Read Children of Darkness Online

Authors: Courtney Shockey

Tags: #Halloween novella

Children of Darkness (2 page)

Max barks and wags his tail enthusiastically.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Should I bring my swimsuit?
I dress in shorts and a breezy shirt with my bikini underneath. I shoulder my purse as the doorbell rings. I quickly stuff a change of undergarments in the purse as I walk to the door with Max bouncing beside me.

“You always look so tired, baby.” Coby says as he hugs me tight.

If you only knew
. “Well, thank you! I was wondering if this shirt made the bags under my eyes stand out,” I playfully reply. I hug him back and take in the warmth he radiates. Max greets him by licking his hands and jumping.

“Good to see you, too, buddy.”

Coby and I are the same height, coming in at six feet. His auburn hair is cut short and glows like fire in the summer sun against his tan cheeks. His eyes remind me of the color of an ice blue glacier.

In contrast, my raven hair falls past my shoulders and my eyes are the color of the deepest forest green. My friends tell me I’m too skinny and my face is a bit drawn. I guess it comes with being too afraid to close my eyes at night.

I turn the conversation to a different path. “All set for the beach.” I grab his hand and walk toward his car.

He is the sweetest man I have ever known. We met through Max, in a sense. Max and I were on a morning jog through the park by our house. His leash slipped from wrist and he went off, streaking through the grass with me yelling behind him. I lost him over a hill and when I came panting over the top, a stranger was affectionately petting Max. My first reaction was to yell at Max, but the stranger was laughing and loving on him.

“It’s okay. He’s a sweet boy, aren’t you?” he coos.

Max hopped between us, wagging his tail. We had coffee and spent the day together. The rest is history, as they say. Too bad I can’t let him stay the night with me. I wake up screaming more times than I care to count. Especially as of late.

He opens the car door for me and I nestle in. Max settles in the back seat and we take off for the beach.

“So, tell me more about the Parker Street house,” I say.

He works for a small realty company on the south side of town where all the big houses are. The people in my neighborhood call that side of town “old money.” I guess it kind of fits. All of the original owners were dying off with age and Coby came in to update the houses and then sell them.

He sticks his tongue out at me before replying. “The updates and renovations finished two weeks ago and I listed it last week. The house was impeccable. It practically sold itself.” He blows on his nails and rubs them on his shirt.

I roll my eyes and laugh at my silly boyfriend. He takes my hand in his and brings it up to his lips. My smile almost splits my face in half. Sometimes I still wonder at how I bagged such a sweet, gentle, fun, loving man. I lean my head on his shoulder and sigh contentedly.

“I love you, Janet,” he whispers.

“I love you, too, Coby,” I reply.

“Have you talked to your mom recently? I know her birthday is next month. Do you have any plans to do anything with her and your dad?” he asks.

His question catches me off-guard so it takes me a moment to reply. “Um… No. Last I heard from them was two months ago and they were getting ready to visit Ireland. I don’t know when they were leaving or coming back. Maybe they moved there,” I mutter, hopefully.

He chuckles at the last remark. Before we started dating, I hadn’t talked to my mother in over a year. Our relationship had become so strained that we barely kept in touch. There wasn’t much we could say to each other that wouldn’t end up in an argument.

My mind wanders through time and lands on my little pre-teen form. I am packing my suitcase for another camp my mom signed me up for. She keeps telling me the reason I have no friends is because of the stories I make up. I can still see her grab my nightlight from my pile of clothes and throw it in frustration.

“You’re too old for this. Why do you still need it? The nightmares aren’t real, Janet. They’re just bad dreams. This is why no one wants to stay the night with you. What did I do wrong to make you this way?”

My dad is standing in the hallway behind her. He hangs his head and walks away.

I shake out of my thoughts as Coby asks about my night. I fib, telling him it was fine. I don’t want him to worry about me and I definitely don’t want him to think I’m crazy. Our small talk lasts until we pull up to the parking area by the beach.

We haul the umbrella and beach chairs onto the sand. Once everything is placed, Max and Coby take off with a Frisbee and run the shoreline. I put my clothes under my chair and lay back in the sun. My thoughts travel to Emily again.
How can I get her to open up to me? I can’t give her tools if I don’t know what we’re trying to fix.

Once I got out of high school, I knew I had to dedicate my life to helping kids with similar problems as what I experienced growing up. It was hard being terrified every night and having no one to talk to about it. No matter how many people I told about my terrors, no one would believe me. Now I can be the person they talk to, that someone who understands them. I could give them what I never had: sympathy and understanding.

I didn’t have many friends growing up, and even fewer once I was in college. My studies kept me busy and focused on other things besides the nightmares of my childhood. I became a child psychologist specializing in nyctophobia, the fear of dark. So many parents have come to me at their wits’ end with their children’s sleep or darkness problems, and my personal goal is to help as many of those children as I can.

Emily is a seven, almost eight, year old girl that has been coming to sessions with me for six months now. She has yet to tell me what it is that scares her at night. I feel close to her in so many ways because she reminds me of myself at that age. Her parents often ask if I have been successful in getting her to speak about her terrors. As their faces fall when I tell them she hasn’t, so does my heart. She’s a lucky girl to have parents that recognize her fears and are willing to help her overcome them. Unlike my parents who were always in denial.

Most of the children that visit me just need someone to talk to about their nightmares. Once we shed some light on the monsters, they lose their power and begin to fade with time. Or at least some of them do.

“Earth to Janet. Come in, Janet.”

I laugh as the Frisbee lands beside my chair. “I’m coming!”

We race across the shifting ground, laughing and playing in the sand until sweat drips down my back. My feet move us towards the water and we walk into it together. Max bounds around and bites at the waves coming in. Coby races ahead of me and dives beneath the froth on the surface. My eyes close as my hands brush over the top of the ocean waves passing by me.
Serenity.

“I love the smell of the ocean and the way you look above the water,” Coby whispers as he catches me up in his arms. I waste no time kissing him as my heart does a little flip in my chest. I love this man.

I cling to his body and try not to swallow water as a large wave crests over us. We come up laughing and splashing each other, enjoying ourselves. I give chase, playing around in the shallow water as we move back toward the beach and Max. I thank my mom for blessing me with long legs and hop with ease as we race to the beach.

He catches me and throws me into the water behind him. I come up sputtering and push my hair back.
Cheater!
He runs backwards, taunting me until we are in shallow enough water to actually run.

As he turns his back to get away from me, I tackle him into the wet sand. We roll around, getting sand in every crevice.
I’ll regret this later.

“Well, I love the way you look covered in sand trapped underneath me,” I whisper against his lips.

A young boy walking by whistles at us and makes me blush. I climb off Coby and we stand. Max stares at me and I know exactly what he wants.

“Do you want to look for sand dollars and shells?” I ask Max.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Coby grins and snatches his shirt to use as a carrier for our treasures.

We walk side by side in the sand, letting the sun and wind dry our bodies. I find a few shells and Coby finds a sand dollar, the lucky man. Max digs holes every time we stop but only comes back with his nemesis, hermit crabs.

“I’ve never been able to find one of those! I think they’re good luck,” I say as I push him softly.

“You must by my lucky charm,” he replies with a wink.

“You’re so cheesy.” I laugh as he bats his lashes. He is utterly adorable when he's in a playful mood.

We walk back to our umbrella and pack everything back into the car. After everything is stuffed in the back, we walk to the seawall and pick our lunch destination. The restaurant we choose is a little red shack with a white patio cover. The smell of shrimp and crab wafts out to meet us, and both of our stomachs growl.

Max stands guard at one of the tables to save our spot while we get in line to order our food. The line moves pretty quickly and we are ordering within five minutes. I order crab for Max and me, while Coby opts for the seafood platter.

“Are you going to eat all of that on your own?” I lift a brow.

“Is that a challenge, Dr. Janet?” Coby waggles his brows and I laugh.

“You’re going to need a nap afterwards.”

Our plates come out, and he ties a bib around his neck. “Challenge accepted!”

I can’t help but laugh at this image. Coby digs in hungrily, but eventually slows down. “This is a lot more food than I expected,” he says as he sits back with his hand over his now protruding belly.

“Are you giving up, Mr. Coby?” I tease.

He groans and attempts to sit up, failing miserably. “You win, baby. I can’t eat all of this on my own.”

Max takes what he wants and we feed the rest to the seagulls flying nearby. We sit on the sand and grass by the walkway leading down to the beach. I lean on his shoulder and his head rests on mine while Max stretches out beside us. The sun slowly makes its way across the sky as we look at the clouds. “Name that shape” is my favorite game to play with Coby. His vivid imagination can often find a myriad of shapes in the clouds. He has a way of making me feel like a teenager; carefree and bubbly. Nightmares are a thing of the past when we are together. Moments like this steal my heart and I never want them to end.

“That one looks like a swordsman in motion,” he says pointing over our heads. “And that one looks like a panther on the prowl.”

We laugh and point out different shapes drifting in the wind. I move my hand to capture his and kiss his arm before settling back down. The sun is beginning to sink in the sky and we have the perfect view. The water reflects the soft pinks, oranges, and reds of the sunset. Fluffy clouds pepper the sky, floating slowly to the north.

“I guess it’s time to take you home, Janet.”

“Five more minutes?” I mumble against him. The dry sand on his skin scratches my cheek, but I don’t mind. I have sand all over me.

We sit for five more minutes watching the sunset. He stands, shaking off the sand stuck to his shorts. He holds out his hands and I let him help me up. I laugh as I try to dust myself off with little success.

He holds my hand as we walk back to his car. Max follows silently next to us. I think he’s more worn out than the both of us. We don’t talk much, but what is there to say? I’m so happy in these moments that words aren’t needed. All too soon, his car slows along the curb in front of my house.

It’s a single story with pale blue brick walls. The trim is painted white and matches my front door. The original floor plan had a chimney, but I had it torn out when I bought it. I didn’t like the thought of something hiding inside it and I couldn’t bear to have it where I relaxed. I made sure there was no darkness in my house.

We walk up the stone pathway and onto the front steps. I have fake, bright-colored plants hanging from the hooks beside my door. They’re my favorite part of the porch and tend to stand out from the street. My thumb is black and kills everything I try to grow, so fake plants are my only option for outdoor decor.

“I had a wonderful time, sweetie. Thank you for getting me out of the house,” I say as I hug him tightly.

“I did, too. I love spending time with you, Janet. Just wish there could be more…”

I grab both hands and look him in the eye. “I know you want more commitment but I think it’s too soon to move in together. I’m not ready for that. Please, just be patient with me.”

He sighs and rubs the back of his neck. “I love you. See you tomorrow?”

I kiss him quickly and unlock my door. The light from inside pours onto my porch and Max makes his way inside. “I love you, too, Coby. I'll call you and see if we can make plans.” I smile at him and plant another quick kiss on his lips.

“It’s a date. Bye, Max,” he replies as he walks back to his car.

I watch him leave from my porch and step inside once his car disappears down the street. I check all the lights in my house to make sure no bulbs went out while I was gone for the day, then sit at my desk to finish updating my patient files.

I work through most of them and come across Emily’s. It isn’t as thick as an almost-seven-month patient’s file should be. I open it and flip through to my first encounter with the little girl. I read through my scribbled notes.

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