Chapter 75: Look Under The Bed

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Chapter 75: Look Under The Bed

Her dream started with Tinkerbell. 

The pixie's eyes reflected white as she grinned at the foot of the bed. Wings shimmering, Tinkerbell crawled over Peter, licking, kissing, and pleasuring his desires.

Wendy screamed when Peter returned the pixie's embrace.

Tinkerbell giggled obscenities as she cried. Fighting invisible forces, Wendy wrenched for Peter but stuck to the mattress. She called his name but he did not hear. She prayed he would remember her, but the angels laughed at her plea. 

Peter smiled into Tinkerbell. Tinkerbell squealed.

Suddenly, the mattress beneath Peter decayed. Peter and Tinkerbell sunk under the bed, but their affections intensified. Tinkerbell taunted Wendy to follow, to chase them under the bed.

The invisible restraints disappeared. Sluggishly, Wendy climbed from the bed and fell. The fall seemed a thousand miles. It was terrifying.

She hit the floor. Her bones shattered. Blood  bubbled through her skin, soaked her nightgown. 

She turned, cheek scraping the floor.

She looked under the bed. 

But she did not see Tinkerbell. Or Peter.

She saw a monster. She saw The Boogie Man.

The Boogie Man grinned.

"Boo." he said, splashing nightmares into her mind.

            Wendy was sobbing when Peter awoke

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Wendy was sobbing when Peter awoke.

"Wendy?"

Stumbling for the light switch, Peter grazed Wendy's cheek. He flinched. Wendy was sweltering. Her skin set his fingers on fire!

 Foregoing the light, Peter threw the covers. Working nimbly through Wendy's unconscious struggle, he unfastened her sash, fished her from the bathrobe, and carried her to the window.

"Dreamcatcher." Heart racing, Peter cradled Wendy on the ledge. The night shivered with early autumn frost. Wafting the cold air, he beckoned Wendy from her nightmare. "Wake up Wendy. Come on little shadow worker, beat the nightmare. Wake up...wake up...wake up..."

Wendy shot upright. Peter jumped as her eyes burst open, revealing black innards wet with tears. Stuttering incoherently, she warned people to run, for her brothers to hide, for Jim to escape, for Ariel to help, for Arthur to look up, for Peter to believe her, for Tinkerbell to stop –

Peter straightened. Tinkerbell?

"Wendy!" Supporting her head, Peter shook harder. "Wendy wake up! Right now! Wendy it's me! It's Peter! Wendy – "

Something happened. Peter felt the strings of Skyworld snap. The wind dropped like a guillotine. Clouds splintered. A ripple heaved through space as the Wishing Star throbbed.

Mindlessly Wendy thrashed. She clung to Peter, spluttering a slurry of words. The rhetoric was vaguely familiar, but too swift for Peter to catch.

"Twinkletwinklelittlestarshineuponanancientscartwolandsbothangrybrotherslaughasonekillstheothertwinkletwinklelittlestarwatchthemperishfromafartwinkletwinklelittlelightcrippleddragonlostinflightasecondcripplewilltrainsotheswordmaybereclaimedtwinkletwinklelittlelightpeaceliesinfuriousnighttwinkletwinklelittlestarhatredstainsblackastarallforoneandoneforallunitedwestanddividedwefalltwinkletwinklelittlestarembraceinfullwhatyoubartwinkletwinklelittlelightthissequelpullsonyourplightthebreakthatoncewasamendwillandmustbebrokenagaintwinkletwinklelittlelightspittingthroughthedarkestnighttwinkletwinklelittlestarthenisnearfutureisfartostallevilandpeacemendpastmustbepresentagaintwinkletwinklelittlethinghailtheonceandfutureking –"

"Stop!" Summoning the Skyworld, Peter seized the wind and pushed. The atmosphere lurched – creaked –

And calmed.

Wendy choked. Blackness faded from her eyes. She coughed. As she woke the coughs turned violent. Bracing her forehead, Peter leaned Wendy over the window, fearful she would vomit. Mercifully she was spared. But as the nightmare subsided, Wendy collapsed. She could scarcely whisper.

"...peter..."

"I'm here." Carefully, Peter returned Wendy to bed. Maintaining immediate contact, he retrieved the linens and slid beside her. "I've got ya. It was just a nightmare. Here..."

Delicately, Peter smoothed her cheek. She still burned, but the touch was soothing.

"Just rest. Everything is okay..." He kissed her forehead, breathing cool air onto her skin. "I'll protect you."

Faintly, Wendy cried. "Can you look under the bed?"

"Huh?"

"Can you look under the bed?"

Peter did, although he thought it a strange, childish request. Still, as he crouched, Peter was haunted. The bed's underside was shadowy. Dark. Black.

Pitch black.

"Nothing." Instincts screaming, Peter scrambled upright. His toes curled as he leapt into bed. Clinging Wendy for her safety as much as his own, Peter wrapped one arm about her waist and the other under her head. "No monsters under the bed."

She trembled. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Peter hesitated. "No monsters. Just...shadows."

Wendy recoiled inside him. "I'm scared."

Helplessly Peter watched the nightmares drag Wendy back to sleep.

"Me too."

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