All Hallow’s Read is fast approaching. Below is the second half of Bedtime Story (the first half is here, in case you missed it). Next Monday, I’ll post a .pdf of the complete story.
.
“Mommy, what does the bog-wart do when it carries you off?”
Mother looked like she’d rather have a second wash-day than go through this again, but she came back over and sat on the edge of Elspeth’s bed, candle in hand.
“Don’t tell me you’re still fretting about that, sweetie.” With her free hand, she smoothed Elspeth’s hair, and tucked the blankets tighter around her chin.
“Donal says it hollows you out, and wears you like a cloak and takes your place at the table,” Elspeth persisted.
“Elspeth, there is no such things as bog-warts.” She said it in her “Mother has spoken” voice, but I saw the shadows leap a little from the candle in her hand.
“Donal said there didn’t used to be. He said you made it up to scare him into bein’ good,” Elspeth’s voice was very small now, just a whisper, and she kept looking at me, out of the corner of her eye. I pretended even harder to be asleep.
“But, Donal said the world’s all full of nameless things. He says when somebody makes something up, then a some-thing can take that name for its own.”
Mother stood up, and took a step closer to my bed, but came no nearer. “Elspeth, how d’you suppose we’d take a great hairy beast with five eyes to be your brother? He knows a thing or two about making things up himself, does that one.” She paused, then added, “And he’ll hear about it from me, come the morning. Filling your head up with terrors and nonsense.” Her tone said she didn’t really believe I was sleeping and she hoped that’d give me something to think about, meanwhile. But the shadows leaped and capered, and she stared hard at me as she said it.
I had my back to her, pretending to sleep, but I saw all the same, ’cause I’ve got eyes in the back of my head.
A Month of Sundries 
Leave a Reply