear and take forms from imagination. I learned long ago to split myself, both to cover more ground and dilute my powers so that I did not overwhelm any one being. I live in the shadows, in closets, under beds, behind trees in dark forests, a part of me attached to every living being. My relationship with life is not parasitic, however, it is symbiotic. I harden and shape those that I touch, molding them into something more powerful than before, for once one conquers fear one can do anything. 
 
 As aloof as I keep myself I do have my favorites, the ones whose minds taste best and whose creativity shape me in new or interesting ways. Little Roy Duquesne is one of those, delightfully giving me new forms and new abilities unlike any I have ever had. He has the mark of greatness, he will change the world in time. So when the three took him in the night I did something I have n't done in a long time... I got involved. 
 
 The run down house they took Roy to was a reflection of the three- broken and tainted with a hint of malevolence hiding in the corners. They have him locked in a small closet, bound and terrified while they discuss their plans for him. I draw my myself together, trillions of shades coalescing into four beings, each more powerful than any god in history. I use one to cocoon Roy in peace and hope, grateful for all those who have ever been afraid of being loved. He falls into a deep, dreamless sleep. He does not need to see what happens next. I turn my attention to the three, these men who think they know how to cause fear. I have tasted them before, I know them. 
 
 I cut the lights to the house and seal the doors and windows, I do n't want them escaping or to be interrupted. The darkness is my home, within it nothing is impossible. The fat one and the rail thin one I dispose of quickly, they are followers and simple minded. The fat one I tear apart with a pack of dogs, they hamstring him and take his hands before ripping into his ample guts. He barely has time to scream much less notice they are wearing clown makeup. A waste. The thin one I trap inside a metal box that fills slowly with water. He breaks his fingernails trying to claw his way out, panic shattering his mind until his mouth and nose are finally covered. With those minor chores done I gather myself again and turn my attention to the leader. 
 
 He is defiant. He tells himself that he is afraid of nothing. He thinks he has control of the situation. He has no idea how wrong he is. I have hours before dawn breaks, I will turn every second into an eternity of punishment for his arrogance. But where to begin? How about something personal before I expose him to things he ca n't even begin to understand. The smell of dollar store cologne wafts into the bedroom he locked himself into, mixing with the odour of cheap whiskey and even cheaper stale cigarettes. The sound of old leather being pulled though denim loops can be heard over the distinctive thumps of his long dead stepfather's boots echoing down the hall. Oh yes, that's the perfect start. 
 
 Roy awakens in his parent's bed with the first rays of the morning sun, not sure if he imagined the night before. He will be fine. The three's remains are never found and the old house they were in becomes a neighborhood legend that no one, not even the bravest child, ever steps foot in. I am dispersed again, to resume my existence as the one who owns the night and shepherding the future of life. Everything is as it should be.
