For those of you who don't know me, I'm the boogeyman. At night, I ride a carousel that allows me to visit you in your dreams. I control your nightmares and sometimes, I ask you to ride the carousel with me. Don't piss me off by refusing me – because if you do, I will kill you.

~~~~

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. Giving people nightmares is always fun, but visiting the dreams of children who eagerly close their eyes in the hopes that Christmas morning will arrive sooner is epic. Their tears are like sweet drops of honey. If I get them to start hating Santa on top of that, my mission to thoroughly ruining their Christmas dream is complete.

This year, I decide to take Amilia, my latest disciple, with me. Ever since she started riding the carousel with me a few months ago, she has surprised me with her viciousness. I have rarely met an eight-year-old who is able to hold a grudge the way she does, even for the smallest of things. She loves inflicting pain on those she perceives her enemies and I pity anyone who gets on her bad side.

It's Christmas Eve, just a few minutes before midnight. She runs across the fairgrounds with her pigtails whipping in the wind. The thinness of her nightgown is making me shiver, but she doesn't seem to mind. Her cheeks are flushed with excitement.

"Where are we going tonight?" she asks as she swings herself on the horse next to me.

I smirk when I notice the vicious sparkle in her eyes. "Wherever you want to go, my dear."

A smile lights her face – she likes the answer. "There is this girl in my class..."

I drown out her words, taking a quick peek at the memory instead. I cringe when the girl Karen calls her "stinky horse", making fun of her slight overbite. Since her father died, Amilia has always sucked her thumb to comfort her through her sleep. Teasing her for it was just plain mean.

I crack my knuckles. Ruining Karen's Christmas is definitely not something I will lose any sleep over – pun intended. With a stroke of my palm over my horse's mane, the carousel starts to spin. Amilia giggles next to me as her own horse rolls up and down, sucking us both into a twirl of lights that ends up on the offending girl's doorsteps.

"That's Karen's house," Amilia whispers.

For a second, my eyes scan the sky. The milky moon barely breaks through the gaps in the thick clouds that hover not too far above the ground. The crisp scent of snow stings my nostrils. Some people hope for a white Christmas to get into a festive mood – I like the cold and ice because it adds to the creepiness when I chase my victims in their dreams.

My hand stretches out and Amilia and my fingers intertwine. The heat of her palm feels amazing against my cold skin. For a second, I indulge how her blood pumps through her veins, wondering how it would feel to breathe and be alive. My senses are limited by the confines of my body and just once would I like to experience sensations like laughter and tears.

The house is quiet and dark. Only the living room is covered in the surreal glow emitting from the sparkling lights of the Christmas trees. Karen's parents already piled the presents underneath the thick branches. It appears they considered their daughter a very good girl this year – clueless that she is nothing more than a big bully at heart.

Amilia kneels next to a big box and shakes it. A deep wrinkle cuts across her forehead as she gazes up at me. "I wonder what's inside."

"Well, you gonna have to wait until you see her in school again and mayhap she'll tell you."

"Can't we just open it?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear. That would be interfering with an area outside her dreams which is not allowed."

She pouts. "You're no fun when you're like this."

My smile is mild. Her constant need to break rules is almost disturbing, but irresistible at the same time. More than once has she pushed me to the limits of my power. Her games are dangerous, not just for our victims, but my existence. My adversaries are always watching, just itching to rein me in if I overstep my boundaries.

"Let's go find Karen's room."

She follows me after a slight hesitation, her eyes lingering on the present until the door closes behind her. Like two ghosts, we climb the steps. A floorboard squeaks under her weight as we sashay along the hallway. The sound is magnified in the silence of the house, resonating long after we have arrived in front of Karen's room. I press my hand against the door, soaking up her even breath. She is sound asleep.

I tiptoe across the threshold, Amilia right on my heels. My sensitive ears pick up her accelerating heartbeat. For a second, I grin, her anticipated excitement catching. Her brown eyes are shining even darker than usual, they are almost as black as the midnight sky.

The mattress barely bends under my body weight when I lower myself next to Karen on the bed. Amilia holds her breath, squatting next to me. She has learned not to touch our victims which would immediately dissolve the nightmare. Her teeth are torturing her bottom lip as she looks at me. The viciousness oozing from her gaze makes me chuckle.

Our hands interlock to give her access to Karen's dreams before my other hand comes to rest on the little girl's forehead. I dive deep into her mind, digging around in the memories until I access the fears. My lips twitch as the energy flows from my fingertips, connecting with the snippet of her past which will cause her the most distress.

We are back at the beach that Karen visited as a toddler when she almost drowned. As soon as the waves crush over her, deadly fear that spreads in her body. Her arms flap, her legs kicking in a desperate attempt to shoot back above the water's surface. Her frantic movements and silent screams fill my heart with peace. I indulge in her fear, Amilia's rapidly pounding heartbeat pushing me to prolong the suffering.

I decide to create a move festive ambience, having a big, blown up Santa swim up to Karen as a token of hope for her rescue. Her arms clutch around his neck and they slowly rise towards the light. Karen gasps for air with a false sense of security, sea water filling her mouth and lungs. Pain twists her little face as she splutters and coughs which makes matters worse.

As the strength seeps out of her, her panic prickles under my skin like an electric current. I get lost in the moment, relishing the smell of fear and her silent screams. She is tough, refusing to succumb to the darkness by hanging on to that stupid, blown up Santa Claus. His grinning face is only inches above her own. She whimpers, hoping that something so good just ought to save her.

Karen's fear buzzing through my veins is like a drug and I'm not ready to let her go. My energy pops the air Santa, replacing the fatherly face with that of a sea monster. Its eyes glow menacingly in the darkness of the deep water, like all consuming fire coals. Karen goes berserk, little shrilling yelps mixing with the jerking of her body when she tries to get away. More water fills her lungs, burning her raw lungs. Her little fists punch at the monster which bares its long sharp fangs in return.

The deadly fear and panic that fill up the space around the struggling girl is making me dizzy. The shockwaves beating inside my body are now so strong that the slight explosions, setting my nerve ends on fire, are almost painful. I have been in this business long enough to know that her small heart is about to give. I release her from her nightmare in the last possible moment, whisking Amilia away just as Karen's gurgling scream awakes her.

Amilia is panting when we get outside. "That was the best nightmare ever." A satisfied smile tucks at the corner of her lips. I can't even sense the slightest hint of sympathy for the little girl who is crying upstairs in the arms of her mother, terrified of Christmas for the years to come. The indifference in Amilia's eyes adds to her callousness. Of all my disciples, she has definitely the most potential. Who knows, one day, she might even be able to take my place.

~~~~

But for now, good night – see you in your dreams!!

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