Mother Knows Best

©2003 Ian Turner
All rights reserved.

"Mummy!" Daniel cried. Tears stung his eyes and cascaded freely down his cheeks. A small bubble swelled from his nostril, rupturing only as his cry concluded and he drew fresh breath ready for the encore.

"Mummy!" Daniel insisted, a little more pitifully. He sat up in bed, the covers pushed down and his knees cuddled up to his chin, waiting for his mother to come.

She bustled in, cooing.

"Whatever is the matter, my little angel? Did you have a bad dream?" She pulled the covers back over him and sat on the bed beside him. Her shadow swelled on the wall and jiggled animatedly as she sat.

"It's under the bed, mummy. It wants to eat me."

Stifling a smile, she wiped her son's nose and gently stroked his hair.

"It's all right, sweetie, it was just a bad dream...."

"But Mum! I saw IT!"

"Daniel. What have I told you about interrupting me when I am speaking? Now stop this nonsense and go to sleep."

"But Mum..."

"No buts, young man. Now go to sleep!" She rose and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Daniel knew he was in trouble as he heard the door click shut; she never closed the door all the way. He needed the beam of light that shone from the landing into his room. It guarded his bed like a light-sabre, protecting him from the wicked shadows and demons of the dark. Now he was virtually defenceless. His nightlight took on an eerie quality, almost as if to say, 'I won't protect you when they come.'

Daniel awoke with a yelp. He screamed as a rasp-like tongue heedlessly continued its exploration of his feet. Daniel tore the covers from his bed. The faint glow of the nightlight was softly reflected by three globular, unblinking eyes. Mesmerized, he watched in mute fascination as the pointed tip of the tongue penetrated the sole of his left foot. He felt the tongue inside his leg. He could see its virulent green length moving under his skin, as it slowly encircled his shin bone. Daniel could feel the creature tugging at his shin bone with its tongue, as it nonchalantly stared at him.

"Mummy!" Daniel screamed, suddenly finding voice. "MUMMY!" lingering on the last syllable. The creature slid off the end of the bed just as the door burst open and his mother appeared with a scowl on her face.

"What on earth is this silliness?" she demanded. Her demeanour softened as she registered the fear in her son's eyes. "Given yourself another scare, have you?"

"Mummy, it was on the bed," Daniel whimpered. "It bit my foot and it had big eyes and..." he trailed off. He didn't like it when his mother was cross with him. He hated to disappoint her.

"Well, there's nothing here now, sweetie," she replied. "I expect it was just another bad dream. Probably because you had an extra cookie before bed."

Daniel knew his mother well enough to know the matter was closed. He let her tuck him back into bed and as she kissed his forehead he whispered, "I love you Mummy."

She replied in kind and was gone in a whirl of skirts and washing powder smells. At least the door was ajar this time. Maybe she wasn't so angry with him now.

Propping himself up on his elbows, Daniel saw a shadow creep onto the foot of his bed. Blinking his tired, tear-swollen eyes, he lay back. Mummy is right, he thought, there's nothing there. He lay back, confident that his light-sabre was there to protect him.

She winced as the door creaked its annoyance at her push. Pausing for a long moment, she watched the gentle rise and fall of the covers as her son slept. A smile crept over her face. Things under the bed, indeed! Carefully she closed the door. She preferred to leave it ajar in case he should cry out again, but there were presents to extricate from their hiding places. Tomorrow was his tenth birthday. She winced again as the catch clicked into place. She smiled as she thought of his excitement when he saw his new bicycle. It was probably the excitement that had caused his nightmares in the first place, she thought.

She arose early and, still in her nightdress and dressing gown, went to her son's bedroom. Gently easing down the handle, she peeked in, half expecting him to be awake and eager to go downstairs to rip brightly coloured paper from wonderful presents.

Her brow furrowed as she saw the empty bed.

"Daniel," she called, "Daniel?" Leaving the bedroom door open, she walked quickly down the stairs, now expecting to see him laughing on the living room floor surrounded by torn wrapping paper and a shiny new bike.

No confusion of torn paper and smiling faces met her eyes. Daniel wasn't there. The bicycle leaned against the wall, its wrapping unmolested.

"Daniel!" she shouted, mounting the stairs two at a time, sure he must be hiding in his room ready to jump out and frighten her. She flung the door wide, smiling as she awaited the 'boo!' that surely must now come. The smile dropped from her face when nothing happened. She paused, listening for a moment. She looked at the bed, bothered by it but not knowing why. As she approached, it dawned on her that the bed had been roughly made and the pillows were neat; certainly not the work of your average ten-year-old, and definitely not characteristic of her Daniel.

She strode toward the bed, intending to make it properly. As her hand gripped the top of the sheets, a chill raced up her spine and crawled across her scalp, finally exiting through her in a violent shudder. She screamed as a sudden gust from the open window slammed the door behind her, instinct turning her head to the noise.

Laughing at herself now as she turned back to the bed, she drew back the sheets. She froze, the smile etched in stone upon her face. Daniel stared lifelessly back at her. His eviscerated body lay deflated on a background of congealing blood, carefully framed by his teeth-marked bones.

Back to top of page