Her parents had always told her the boogeyman wasn't real. They were wrong. Perhaps if they had told her the truth instead of attempting to quell her fears, her sanity would not have melted away like ice cream by a fire. Oh, she was alive, sure, but she wasn't living. Always looking over her shoulder, burning the filaments out of every lightbulb she could find, seeing that face in every dark corner, every darkened window. The shadows groped her mind ceaselessly, and all because she wasn't prepared. She wasn't prepared with the truth.

Hailey Barnes grew up in a decent sized farmhouse in rural Nebraska. Far away from any neighbors or friends, it goes without saying that she had a sheltered upbringing. She had only her two older brothers to talk to most of the time, not that they were really interested in much conversation that didn't take place through belch-talking, but they were there for her when she needed them for the most part. James and Alan were their names. Alan, the oldest, was four years her senior and James was two years younger than his brother. They all helped around the farm, picking corn and pumpkins in the fall. During their free time, however, they loved to play hide and seek in the wheat or even in the woods that bordered two sides of the property.

The woods had always seemed safe during the day, but when night fell, the ghosts of the forest started whispering to her. The wind coming from them seemed to carry with it a warning, a warning she had never failed to take heed of. That was, however, until one fateful Halloween. The night was warm and she had foolishly left her windows open. The flowery gossamer curtains billowed around her as she sat at her window seat, indulging in a good read before bed. She was so engrossed in the story, she almost didn't hear the faint voice calling to her from the woods, beckoning her to her fate. "Haiiileyyyyy," came the call again, a bit more power behind it this time. She was terrified at the possibility of what it was, but she knew the likelihood was that it was one of her brothers who also hadn't gone to bed and was in the mood to play a prank. Slowly, she put her book down and quietly made her way out the sun room screen door.

Stepping out into the mild evening, she listened again for the voice. "Haiiileyyyyy." She could clearly identify that the voice was coming from the woods closest to the left side of the house. It didn't sound like Alan. That only left... "James?" For about thirty seconds, all was silent. "Haiiileyyyyy," she heard again. A little annoyed and 90% convinced it was her brother, she folded her arms, huffed, and began to make her way over towards the woods. About halfway to the edge of the thicket, she heard it again. "Haaaaiiiiileyyyyyyyy." It was much more drawn out that time, more urgent. She could hear the hint of anger in it. It was enough to make her pause briefly, before continuing on towards the call. As she got to the edge of the bosk, a chill ran down her spine and a wave of nausea overcame her. The world around her took on a colder, darker tone and her blood turned to liquid ice. "Haiiileyyyyy." She wavered on her feet.

"James?" No answer. "James, this isn't funny!" she shrieked, her voice almost shrill enough to set off a glass breaker alarm. A laugh as deep as the Mariana Trench sounded from what couldn't have been 100 yards into the coppice. She shook, despite the tepid air that had greeted her as she left the house. "Hailey." Her heart nearly stopped as her eyes adjusted and she saw what had actually called to her. On the edge of her vision floated a face, but certainly not one belonging to any human. The face was a darker brown than the trees between which she stood. Its glowing green eyes illuminated the teeth of the thing, sharp as tungsten needles and dripping with foul, oozing saliva. It had leathery, wrinkled skin surrounded by mud colored fur and horns that looked like they were a donation from Mephistophiles. It looked like a demented version of the Cheshire cat mixed with some demonic entity. As soon as she found herself capable, she turned tail and ran as fast as she could, prompted to do so all the more quickly by the sound of panting, snorting, and the rapid crushing of leaves coming from behind her. The crushing of leaves didn't last long and was soon replaced with the solid thud of earth being trodden underfoot. This made her heart rate shoot up close to its peak zone. Not for long though. The last thing she felt before she lost consciousness was the tug on her nightshirt and the impact of her head hitting the hard ground.

When she came to, her family were gathered around her, fussing over the state of her. The second her eyes fluttered open, her mother embraced her as tightly as ever, cradling Hailey's head in one hand and rubbing her back with the other. Her father and brothers were all talking at once, telling her how happy they were that she was okay and asking what had happened. Her mother gushed over how much love she had for her daughter, but Hailey barely heard any of it. After hugging her mother, she slowly turned her head towards the woods, which were still only 100 yards behind her. She told her brothers everything that night, and they surprisingly believed her... especially when she showed them the three-inch tears that the beast's claws had created at the nape of her nightgown. But she still couldn't handle it. She couldn't handle the fact that the creature her parents said was the spawn of fables actually existed, and she couldn't make herself believe that it wouldn't show itself again.