All the feedback so far has made me happy. I can only hope that all of you continue to read and enjoy the story. But now it is time to see another familiar face from the movie. After all, it isn't all about Pitch Black and Lucy. There are other people wandering around.
Summer camp was the best part of the season. He'd recently grown especially fond of winter, but Jamie could still appreciate the warmer season and the fun it could bring. For one week a year, he and his friends would board a bus and head out to the camp. During the day, there was fishing, canoeing, archery, swimming, and hiking. And at night they would roast marshmallows over a campfire and tell scary stories.
Jamie sat next to Monty as the camp counselor, a blond teenager named Alex, finished his tale of a hitchhiker's ghost. A few of the boys shivered at his words and Monty clung to Jamie's arm. But the brown-haired boy didn't feel afraid. It was interesting, but nothing more. He'd seen far scarier things than what the camp counselor would imagine.
"All right. Does anyone else want to tell the next scary story?" asked Alex.
"Oh," Claude said quickly. "Jamie should go next."
"Yeah, he tells the best stories," Caleb added.
"Come one, Jamie. You should do it," he continued.
Jamie glanced between his friends and the dozens of eager faces. While he had no problem telling stories and sharing them with everyone in the neighborhood and at school, he didn't really specialize in scary stories. He preferred the fantastic to the macabre. He could share the stories Jack brought him before the weather grew too warm for visits. Or he could make something up. But what kind of story would be scary enough for them? He didn't do ghost stories.
"How about you tell everyone about what happened at Easter?" suggested Monty.
Jamie smiled at the idea. That would be perfect. He always tried to take the opportunity to tell people about Jack Frost. And there would even be enough scariness to qualify for a proper campfire story.
"Fine. Do all of you remember how there were no eggs hidden on Easter?" he asked, leaning forward as the fire crackled. When the kids nodded and the camp counselor looked confused, Jamie continued, "Do you remember that moment when you began to doubt everything that you always believed in? Not just the Easter Bunny, but all of them. Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost."
"Who?" asked a curly-haired boy.
Thankful that someone asked the right question and eager to create a few more Believers, Jamie explained, "Jack Frost is the one who brings snow during the winter. He creates snow days and is a lot of fun. In fact, if you're out having a snowball fight or sledding, Jack Frost is probably right in the middle of it having a great time with you. He's a winter spirit and the Guardian of Fun." He smiled briefly before continuing, "He was there that night after the disappointing Easter, when everyone began to forget and stopped believing. And do you know why there were no colored eggs and all your dreams were nightmares?"
All the boys around the campfire shook their heads except for those from Burgess. They knew the answer while the rest had no clue, but certainly seemed interested in the answer. The poor camp counselor, however, looked utterly confused where the story was going.
"Someone tried to make us forget about the Guardians. He wanted us to stop believing in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and the Easter Bunny so they would grow weaker and he would grow stronger. He tried to destroy everything good and leave us with only fear and darkness."
"Who?" asked the curly-haired boy again, sounding a little nervous. "Who was he?"
"The monster every kid is afraid of. The Boogeyman. Changing dreams into nightmares, traveling through shadows, and leading an army of black horse-shaped creatures made of evil sand, he is what we've always feared was hiding under our beds or in our closets. And he attacked on Easter, stopping the colored eggs from being hidden so we would stop believing in anything good. When almost everyone lost hope, lost all their wonder when they saw the world, lost all good dreams, and lost the ability to remember memories of better days, he tried to destroy the remaining Believers."
Everyone leaned forward as Jamie described everything that happened that night. He recounted how he nearly gave up himself before a rabbit-shaped frost creation appeared and snow fell in his bedroom, letting him meet Jack Frost. He talked about the other Guardians, weakened by the lack of belief and yet still trying to protect him. Then Jamie described the Boogeyman's arrival and the mood of his audience shifted from curious interest to growing fear. It was a scary experience and this was supposed to be a scary story, so he wasn't surprised. He just kept going.
His audience was entranced as Jamie described how the shadowy and intimidating figure chased after him that night. He told them how the Boogeyman cornered all of them, looming over them with his Nightmares accompanying him. Jamie described the glowing eyes and the predatory grin on the Boogeyman's face at that moment. He described how there was no escape possible with them backed against a corner. He remembered how scared he felt that night, looking to Jack for reassurance even though he barely knew the winter spirit. And from how the other campers cringed and huddled together, they now shared that fear.
"And as the Boogeyman had us completely trapped, strengthened by the fear of all the children of the world plagued by nightmares," Jamie described dramatically, "he reached out and—"
"And the Last Believer and the Guardians slipped away and figured out how to make it an actual challenge instead," a voice interrupted from the darkness, causing most of the boys to scream and jump up.
While the camp counselor tried to calm down the campers, confused by what was causing them to panic since he clearly didn't hear the voice, Jamie stood up and peered into the shadows. The light of the campfire only stretched so far. But where the forest cast shadows around the edges, he saw the darkness move and the glint of fire reflecting off of golden eyes.
"Pitch Black," said Jamie evenly.
He wasn't afraid. The Boogeyman couldn't hurt them. Not without risking another encounter with the Guardians. He would realize that Jack and the others were keeping an eye on Jamie after what happened at Easter. He refused to be afraid. Besides, being afraid would only help Pitch and the rest of the terrified campers were already providing him with plenty of fear.
"I guess that story was a bad idea," continued Jamie, glaring at the moving shadows.
"On the contrary," Pitch said, sounding like he was directly behind the boy. When Jamie glanced back, the Boogeyman's voice abruptly transferred to the far side of the fire. "I think it was a wonderful idea. Stir up a little fear and belief for me, provide some new Believers for the newest Guardian, and entertaining all these children at the same time. You truly are a helpful boy."
"What do you want, Pitch?" asked Jamie. "Why are you here?"
"This many children in one place, all of them afraid of the Boogeyman? It called to me and who am I to ignore that?"
A quick glance around showed he wasn't exaggerating. Every camper around the campfire looked terrified. They kept jumping at shadows, shrieking and yelping every time they caught a glimpse of a dark figure shifting around the place. The camp counselor was clearly in over his head, trying to calm everyone down while unable to tell what was happening. Jamie knew the teenager didn't believe; Alex was too old for such childish things. Pitch was invisible and intangible to him, but remained completely real to the children.
"Don't worry, Jamie Bennett. I didn't come for revenge against you and your friends. True, you revived the Sandman, transformed most of my Nightmares back to normal Dream Sand, and helped destroy the plans I worked on for centuries," said Pitch, his voice continuously changing locations and his shadowy shape always just out of sight. It was a little creepy. "You were bound to try. Who guards the Guardians? The Last Believer who never gave up on them."
"You sure you aren't here for revenge? Because it sounds like it to me," Jamie said.
"Your story returned some of the fear and belief in me that was lost that night," said Pitch, stepping forward enough to let the children see him properly. Grinning at the shrieks of fear, he admitted, "Though my arrival certainly helped solidify it. And I'm in a rather good mood this evening. For now, I have no quarrel with you. But next time our paths cross…"
His voice trailed off as he stepped back into the darkness, Pitch fading into shadows and vanishing without a trace. Jamie stared out for a little longer just in case he didn't truly leave. But all he saw was darkness and all he heard was crickets, the crackle of fire, and the whimpers of frightened campers.
"Would someone tell me what's scaring all of you so much?" asked Alex, his worried tone making it clear he'd asked the question several times while Jamie was distracted. "It wasn't that scary of a story. And Jamie, what happened at the end there? Who were you pretending to talk to?"
Not knowing what else he could say, Jamie answered calmly, "Pitch Black, the Boogeyman."
Ben and Kyle were best friends. They did everything together. They sat next to each other during the school year and spent their summers hanging out with each other. So Ben wasn't surprised when Kyle walked down the road to his house and invited him to play. He was looking forward to it.
The pair planned to go play at their secret fort in the woods that bordered the backyard. They'd built it out of sticks, rocks, loose boards, rope, and anything else they could find. It might not be the most stable or impressive-looking structure, but they were proud of it. Ben even borrowed his dad's hammer and a few nails from the garage once to attach a few boards to a tree to make a wall. The boys considered their secret fort to be really cool. They always had fun there.
Unfortunately, they weren't going to have fun today. Mom told Ben that he could go play with Kyle. But there was a condition that ruined everything.
On one side of the yard were two eight year old boys, one with dark hair and one with blond. On the other side was the black-haired girl with her toy cat. Mom said they had to play with Lucy. Ben didn't know what to do.
"Maybe we should do something else," suggested Kyle.
"No," Ben said. "We were going to the secret base and we still can. Just us."
Taking a step towards them, Lucy asked, "Can I come with you?"
"Why would we let you? We don't want to play baby games," Ben complained. "Just stay here and play with your toys."'
"But Mommy told you to play with me."
"She'll probably tell on you," said Kyle. "You'll get in trouble."
Ben knew he was wrong. Lucy was a scaredy cat, but she wasn't a tattle-tale. She wouldn't tell their mother. But that didn't stop guilt from wiggling around in his stomach like worms.
"Fine," he said. "If you can keep up with us, you can come with us. But if you fall behind or bug us too much, we'll leave you behind."
Nodding quickly, Lucy scurried over to them with an anxious and hopeful expression on her face. Kyle and Ben didn't even wait before running to the edge of the yard and diving into the forest.
Old leaves from last fall crunched beneath their feet while the occasional thorny briar grabbed at their clothes. The light streamed gently through the trees overhead, coming down in thin beams in patches that shifted as the wind blew the leaves. Birds chirped overhead as the boys ran along the familiar path, a small figure chasing after them.
As the ground began to slope down, Ben spotted the improvised bridge they always used. The gully held a small stream and steep sides, so crossing was tricky. A tree on the far side had fallen across the gap a while back. This side had branches still to provide handholds, but the middle didn't. The boys thought it was the perfect bridge. They had great balance and could practically run across it.
Kyle went first, barely touching the branches at the start for balance. The blond boy jumped off next to the half-exposed roots and gestured to his friend. But as Ben moved to follow a hand grabbed his shirt.
"I can't," Lucy said, looking up at him. "It's too high. I'll fall. Can't we go around?"
"This is the only way to the secret fort," said Ben. "We can't go around. We have to go across."
Shaking her head rapidly, she said, "I can't. I'm scared."
"What are you waiting for?" shouted Kyle. "Come on."
"But it's too high. I'll fall," she said quietly.
Pulling her head off, Ben said, "You don't have to come with us, Lucy. If you're scared, just go home and play."
"Wait—" she yelped as he broke away and jumped on the tree trunk.
Ben ran across, the bark rough enough for his sneakers to keep him upright. The fallen tree was thick and grew thicker as he hurried towards the half-exposed roots. There was nothing scary about the makeshift bridge. He and Kyle must have used it a hundred times before. And just like always, he made it to the far side without any problem.
Lucy still stood on the other side. Gripping her stuffed animal close, she glanced between the tree and her brother with an anxious expression. Ben knew what was going through her head. Lucy was scared of heights, but she was also scared of being left behind. And she couldn't decide which was worse.
"Just go home," said Ben.
"No… No, I… Don't… But I…"
She stammered, not making any sense. Lucy shifted from foot to foot, still glancing between Ben and the tree. He waited a moment to see if she would make a decision. Then, when she didn't move in either direction, he gave up on the girl.
"Come on, Kyle. She'll head home soon."
The two boys took off again, ignoring the panicked shouting for them to stop. It didn't take them long to run out of sight. They jumped on stumps, raced around trees, and ripped past the thorny plants. They didn't even slow until they caught sight of their secret fort.
Breathing hard from the run, Ben said, "I knew she wouldn't come. Now we don't have to worry about her and can play."
"Yeah, your sister is such a scaredy cat," said Kyle.
Ben didn't even pause. He just turned and punched his shoulder hard. Kyle yelped and stumbled away a few steps, glaring at his friend.
"What was that for?" asked Kyle.
"She's my sister. I'm allowed to call her names. You're not," Ben said.
Ducking his head apologetically, Kyle mumbled, "Sorry." After a few moments, things went back to normal and he smiled. "Want to help check the walls and see if anything's broken?"
"Sure."
Lucy was scared, but she didn't like watching Ben and Kyle vanish into the forest either. So with shaking legs, the girl stepped on the downed tree. Grabbing onto the branches that stuck up beside her for balance, Lucy slowly edged her way along the rough bark.
Don't be scared. That's what Mommy and Daddy would tell her. Don't look down and don't be scared. So Lucy tried her best. Slowly and surely, she eased her way a few inches at a time. But her legs kept shaking and her breathing turned into uneven gasps on the verge of sobs. She tried to ignore how high the tree was over the gully. She tried to not be scared, but it wasn't working.
As she reached the middle and the fall would be the farthest, Lucy realized the branches didn't go all the way across. She'd run out of handholds, leaving her to grip the last branch desperately. Her fingers hurt from how tightly she held on. Lucy felt herself wobbling as her fear grew. She couldn't stop thinking about how she felt like she would fall any minute.
It was too high. The stream below looked so far away. Lucy's breath started to hitch and her vision blurred with unshed tears. She couldn't do this. She couldn't move. She was too scared to move forward or back. Lucy knew she was stuck.
Then it got worse. As she struggled to maintain her balance in her rising panic, there was a sharp crack and the branch snapped off. Lucy dropped the useless handhold while her arms windmilled, the girl trying to stay upright.
She fought to breathe as panic gripped her throat and tears fell. She wobbled back and forth wildly. And through it all, Lucy whimpered desperately in terror.
She was going to fall.
It was too high.
She was about to fall.
It was so high and she was going to fall.
She was going to—
"Breathe, Little Light. Passing out will help neither of us."
Once again, the girl's intense fear called to him. Loud, focused, and overwhelming, Lucy's fear could not be ignored. From a half a world away, Pitch heard her whispered fears.
"I'm scared. I'm too high and I'll fall. I'm all alone. I'm scared that I'll fall and get hurt. It's really, really high and I can't keep my balance. I'm going to fall and it'll hurt a lot. I'm scared. Ben isn't here to help, so I'm going to fall. I'm so scared."
Pitch followed the frightened mental cry back towards the source. He appeared in a shadowy forest, only a few thin sunbeams filtering through the leaves overhead. He saw a deep gully with a stream at the bottom and a fallen tree bridging the gap. And wobbling unsteadily around the middle of the log was the little girl, utterly terrified.
A quick mental calculation and he determined that the fall wouldn't kill the child. She might be hurt and might even break a limb if she hit wrong. There were a few rocks in the water, after all. She was right to fear the fall, but it wouldn't be fatal. So there was no real urgency either way.
Tucking his hands behind his back, Pitch walked towards the exposed roots of the log. Lucy's fear and panic kept growing, running wild and uncontrolled. He basked in the feeling for only a second before taking action.
"Breathe, Little Light," he said calmly. "Passing out will help neither of us."
She startled at his voice, nearly tumbling off the tree trunk entirely. But she recovered a little and tried to obey his instructions. Her ragged, shaking gasps began to slow to something slower and calmer. Lucy swallowed and blinked her eyes rapidly as she fought back those sobs. And as an added side effect to getting her breathing back under control, her panic eased enough that her balance improved.
"P-pitch?" asked Lucy, her voice hopeful and relieved as she caught sight of him on the far side. "I'm scared."
"And do you know why you're afraid?" he prompted.
"I'll fall. And it'll hurt."
Nodding, he said, "That is a possibility. What are you going to do about it?"
"I… I need to stop being scared?"
"No," he snapped, sharper and louder than he intended. When his response startled her so much the girl nearly fell, Pitch forced himself to speak in a more even tone. "Fear is not something to be discarded thoughtlessly or ignored. Fear serves a purpose, no matter how much you may hate it. Don't let it overwhelm or paralyze you, but do not deny your fear either. Use your fear, Little Light. You control it. Never let fear control you. Use it to solve this problem. You are afraid of falling? What can you do to keep from falling?"
"Can't… Can't you help me?" asked Lucy, wobbling a little.
"Think, Lucy," he ordered his frightened Believer. "If you lose your balance, you'll fall. So you must regain your balance if you want to avoid falling. If you can't keep your balance while standing, how can you fix that?"
For a moment, it appeared that she wouldn't be able to figure it out. The little girl just stared at him in confused fear while trying to keep upright. Her fear kept whispering to him as he waited to see what happened. Then Lucy dropped to her hands and knees, shifting around until she was sitting on the tree trunk. She wrapped her legs around the log and braced her hands on the rough bark. She even managed to keep her toy in hand during the entire process. And with that, she grew steady and still.
"Very good," Pitch said with a short nod. "You have a lower center of gravity now than when you were standing."
"What?"
"You won't fall or get knocked over as easily now," he explained. "The next question is what do you do now? You cannot stay there forever. Do you plan to stand back up and walk?"
The flicker of increased fear gave Lucy's answer before she managed to shake her head. She was still afraid, but it was more controlled and focused. It no longer overwhelmed the girl to the point of blind panic. She controlled and used her fear to make smarter decisions rather than letting it control her.
"Would crawling be better?" she asked. "I wouldn't wobble."
"Which way? You're in the middle, so neither side is closer. One way leads to the thicker section of trunk, but the other way has branches you can hold onto as you move."
"Towards you," Lucy said almost immediately.
Raising an eyebrow, Pitch said, "So you can make a quick decision. Then you better get started. You don't have all day."
Pitch watched carefully as the frightened girl slowly crawled along the fallen tree trunk. She didn't show any sign of losing her balance now. He watched her movements anyway just in case. He tried to appear vaguely bored with her progress, but he was prepared in case she started to fall. Pitch wasn't completely certain what he intended to do if that should happen, but he was prepared.
Lucy's fears quieted a little as she finally made it to solid ground. They didn't disappear completely since the girl lived in perpetual fear to an extent, but the intensity had faded. He already missed the emotion and the power it gave. But then the girl gave him a small smile and he didn't miss the fear as much.
"Thank you, Pitch Black," she said, her arms moving towards him.
He reacted before he consciously realized what was happening, dissolving into shadows only to reform a short distance away before the small arms could wrap around him. The memories that her actions would have dredged up would have been too much for him to deal with. He'd seen countless children during his existence, but only one ever tried to hug him. He did not need more difficulties keeping Lucy and his daughter separate in his mind.
"I did nothing, but I appreciate the gesture," said Pitch. "Now, since you are no longer stuck and about to fall, what shall you do? Where are you going, Little Light?"
She glanced briefly towards the deeper part of the forest with a thoughtful expression. Then, hugging her stuffed animal close, Lucy turned back towards the Boogeyman.
"Can I stay with you for a little while?" she asked.
I rather enjoyed writing this chapter. For multiple reasons. Hopefully the rest of you liked it as well.
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