the song of storms begin

Nana and Boogeyman (Chapter one)

”Good night, dear.”
”Good night, mom.”

Mom clicked the lights off, and little Nana just tried to make herself comfortable in her bed. She had gotten new sheets some time ago, they were blue and there were pictures of cars and footballs. Nana loved football, and her biggest dream was to become a football player some day, when she gets older and better. She was just five, in that age you won't become so famous and good, that's at least what Nana thought. She was pretty smart kid for his age, many people said that to her and his mom. That was one thing, that Nana could be very proud of. Some of the other kids thinked bad of Nana, because she was a girl and wanted to play football, but no one told her what to do – she decided it herself, and her mother didn't say anything against it. She was proud, that her little girl was so strong-minded.

Only one thing prevented Nana from falling asleep. Even though even she thought that it's stupid, and mom had told her so many times not to worry about it, she was always scared. Her big brother had told her about the Boogeyman – man dressed in black, ready to devour kids in his big mouth. These days that brother regretted that time when he told it to Nana, because now his little sister was scared as hell. She was afraid that Boogeyman would come any night and eat little Nana. Mom had told her, that the monster Nana was talking about wasn't real and there was no one under that bed or in the closet, but it was just hard to believe.

Nana forced her eyes closed, yet she had some obsession to look under her bed. Usually there was no one, but who knows – that's a first if he is there. Little girl laughed at herself quietly, thinking that it would be just stupid. She wasn't just some little kid who is afraid of every single scary thing that big brother tells her. Nana decided not to look under her bed, but for some reason, she had that feeling that she's not alone. She wanted to go for her mom, just like she had done for many times before that. Sleeping between his parents was a safe and comfortable thing to do, but would it make her just a coward? Little coward, who didn't even dare to sleep in his own bed. Nana turned around, opening her eyes once more.

”Did I wake you up, or were you awake already?”

Nana heard a gloomy voice, at the same time it was a little melancholic and dark, sad voice. Nana shivered and almost screamed, but then she remembered, that the others are already asleep. When her eyes became accustomed to the dark, the little girl could see him. That man was probably pretty long, but he was on his knees. He had dark clothes, almost dark gray skin and black hair, that hadn't been combed for a long time. Nana just stared at his eyes. They were red, glowing in the darkness like some little decorative balls, that you put in your Christmas tree. Even those eyes reflected sadness, they scared little Nana. She wanted to hide under his sheets and pretend like that man wouldn't be there, but she knew, that it wouldn't help at all. She hide most of her face under the sheet, so that only her light blue eyes and thick, messy brown hair showed up. Dark man smiled a little.

”I- I was already awake. W-Who are you?” Nana's voice trembled, although she tried to sound like she would be very brave and not scared. Maybe it didn't work, but she wanted to believe so. Gray-skinned man nodded a little, was silent for a while than then opened his mouth. His teeth were suprisingly white, and that made Nana even more nervous.

”Some of them call me a monster... but I have real name. I think I heard some time ago, when your brother told you my name? Do you still remember it... Nana?”

Nana startled when that man remembered her name, and it made her to bite her lips before she answered. Yes, she remembered – she had thought of that name every time before she went to sleep. It was carved into her mind, and would probably never leave.

”Boogeyman”, Nana said, her face as blank as possible. After the name was told, she perhaps she thought, that Boogeyman would attack and eat her. Maybe she expected, that after the name was pronounced out loud, he would just let of some psycho laugh and slather the little girl in front of him. But that didn't happen.

”I'm somehow... Glad, that you remembered”, dark-haired man said, he didn't look directly in Nana's eyes. Still, Nana could feel the coldness, that Boogeyman spreaded into the little girl's room. It was like dhe could touch that feeling – that sad, icy feeling, that she didn't feel so often. It almost made her feel sorry for that man, but then she remembered, what his brother had told her.

”Are you here to --” she stopped her sentence when she almost ended it, she didn't want to spell those words out loud. Boogeyman seemed a little confused, leaned on Nana's bed and looked at her questioning look on his face.

”Am I here... to what?” he asked, and Nana could feel his cold breath on her face, even though Boogeyman was a few meters away from her.

”... Eat me?” girl ended the sentence, blushed a little and hid her eyes under her sheet. She was afraid, that letting him know that thing, would launch that hunting instinct on that man, who didn't seem like human – but he didn't seem like an monster, either. He seemed more like incarnation of sadness. Sadness and fear, loneliness. When Nana thought that last word, she noticed, that the word fit Boogeyman a lot. Loneliness.

First both of them were just quiet. Then Boogeyman just smiled, and it was an amused, but still a little distant smile. When he smiled, it didn't look as creepy as someone would have probably imagined – it made his face look more human-like. Nana couldn't do anything to herself, she smiled also, but wanted to keep that smile hidden. She wouldn't smile, if someone was going to eat her.

”Eat you?” dark man asked, raised his hand a little and drew small, invisible imagines on the sheet, ”why would I do that? I was born from people's imagination, stories. I was born from them and the darkness, little child's nightmares and from their fear. I have no need for food, and even if I did, I wouldn't eat children. I'm cursed to live in darkness, under children's bed and in their closets. Like on person said... I am an creature that is cloaked secrets. Almost no one knows, if I'm real or just an persons imagination. When no one thinks that I'm real, I'm not real – it's just because of you, that I'm here now. I should thank you for it.”

That speech left Nana wordless. She had thought, that Boogeyman was just some hungry monster that was after kids. If those thing, which that man had just said, were true, it was whole different thing. Girl lowered the sheet so much, that she could look at the Boogeyman. His eyes weren't as sad as they were at the beginning, they were slightly amused.

”... Oh”, Nana said, her voice was even more quiet than just a little while ago. Everyone were already fast asleep, only Nana – who usually was still one of the first ones to fall asleep, even if she were afraid of Boogeyman – was now awake. She had company. Usually she didn't have much company: she didn't have many friends because of her hobbies, her big brother just was with his own friends. She didn't count her parents as her friends, because they were... well, parents. Old people, who's duty was to love their children.

”Well, why are you here, then?” she tried to sound as polite as she could, her voice had already settled down and she was feeling more safe. Now that she had gotten used to those red eyes and dark appearance, Boogeyman didn't even look so scary. If he would have had a little more neutral colors, he would just have been some big-sized man. Now that Nana finally looked at that man better way, she was able to see many thing – pit hollowed cheeks, almost invisible scars on his face, very skinny hands, long, black and sharp nails. It looked just as he said, that he had no need to eat anything. His eyes were just a little bigger than regular humans eyes, and they reflected emotions even better way.

”I've been here always”, Boogeyman said with his empty voice. It brought goose bumps, but for some reason, it weren't a bad thing. Even if she hadn't noticed it herself, she had started to enjoy that little chat. Weird – he was talking with the monster she had been afraid over two years, and now she wasn't all that afraid when she met him.

”Do you watch me, when I sleep? Like some guardian angel?” Nana asked, she was actually quite excited about this whole thing. It was the first time. Boogeyman actually laughed, and that laugh weren't cold or evil – it was amused, a little happy and surprised.

”Are you referring me to an guardian angel?” he asked. That would be the first time. He had lived very long life, and this was the first time when the child didn't escape, screaming for her or his mommy and leaving Boogeyman just there. Nana was a different child.

”Well, what would you call it? What would you like? Just a guardian?” Nana asked cheerfully, getting more and more excited all the time. The atmosphere was already much more relaxed, there was no fear in there. It was new for Boogeyman, new for Nana. New for both of them, and it was absolutely amazing.

”Guardian is better, even if it doesn't even reflect me any way. I would say, that angel is like my reverse side. I still call myself a monster”, Boogeyman said.
”But you are not a monster”, Nana said, surprising that man so much, that he almost dropped from where he was, but kept his balance. Before he could say anything, Nana continued. Her face had become more serious, more adult-like.

”Monsters are bad creatures. You're not bad. You guard my sleep.”
Boogeyman had never felt that way. It was a happy feeling – he felt great. He felt fantastic.

He felt happy. It was an emotion he had never felt before.

”Can you do magic?” Nana asked suddenly, before Boogeyman could even settle his mind. Dark man startled, but then he smiled and nodded quickly.

”If you even count it as magic”, he said cheerfully. Nana noticed, that many things had changed after Boogeyman first showed up. He had surely healthier looking face, those little scars had disappeared and his cheeks weren't so scraggy. His red eyes had gotten more life in them, he looked more like a human. Even his skin weren't so gray as they were just a moment ago.

Boogeyman raised his hollow of the hand for Nana. Then he closed his eyes, and in just a little moment, darkness had started dancing on it. Little, black creatures from the darkness came to it. They weren't scary – Nana even saw a little puppy in there. When Boogeyman saw, that Nana liked that dog, it grew a little bigger and scurried for the little girl. Nana giggled and laughed, but still as quietly as she could.

”Can you show me anything else? You're so amazing”, Nana smiled, but then Boogeyman shook his head.

”No, I can't stay any longer. But I promise to come here next night, alright?” he said, looking directly in Nana's eyes. When those eyes met, there was something between them: trust into each other, between a nightmare and the innocence. Nana nodded, and finally dropped her head against her pillow. They exchanged smiles, and then Boogeyman was gone. Disappeared into that rooms darkness, like he'd never been there. But Nana knew it all. She knew, that he had been there, and that he would come next night. It was first night for a long time, when Nana could fall asleep so peacefully.

Next night, he came. He showed Nana his most magical things, and the more he visited Nana, the less dark they came. Even Boogeyman himself had became different – his skin weren't gray anymore, his eyes were alive and he became like a brother for her. Every day she waited for night, even though Boogeyman had to leave so early. The others would have thought that it was odd, so Nana didn't tell anyone about him – it was a secret. Secret, that wouldn't leave her lips for any reason, he'd keep that mysterious man for herself.

It lasted. For some time.

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SYVÄLLISYYDEN PURKAUS JOKIN AIKA SITTEN jos joku jaksaa lukea mun kirjoitusvirheiden täyteisen englanninkielisen tekstin siitä vaa menoks, en ees tiiä mistä kiskasin tän aiheen. Ja ei, Boogeyman ei ole sama asia kuin joku Nightmare Before Christmasin Oogie Boogie Man .__:

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