Say your prayers little one,

Don’t forget, my son

To include everyone

Tuck you in, warm within

Keep you free from sin

Till the sandman he comes.

Sleep with one eye open

Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light,

Enter night

Take my hand

Off to never never land.**

Where does imagination end and reality begin?  

In that hour before dawn, that hour when the sky is at it’s darkest. Silence is everywhere, there’s not a sound and even the birds are sleeping.  

That’s the hour when I come to life, when the living and the dead are at their closest.  

I can take your dreams and turn them from happiness to sorrow, just like I can take your mind and fill it with doubt.  

I choose my victims carefully, unlike a ghost or a demon, I can choose anyone I like, but always when you are alone, I can fill your mind with fear until suddenly, suddenly you are awake.  

And then you lie in bed, my images going around and around in your head, and you hope and pray for daylight to break the night, the minutes crawl slowly by and it’s still so dark, and still so silent.  

Suddenly every squeak becomes a scream, every whisper a roar.  Noises seem to be magnified a thousand times over; the curtains flapping gently against the open window suddenly seem like spirits crashing against the glass trying to escape; the tap, tap tapping of branches against tiled roof seems like a human hand, ripping away at the roof, trying to get in. 
Eventually a noise breaks the silence, the sound of your heart, beating wildly. It seems to get louder and louder and louder and your breathing has increased, after a while the sound of your heart and of your breath fills your ears getting louder and louder and louder until you can hear nothing else and you are so scared that you think your heart might explode.  

You are too scared to scream, too scared to react, too scared to do anything but lie in your bed and pray for daylight to come and banish the night.  

I am worse than any ghost or demon.  

Why?  

Because YOU have created me…  

And no-one knows neither how I came to be nor when I will strike.  

But I will come to you just like I came to her……  

***  

“You know what Frank; I reckon that Halloween is my absolute favourite holiday”  

A very dusty and disheveled Joe Hardy passed an even dustier box through the attic hatch and down to his older brother who was standing to receive it at the bottom of the ladder.  

“Joe, you say that every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter as well, make up your mind!”  

“Yeah, I know, but Halloween is definitely the coolest”

Joe’s voice was muffled as he crawled through the Hardy’s old and disorganised attic.  

“You know”, Joe continued, “It’s almost a shame that we are too old for Trick or Treating, it was the only time we could get away with causing harm”. 

Frank snorted. “WE, whose this WE you mention, if I remember correctly Joe, you were the cause of most of the trouble, but I was always the one who took most of the flak from Mom and Dad.”  

“Hey, you’re the older brother it comes with the territory. Besides it was always harmless fun, all in the name of spookiness,” Joe’s disembodied voice was even more muffled than before.  

“What in heavens is taking you so long?”  

Frank was bored holding the ladder and getting more and more impatient. “I thought there was only one box of Halloween decorations.”  

“Hold onto your horses for one minute, will ya Frank, I’m coming.  

The younger Hardy’s head emerged triumphantly from the attic, an old trick or treating monster mask on his face.  

“Oh brother” Frank sighed loudly and turned towards the kitchen. “I think the whole Halloween thing is kind of stupid to be honest, I mean it’s alright when you’re a kid, but now, well, now it’s I kind of, well, dated.”  

“Dated?, Halloween?, when the spirits of the dead come back to haunt us, when witches and ghosts and goblins come out to dance around fires and cast spells over us all, when mummies roam the streets, their arms outstretched, looking for their next victims,” Joe put on his most  melodramatic voice as he following his brother down the hal l.  

The n he stopped suddenly and lurched at his heart dramatically “ The y’ve got me, Frank, they’ve got me. The y’re turning me into one of them”.  

Arms outstretched in front of him he then walked in front of his brother and then turned to face him.  

“Fraaaaaaank, I’m coming to get youuuuuuu…..I’m coming Fraaaank……..”  

“I swear Joe, I’m gonna shove your head into the nearest pumpkin if you don’t can it” Frank tried to sound annoyed but couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face at his younger brothers antics.  

Joe grinned cheerfully as they reached the kitchen and began sorting through the decorations.  

“Just think, Frank, we have the house to ourselves for a full week, Halloween included.”  

“It’s going to be a long two weeks” Frank shook his head thoughtfully.  

And he shivered a little as he spoke.  

***  

The y think that Halloween is just like any other holiday, a time for dressing up in silly costumes, for going out with friends, for causing mayhem in the neighbourhood, in the sure and certain knowledge that everything would be forgiven the next day.  

But they will learn, just as she did, I will show them the true meaning of fear.  

***  

It was late by the time the two brothers finished decorating the front porch.

The ir father was working, as usual, but their mother was also away, visiting her sister in law, the boys Aunt Gertrude who hadn’t been that well of late.  

So the two brothers had been left to their own devices for a couple of nights, with strict instructions to keep the place in order and to stay out of trouble. 

A couple of hours passed, Joe decided he had enough of 'Reliving the Roman Empire ’, which Frank had insisted on watching on TV.  

“I think I’ll leave you and Roman Empire alone, it’s sending me to sleep as it is,” As Joe made his way past his older brother, he yawned. “Goodnight Bro.”  

“G’night” Frank said absentmindedly, his eyes still glued to the TV screen.  

The younger Hardy shook his head ruefully as he walked up the stairs.  

‘History, bleugh… give me a good horror movie anytime’  

……He would regret those words later.  

***  

The elderly lady tossed and turned on her pillow. Sleep usually came easily to her but not that night…… that night she remembered, she remembered another time and another place, and was transported back there.  

She remembered the cold, and the dark, and the fear.  

And in her bed the woman cried out and her arms were outstretched, as if seeking comfort.  

But just like before, no one was there to take her hand; no one was there to ease her pain.  

***  

It was almost 1am before Frank Hardy, bleary eyed, eventually tore himself away from the Roman Empire and made his way wearily up the stairs towards bed.  

Half way up the stairs, Frank thought he heard noises coming from Joe’s room. ‘Crying? Joe?’’  

Gently, he crept into the room. A thin shaft of moonlight filtered in though the curtains and reflected off his brother’s face. Joe wasn’t crying, he was asleep, but not peacefully, he twisted and turned in his bed.  

“NO!”  

Joe sprang up suddenly, wide awake, and Frank could see that his face was pale and there were tiny beads of sweat dotted across his forehead, he was also breathing heavily.  

“Hey, hey, Joe; calm down, it’s just me," Frank looked more anxiously now at his brother’s obviously distressed countenance.  

“Frank. What are doing in here?”  

“I could hear you from the bottom of the stairs, you were having a nightmare.” Frank sat on the edge of his brother’s bed.  

“It wasn’t a nightmare,” Joe’s voice was tense. “It was just a dream that’s all, probably too much of the Roman Empire . I’m fine, really Frank, it’s nothing. Go to bed.”  

Frank stood up and stretched, then smiled at Joe. “Alright so, if you’re not going to tell me I won’t push you, but you know where I am.” The n he yawned.  “Goodnight.”  

Joe lay in bed after his brother left the room, wide awake.  

It had been a nightmare, one of the worst he ever had, he could see the little girl in his mind, could hear her cries……but he couldn’t tell Frank, not yet.  

***  

…….She was lying in bed but she wasn’t asleep, even though it was very late. She could see through a gap in the blinds but outside there was nothing but darkness.  

Shadows moved in the darkness, she could see them….  

….shadows crept up the lawn, shadows moved across the window.  

The n, suddenly the shadows became real; the shadows became a hand, a hand coming through the window!  

The hand was and mottled, with angry red scars and bulging blue veins.  

The hand came further in through the window and grabbed at the little girl, pulling her up from her bed, up through the window and out into the darkness.  

She was scared, more scared than she had ever been before. The hand was evil, the hand wanted to hurt her.

***

School seemed quieter than usual the next day, Joe looked around the lunch hal l as he queued, everywhere he looked, groups of kids were sitting, heads bent low in conversation.  

Joe took his tray and walked over to where the ‘gang’ a.k.a his brother, Biff, Chet, Tony, Phil, Callie and Iola were sitting around listening to Callie talking, they looked shocked, upset even.  

“What’s going on?” he asked.  

Callie looked over at him. “It’s the new Principal, Mr. Sweetman. Last night his daughter was kidnapped, taken from her bed sometime before 6am . The y reckon whoever it was didn’t even go into the room, just opened the window and grabbed her.”  

The group was all visibly shocked at the news, no-one liked to hear of a child being taken. Mr. Sweetman, the new principal had only been in the school a couple of months and the majority of students liked him for his tough, no-nonsense approach.  

The y all began talking at once, trying to come up with a possible explanation for the kidnapping.  

All except Joe, that is. Callie’ words ran through his already tired and anxious mind......  

…….he just opened the window and grabbed her. The hand through the window...  

And all of a sudden he lost his appetite for lunch.  

***  

“Hey wait up!”  

Frank caught up with his brother walking through the parking lot after school that same day.  

Coming level with Joe he noticed the strained expression on his brother’s face and remembered how pale he had looked at lunchtime. 

”Hey,” Frank’s hand automatically went to his brother’s shoulder. “Are you alright? It’s just that you seemed a little out of it earlier, it’s that dream you had last night, isn’t it?.”  

“Look, I’m fine.”  

Joe’s voice was hard and Frank flinched involuntarily and pulled away his hand.  

Instantly his brother’s voice softened. “I’m sorry Frank; I guess I’m just thinking about that little girl. I think maybe we should look into the case, if Chief Collig lets us, that is.”  

“Why this one?” asked Frank.  

Joe shrugged his shoulder, ‘I can’t tell him, not yet, in case I’m wrong.’  Aloud he said “I don’t know, it’s just…I mean she’s a little girl alone and scared. No-one likes being alone in the dark, and especially at Halloween.”  

***  

That evening, Frank phoned Chief Collig, who reluctantly allowed them access to some of the files relating to the girl’s disappearance. He also gave them some extra information which Frank relayed to his brother over supper.  

“Apparently Principal Sweetman was in the army up until six months ago.”  

Joe looked at his brother, surprised.  

“ The army! How did he manage to go from the army to Principal of a high school? I mean, I get the discipline bit, but I assume that he has teaching experience as well?”  

Frank nodded, “Yep, 10 years as vice principal of a High School on the west coast, then he enlisted and spent 5 years on peace-keeping missions in the Middle East . When things started heating up there, he apparently decided to come home and resume teaching, mostly in order to spend more time with his family.”  

“So maybe he made some enemies in the army, it’s been known to happen befo…” Joe yawned loudly, midway through his sentence.  

“You looked wrecked Joe, why don’t you go to bed, I’ll wash up,” Frank began, but Joe interrupted him…  

“No, its ok, I’m not that tired, ill help you wash up.”  

Again Frank could see that look of almost fear come over Joe’s face. He said nothing more, however, but later when the two boys eventually did make their way to bed, and he watched his brothers slow ascent of the stairs…Frank Hardy couldn’t help worrying.  

***  

The hand came through the window again, she could see it clearly, every outline, every sinew. It grabbed her and took her away from everything she knew, away from happiness, away from safety and into..  

Nothingness…  

The re was nothing around……  

But she was still scared, more scared even than when the hand came through the window, more scared than when it grabbed her and pulled her from her bed.  

She was alone, alone in the darkest place she had ever imagined. The re were no shadows here, nothing but darkness.  

And silence...  

And the silence brought fear, fear so loud it filled her ears, until she could hear nothing except the sound of her heart beating so loudly she thought it might explode.  

But still it wasn’t clear; still it was all just a blur, but she knew worse was yet to come.  

***  

“Joe, are you sure you’re ok, you look exhausted?”  

Joe had spent most of lunchtime the following day replaying the previous night’s images in his head, trying to make sense of them. The sound of his girlfriend Iola Morton’s worried voice brought him back to reality.  

“Sure, Iola, I’m fine I just didn’t sleep to well last night, that’s all.” Joe replied quickly, a little too quickly.  

Noting the concerned look on his girlfriend’s face Joe suddenly flashed a broad smile and slung one arm around Iola shoulder declaring dramatically, “As long as you’re here baby, I’m just fine…”  

The others laughed, and Iola blushed, but Frank could still see the worry lines on his brother’s forehead which, for once, even his beaming smile couldn’t erase.  

As the group made there way to their various classes after lunch, Frank fell into step with his younger brother.  

“You had another bad dream last night, didn’t you? Why didn’t you say anything this morning, Joe?” Frank tried not to sound hurt, but he was getting frustrated with his brother’s insistence on keeping him out.  

Joe stopped outside an open classroom door and sighed. “Yeah, I did, but it was nothing, I mean I was probably just thinking about that little girl.”  

Frank looked at his brother disbelievingly.  

Joe then reached out and patted his brother lightly on the shoulder.  

“Look Frank, they are just bad dreams, that’s all. I’m a little old to come running into you every time that I have one. I’ll fight this one on my own.”  

The n Joe turned and walked into the classroom.  

Frank stood and watched his brother’s retreating back. “I’ll fight this one on my own” the words stuck in his head as he turned and walked down the corridor.  

‘Maybe’ he thought, ‘But I won’t be far away brother, remember that.’  

***  

The old lady couldn’t sleep, each night the images, the memories, came back, assaulting her mind. But she was too old to ask for help, and who would believe her?  She was just an old woman having bad dreams, and old woman remembering the past, haunted by pictures, sounds and memories.  

She sat in the front porch, looking at some kids playing in the park across the street. The sun was shining brightly overhead, somehow it was comforting. The sounds of a meal being prepared came from the kitchen, the clatter of saucepans, the sound of knife on chopping board.  

She was so tired. Maybe if she closed her eyes for a while now, the images would stay away, perhaps the sunshine and the daylight would keep her safe.  

Perhaps….  

***  

In the Hardy household over the next couple of nights a pattern began to emerge. Each night Joe would try to stay awake for as long as possible, but eventually sleep overtook him, and soon the images would come flooding into his head, and he would toss and turn in his bed.  

She was alone and for a while she felt like the last person alive on earth, and that the earth had been plunged into total darkness. But then she saw them, emerging out of no-where.  

 Animals, but faceless nameless animals, not dogs or cats, not even Lions or tigers...they were….things…. but they weren’t friendly and they were moving in towards her from all sides.  

She moved backwards, trying to get away but they kept moving in on her, closer and closer and closer…….  

The n, at the same time each night, Joe Hardy awoke to find darkness.  

He lay there and the images of the little girl in his head seemed to grow more real, and each night the images became darker and the girl’s cries became more desperate.  

And when the sun finally rose, he would crawl, bleary eyed and haunted from his bed and try to avoid his brother’s worried looks.  

He wanted to tell Frank, wanted to tell him so badly. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell Frank because he was afraid that if he spoke about the dreams to anyone else, then they too would start to see them and they too would feel like he did. And he couldn’t risk that.  

He didn’t know that Frank heard his cries and that he sometimes came into Joe’s room and tried to comfort him, but to no avail. Frank couldn’t understand why his brother refused to tell him what was wrong, but he hoped that when the dreams got bad enough, Joe would look for help.  

***  

Something’s wrong shut the light

Heavy thoughts tonight

And they aren’t of snow white.

Dreams of war, dreams of liars

Dreams of dragon fires

And of things that will bite,

Sleep with one eye open

Dripping the pillow tight

Exit light

Enter night

Take my hand

Off to never land**

 ***  

Three days later, Frank and Joe went to Principal Sweetman’s house. Chief Collig had reluctantly agreed to let them interview the man, with strict instructions that they didn’t tread on anyone’s toes.  

His daughter had now been missing over 48 hours and the man was distraught. The sight of their usually cool and calm Principal reduced almost to tears was a heart wrenching sight.  

“Frank, Joe, please come in” was all he said after answering the door. His shoulders were slumped, as if in defeat and it was hard to imagine this broken man at the head of an army platoon.  

Once inside the living room the boys could see pictures of the little girl all over the sitting room walls, school pictures, family portraits, her red curly hair and huge grin were infectious, Joe could tell that even from the photos.  

“She’s the heart of this family” Peter Sweetman admitted, as he sat down on an armchair and rubbed his hand wearily across his face.  

The y talked for over an hour. It turns out that in his time in the army Peter Sweetman made one or two enemies, mainly soldiers that he was forced to discipline for breaches of army code.  

“It could be anyone” he admitted, sighing.  

The boys took down the names and details that he gave them.  

“I already gave all this information to the police” The older man said, as he showed the boys to the front door.  

“I know,” Frank replied, but you never know, sometimes outsiders can see things that other people miss. It’s worth a try at least.”  

“Thank you,” the principal shook both their hands. “Somehow, I have more faith in you two finding Sarah than anyone else.” He looked closely at Joe, who, at this stage was barely concealing a yawn, the dark circles under his eyes even darker than usual.  

“Yes,” the man said again. “Somehow you’ve given me hope.”  

***  

Later that same night, Frank heard the by now familiar sounds coming from Joe’s room. He pulled himself out of bed wearily and made his way across the hal lway and into his brother’s room. ‘This is getting old’ he thought to himself as he made his way over to the bed.  

Again Joe tossed and turned, hands outstretched in front of him….  

…….She was in beside a well now, her back against it. 

The well was old and narrow, it was also very dark and extremely menacing, like a round, silent shadow in an otherwise barren landscape, and although she couldn’t explain it, she knew that the well was evil, that something inside the well was evil, and that she had to keep away.  

And the darkness surrounded her and the animals moved closer and closer until she couldn’t move except into the well.  

But the well wasn’t safe and she knew there was no-one there to help her, no-one to keep her safe and……  

Joe awoke, and saw his brother’s bleary eyed face hovering over his own.  

He lay there for a moment before speaking.  

“Sorry Frank, I guess I woke you again, huh?”  

“Something like that” Frank replied. “Another bad dream I take it, Want to talk about it now?”  

“Um, yeah, maybe in the morning Frank, you look exhausted, why don’t we try and get some more sleep before morning.” He smiled wanly at his brother. “Thanks bro."  

Frank turned away, unconvinced by his brother’s performance but too tired to read into it at that moment. He crawled back into his own bed and fell asleep almost instantly.  

But Joe Hardy knew that his nights sleep had come to an end, he would lie in bed until sunrise came and took the pictures away.  

***  

Joe avoided his brother and friend’s as much as possible the following day.  

He knew that he looked awful; the dark circles around his eyes had deepened, and seemed even darker set against his now almost transparently white countenance.  

Frank was worried, but he was also becoming increasingly annoyed. His brother was holding back on him, the dreams were getting worse, yet he refused to talk about them.  

Joe was also distant in class, and on several occasions he had to be called to attention by teachers or by Biff and Chet, if they noticed first.  

He couldn’t get the dreams out of his mind….the darkness, the fear, the animals all around closing in, the well……  

That evening after school, in an attempt to bring Joe around, Frank printed off all the information Chief Collig had sent them on possible suspects for Sarah’s kidnap.  

“ The re are at least two definite possibilities, from what I see.” Frank looked up at his brother who was slouched in a leather armchair across him in their father’s study. He wasn’t listening.  

“Joe, JOE!”  

“Wha…oh sorry Frank, I was miles away. What were you saying?”  

Frank slammed the papers down onto the table in front of him. “Look, Joe, you tell me what’s wrong now, or you help me here, there’s a little girl missing for almost 4 days you know.”  

A look of fear flashed across Joe’s face, and then he smiled as convincingly as he could.  

“You’re right bro, I’m sorry. Tell me about these possibles…”  

Frank looked suspiciously at his brother, then sighed and passed over some of the paperwork to Joe.  

“See for yourself, they are all ex-army, all served with Principal Sweetman at one time or another, and all are living within about a 200 mile radius of Bayport.”  

Joe nodded, reading through the information in front of him. “And all have had run-in’s with our Principal in the part.”  

Frank sat back, and looked at the notes that he had written.  

“James O’Neill…disciplined on six occasions for breaches of army code…left the army and is now a professional fisherman lives in a shack in the middle of nowhere….. and Danny Lusco……kicked out of the army for ‘continual harassment’ of Mr Sweetman….…works in insurance now….lives in an old farmhouse about 60 miles away.”  

Joe signed, and rubbed his eyes. “Maybe we need to talk to Principal Sweetman again….”  

“Tomorrow…I don’t want you collapsing of exhaustion on me little brother.” Frank stood and went over to the armchair that his brother was sitting in. He sat down on the arm of it, and looked into Joe’s almost haunted eyes.  

“Listen, why don’t I sleep in your room tonight, huh?”  

Joe was about to say no, the usual string of excuses on his lips, but faltered. Truth be told he wanted his brother near him. Maybe his presence might keep some of the demons away, even for one night.  

So silently he nodded. Frank put one hand on his shoulder. “I can help you Joe, if you let me. Let me, please”  

***  

The well was bottomless and if she fell in, she would keep falling in the dark, falling down, down, down, down but never reaching the bottom, she fought against the advancing danger, tried to stop herself, but she was leaning further and further back and there was something inside the well drawing her further and further down..  

It felt she was falling out of her body, she could see herself falling, falling down further and further, and she was powerless to stop herself, it was as if she wasn’t in control of her own body, she was just falling, falling,………and suddenly there was a hand, but this hand wasn’t mottled, or scarred, it was trying to help her, she had to reach the hand, she had to try……….

….a hand on his shoulder, a reassuring voice..the voice was pulling him back, pulling him to safety.  

Joe Hardy opened his eyes. Brown eyes were staring down at him; his brother was kneeling down beside the bed, kneeling over him, grabbing at his shoulders.  

“Frank?..I…..I…” He tried to say it was ok, that is was nothing, but was tired, too tired to fight it alone any longer.  

“I can’t do this anymore Frank. I’m scared.”

Frank put his arms around Joe, and hugged him tightly, then he pulled back and sat cross legged on the bed in front of him.  

Joe sighed and sat up.  

As usual, it was still dark…..just before dawn….  

“Talk.”  

That was all Frank said to him. He needed to talk, to tell all, he had held back the worst from his brother until now, he had to tell him, had to let Frank take some of the burden.  

But he couldn’t, he couldn’t. He just sat and stared at his brother’s hands, one of which was now clasping his own, silent….staring…..  

“Joe, come on! Why are you so scared to tell me about it, its just a bad dream Joe, and yes, I know its strange timing and that it seems connected to that little girl disappearing but we don’t know that, I don’t know that until you tell me exactly what you are seeing.”  

Joe looked away, and bit his lip. “I’m afraid…….I’m afraid that if I tell you then you will start to see it too. That you will start to have the same dreams and I don’t want that to happen, because I don’t want anyone else to feel the utter hopelessness and despair that I do every night.”  

‘Hopelessness, Despair’…..the words swam around and around Frank Hardy’s head. He hadn’t realized how bad it was. Sure he’d seen the dark circles and the red, bloodshot eyes but he never realized…..until now.  

“Tell me Joe, PLEASE,” Frank’s voice was soft, but pleading.  “Tell me.”  

So Joe told, and he watched his brothers face go paler and paler and his grip on Joe’s hand become tighter and tighter. And when he told him everything Frank stood up and stretched his legs stiffly.  

Eventually his voice broke the silence.  

“We have to find that little girl Joe. I don’t know if the two things are related or not, but it’s the only chance that we have, for Sarah, and for you.”  

The sound of a phone ringing interrupted the silence. The y looked at each other, startled, Who would ring at 4am ? Frank ran down to the hal l, Joe could faintly here his voice…  

‘…..What?........dead…where…….but how……ok……yeah, thanks Chief……’  

‘We’re too late!' Joe sank back down on the bed in his room. ‘She’s dead……and it’s all my fault. I should have talked to Frank earlier, I could have helped’ …..Grief and despair washed over his tired form, only to be stopped in their tracks by Franks arrival at his doorway.”  

“He’s dead” Frank proclaimed.  

‘He?’ Joe was confused. “What do you mean, he, you mean the girl’s dead, don’t you?”  

“NO dummy,” Frank replied. “James O Neill is dead, his body was found out in his lodge by the officers who went out to question him about Sarah’s disappearance, he’s been dead for about three weeks apparently so that means….”  

Joe interrupted… “That means that there’s no way that he could have taken Sarah, which mean’s that Danny Lusco is our main suspect!”  

“Exactly” Frank continued, “Chief Collig had him picked up an hour ago. The y are cross examining him now.”  

“FRANK! Joe almost shouted the word, the well, that’s it!! The well in my dream.” Joe was pulling on an old pair of jeans and a jumper as he talked. “Danny Lusco lives on a farmyard, and most farmyards had well’s in them at one time or another” Joe paused, and looked over at Frank. “Its worth a try.”  

Frank nodded. “Just give me a minute to change little brother and I’m right behind you.”  

***

Crying, she could hear someone crying, but when she looked around, she was alone in her room, alone in the dark. Wearily, the elderly lady sat up, and switched on the light.  

4am. Another interrupted night, another night of tossing and turning. She had seen her face this time, seen it clear as day, heard her cries but was powerless to do anything, just like she had been all the time ago.  

She sighed and lay back down again. Why had she chosen to remember after all this time? Why had the memories buried so deep down inside her mind suddenly chosen to resurface, to haunt her night after night?  

‘I’m too old for this’ she thought wearily. Tomorrow she would go back, tomorrow she would ask for forgiveness one last time.  

***

The two brothers ran, they ran faster than they ever had before, faster then either of them had thought themselves capable, they jumped over fallen branches and between trees and dead leaves and old wood crackled under their feet.  

The re was barely any light, the moon had disappeared, they could hardly see in front of them but still they ran, Joe leading, Frank close behind. Joe felt like he had been here before, he seemed to know exactly where to go and yet he couldn’t understand quite how.  

The n they saw it, up ahead, the outline of the well, and the round stone of its bottom.  

The rope was still there, tied securely to the outside and it took Joe only minutes to climb down into the darkness, to take the cold, hungry and frightened little girl into their arms and it took Frank only a couple of minutes to haul the pair to safety.  

And the little girl knew that she was safe, and she buried her head farther into Joe Hardy’s heaving chest and he stroked her hair and, accepting Frank’s jacket which he had taken off, he wrapped it tightly around her.  

“Its ok Sarah, you’re alright, your Dads on his way sweetheart.”  

Joe’s heart almost broke listening to the girl sob, and part of him wanted to do the same thing. He felt like he had seen into this little girl’s mind that last few nights, and wished he could make it all go away, for both of them.  

But at least she was safe now.  

As he talked softly to the frightened little girl, trying to ease her heart wrenching sobs Joe looked up at his older brother’s pale, drawn face and at the look of relief reflected in his dark brown eyes.  

The police arrived minutes later bringing Principal Sweetman with them. He scooped the little girl from Joe’s arms, hugging her fiercely.  

“Sarah honey, oh god, I love you so much, Daddy’s here now, I wont let anything happen to you ever again. I promise.”

Joe Hardy sat, unmoving, watching the little girl in her fathers arms. She was ok, they had saved her. He never noticed Frank kneeling down beside him, but as Franks arms encircled his shoulders and his brother drew him close, Joe Hardy finally broke down. He began to cry silently, the tears streaming from his face onto the grass.  

The ordeal was over, but the memories, the dreams would take longer to banish.  

“Its ok Joe, its over, its over…..” Frank repeated again and again, and like the man standing before him with the little girl who was his whole life, Frank he hugged his brother ever tighter. “It’s going to ok now Joe. I promise.”  

***

And so they banished me, undid all my work.  

She was no longer alone, they had taken away the dreams, taken away the nightmares floating around and around inside her head, inside their heads.  

Without those nightmares, I cannot function for that is what I am, for I AM nightmare, I am that force which enters your mind and brings horror, terror and fear.  

But I will leave them alone…  

For now….  

***

The nightmare came back, there were hands clawing at her face, a voice crying out…… Help me! over and over again.  

She tossed and turned, cried out yet again, praying for the feeling to leave her..  

….and then  

….all of a sudden  

…it did.  

She stopped twisting and turning, her face, lined with the line of old age, relaxed.  

And she slept.  

***

Dawn was just breaking as the two boys made their way wearily up the steps of their front porch. Joe hadn’t spoken a word beyond what was necessary since the girl was found, and Frank hadn’t pushed him.  

As they parted at the top of the stairs, each boy heading for his own room, Frank put his hand on Joe’s shoulder.  

“Will you be all right?” was all he asked.  

Joe smiled. “Yeah, Frank, I will.”  

“You sure?” was all he said, “What about the dream?”  

Joe turned and fixed his piercing blue eyed gaze on Frank. “It wasn’t a dream, it was a nightmare.” He stopped in the doorway of his room… “But it’s over now.”  

For one final moment their eyes met, and Frank accepted Joe’s silent thank you before they turned away into their rooms. Five minutes later, in the dawning daylight, both boys slipped into a peaceful and for once, dreamless slumber.  

***  

Later, that same bright morning, 100 miles away, the old lady entered the graveyard, a place she hadn’t been inside in over forty years.  

Even after all that time, she still instinctively knew where to go.  

The headstone was old, the carving of an angel on the corner was chipped and worn, but the name was still clearly visible.  

Sarah Price, 1936-1948 RIP. Tears rolled down her tired careworn face.  

“My name's Sarah Price, will you be my friend?”  

Memories assaulted her, skipping ropes, walking across logs, eating cream buns……

….. Sarah coming to her 12^th birthday party, Sarah staying over, sleeping in her, own bed because she was the guest and Momma said it was so.  

And most of all, Sarah, gone the next morning, an empty bed where she had been sleeping, taken by mistake, kidnapped because they thought she was Gertrude Hardy, and eventually, killed because she wasn’t.  

“I’m sorry, Sarah” Gertrude Hardy’s voice wavered.  

Guilt, an invisible all-consuming guilt seemed to have eaten away a part of Gertrude Hardy’s heart, although she had buried it so far down that up until the nightmares began she had almost forgotten it.  

But she never truly forgot, and never, truly forgave 12 year old Gertie for lying asleep in her bed whilst the hand came through the window and took her best friend away from here forever.  

“Forgive me.”  

She turned and making her way to where the slightly younger woman stood beside the car waiting patiently.  

Before she sat into the passenger seat beside Laura Hardy, Aunt Gertude looked back towards the cemetery.  

The re was a small figure sitting on the cemetery gate, and she was waving at her, and smiling. But she didn’t seem real, she almost looked like…..  

Gertrude Hardy blinked, and looked again. The figure was gone.  

“Thank you Sarah” she said out loud. The n Laura Hardy started the engine and they drove away, leaving the shadowy little girl in front of the cemetery to wave after them as they went………  

The End…..  

…………………for now……

I admit that those boys may have banished a couple of demons; they are stronger than most, and they will sleep easily, at least for a while.  

……But I have plenty of other demons to unleash and plenty of other victims.  

I can choose anyone I like. ANYONE.  

Remember that.

Now I lay me down to sleep

Pray the lord my soul to keep

If I die before I wake

Pray the lord my soul to take.

Hush little baby don’t say a word

And never mind that noise you heard

Its just the beast under your bed

In your closet, in your head

Exit light

Enter night

Grain of Sand

Exit light

Enter night

Take my hand

Off to never never land**.

X

Happy Halloween!