"Mummy."
Phoebe opened her eyes and moaned. Her youngest's screams were loud enough to wake the dead. Cole rolled over and mumbled something in her ear and then proceeded to roll back over. Her crying became louder and more insistent. "Mummy, they are going to get me."
"Coming, coming." She muttered as she swung her legs over the side of her bed and plodded across the hall to her daughter's room. Switching on the light, she saw her daughter's tear streaked cheeks. Her heart softened and she moved over to her and sat on the side of her bed and hugged her. "It's okay honey, it's okay."
"Your legs mummy, they can still get you." Phoebe sighed and drew her legs up to her chest. She smiled at her daughter and stroked her long brown locks out of her eyes as her little girl explained. "They are keeping me awake with their whispering again."
"Shh, honey. How many time do I need to tell you? There are no scary demons..." she spat out the word. "...under your bed."
"But..." She didn't finish. Her mother encircled her arms around the frail six-year old and kept her there for ages.
"Mum, is she having nightmares again?" Phoebe looked up as her two other girls, Patti and Jasmin, 11 and 8 respectively stood hand in hand in the doorway. "We heard her screaming, again."
Phoebe nodded and told them to go to bed. Jasmin turned and went back to her room but Patti stayed there, staring at her mother.
"I think you should tell her mum. She could fight them then. It would help..." She didn't get any further. Her mother cut her off with a curt word and Patti's face flared as she turned and followed Jasmin.
"Mummy?" Phoebe cut her off as she pushed her daughter gently away and got up. Phoebe kept her mouth shut as she got down on her knees in front of her daughter's bed. She looked up briefly at her daughter's fear filled face and she slowly lifted up the bedcovers and looked under the bed.
"Nothing here except dust and, oh there's Velvet, your missing teddy." Phoebe lifted her head brandishing Velvet. Her daughters arms flung out and grabbed Velvet, coughing slightly at the dust swirls coming from the teddy as she hugged it. "Oh darling, there are no demons or monsters. They are all in your head."
"No mummy, they aren't..." Phoebe cut her off with a kiss to the tip of her nose and she lifted her up and tucked her in. She leant over close and whispered into her ear. "You can be or do whatever you want, you have to magic."
Keeping her eyes closed, the little girl in her warm bed heard her mother leave the door ajar and the hall light on.
Her six year old mind kept churning around what her mother had said. Opening her eyes, her heart beating a thousand a minute, she got out of bed and turned around.
She sat on the floor, staring at her bed. Her entire body was shaking but still she breathed out a few words as she did the thing she never thought she would do.
"I am Kirsten Grace Turner. I am not afraid of you." She said as she whipped up the bedcovers and stared at the empty and dirty floor underneath her bed.
Smiling, she got back into bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin and slept better than she had in ages.