The night felt cold, it was stormy outside and the wind made the tree branches pat against the window. Phoebe could see the shadows lurking around her and it made her scared and uneasy.
That afternoon an earthquake had hit the city and since then she had felt anxious and clingy to her Guams, which was completely crazy because she was not a clingy child.
Phoebe got out of her bed and watched as both her sisters slept with no care in the world. Why where they so calm? She thought.
Prue and Piper had moved to Phoebes room two weeks ago since they had some rumdity? Umdity? Humidity? What did Guams called the problem in their rooms? It didn´t matter, what did matter was that right now she felt completely scared, she could hear a voice calling her name –Phobeee…-Phoebe…
it was a mans voice or at least it sounded that way, she took her teddy bear and decided that waking up Prue would be better since she used to scare all Pipers nightmares since mom had died.
- Prue? She touched her sisters arm, but she didn´t move.
- Prue? She tried again- pleeease wake up Phoebe said with her quivering voice.
Prue could feel her 5 year old sister nudge her arm again and again, she thought if she ignored her she would go back to bed and sleep, she was wrong Phoebe did not give up that easily. Prue knew the only way to make her sister go back to sleep was if she soothed whatever was scaring her, so she lifted herself up and turned to see Phoebe with what seemed to be tears in her eyes and her teddy held tight to her chest. This was the times where Prue could not understand why mom had to die so soon, she remembered she had promised mom she would always protect her sisters and so without even thinking she pulled off the covers and invited Phoebe into her bed. With no second thought Phoebe climbed next to her big sister and rested her head in her shoulder.
- Hey Pheebs, what´s wrong? Prue asked.
- Cant you hear the voice Prue? She replied
- What voice Phoebe? I am sure you are just very tiered she told her , though she was sure she was talking more to herself than to her scared sister.
- No Prue, it is saying my name, Phoebe insisted.
- Who is? Prue asked a bit intrigued
- The Woogyman
Prue tried her best not to laugh, her sisters innocence was too cute, for starters there was no way there could be a Boogyman in the house, all those creepy stories where only that, stories. Prue put an arm around her sister and began singing a song mom used to sing to them when they had nightmares, she was sure Phoebe couldn´t remember the song, but if it made her sister feel better, she would sing all night long.
Phoebe could feel herself less jumpy, she did´nt know how Prue could make everything better so fast, she started feeling tiered and stopped hearing the mans voice, instead she could only hear her 10 year old sister singing and her soft heartbeat. Before she fell asleep she heard Prue whisper something important. – If the boogyman comes back tell him to go away and that he is not real.
Piper woke up early morning, she wanted to play with Prue and Phoebe but both seemed to be sleeping like the dead. She hurried downstairs and saw Grams in the kitchen preparing what seemed to be pancakes. Piper loved pancakes specially her Grams secret recepie.
Penny Halliwell turned around to see her 7 year old grandchild smiling at her, she loved how much Piper liked cooking, so she gestured her to come closer and invited the young girl to cook with her.
- I see you are the first up Piper, did Phoebe and Prue stayed up late?
- No Grams, I think Phoebe had a nightmare beacause she was in Prues bed when I woke up.
Penny worried, since yesterday Phoebe had seemed so anxious but she couldn´t understand why, she knew she was a handfull and very stubborn child but she was not a girl that scared easily. She was brought back to reality when she heard Little foot steps aproaching the kitchen.
-Hi Grams! What´s for breakfast? A hungry Prue asked
- Am hungy too Guams! Phoebe pounded the table.
-All right girls have a seat Piper and I are almost done, Phoebe dear please don´t pound the table it is not a bongo.
Phobe started crying, she didn´t know why, she was sure Guams was not telling her off but she felt that anxiousness again. Penny turned the stove off and aproched her crying granddaughter, she held her close and soothed her cries, she never did such a thing with them because they never got irritated that easily, which only made her worry more about her youngest grandchild.
-What is wrong Phoebe? Penny asked
- She had a nightmare last night. Prue responded instead- Something about a boogyman, well she called him a woogy man.
- The boogyman doesn´t exist, right Grams? Piper asked intrigued.
-Well my girls if he does I will find him and not let him hurt you. Penny replied.
That Saturday the afternoon seemed calmed, even thought the girls played all afternoon. Penny felt a bit relieved that Phoebe was laughing and playing, but the feeling wore off when night fell. She could not make Phoebe go to bed, she read her five stories and sang her Pattys song, she made her hot chocolate and put some soothing drops on her pillow but nothing worked. The worst part was that it made it difficult for Piper and Prue to sleep too. After 11 pm Phoebe finally fell asleep which made Prue and Piper fall asleep too, so Penny shut the door and tiptoed to the attic. Something was not right with Phoebe and she would read all the book of shadows to understand what was making her grandchild so anxious, she had said she heard a voice calling her name, that was her first clue that this was a witchy situation.
Penny Halliwell had read a lot about spirits and shadows that could hunt a child, she was now sure that whatever thing was calling on Phoebe had to do with the spiritual nexus of the house, for some reason the evil spirit had awoken after the earthquake and for some terrible reason it wanted Phoebe. All of a sudden she heard a scream coming form downstairs, there was no doubt it was Phoebe.
Penny hurried down the stairs but could not find Phoebe anywhere, then she heard her voice calling her from the basement, she went downstairs and picked Phoebe in her arms.
- Look Guams the shadow! It wants to eat us, is the woogyman, is the woogyman! Phoebe cried while holding tight to her Grams.
- Phoebe darling go upstairs now! Penny put her on the stairs and heard her climb the stairs quickly, then she heard Phoebe calling for her.
- Guams?
- Phoebe, go back to bed darling.
Phoebe ran up to her room and climbed into Pipers bed waking her up, at the same time Prue woke up too because of all the comotion.
-Phoebe what are you doing? Piper asked furious at her baby sister for waking her up.
- Guams is fighting with the woogyman she said hugging Piper.
-Ok, Phoebe we will wait for Grams and ask her if she defeated the boogyman, until then go to your bed. Prue scolded her child sister, it was getting ridiculous.
Phoebe went to her bed reluctantlly, soon after Penny appeard by the door with a calm look in her eyes and approached the three sisters.
- Well Phoebe I just kicked the woogymans butt, Penny said smiling.
- Really? Phoebe couldn´t believe it, he was gone. –How did you do it Guams?
- With a song, I will teach it to you girls, and if one day the woogyman comes back you will know how to destroy it.
Phoebe learned Grams song by heart, she knew Prue and Piper did not believe her, but she promised herself she would not forget Grams song, it could be usefull someday. For now she could sleep soundly, the woogyman was gone, for she could not hear him whisper her name anymore.
I am Light
I am one too strong to fight
Return to dark where shadows dwell
You cannot have this Halliwell
So go away and leave my sight
And take with you
This endless night