Back when I was younger, my family always told me stories about the Boogeyman, warning me that I would be taken away by the Boogeyman if I misbehaved.
At the tender age of 18, I was horribly frightened by such stories. After all, I didn’t want to be taken away to the dark lands by the Boogeyman. Thus, I corrected my mistakes and changed my behaviors.
As I grew older, I began to suspect that my parents had been lying about the existence of the Boogeyman, just like how they lied about the existence of the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, and even more unforgivably, how they lied about the food in the fridge every time we passed by a McDonald’s establishment. No leftovers could ever compare to the fresh taste of a Happy Meal.
When I turned 19, I no longer believed in the Boogeyman. Such a concept was nonsense. Sure, the night was scary, but there definitely wasn’t an apparition trying to hunt me down, nor was there a creature trying to abduct me. Unless you consider the crushing weight of existence a “creature,” of course.
When I got to college, I realized that the true danger at night was not a creature, nor was it a ghost. Rather, it was the humans. The people that used the night as cover to do the very same things that the Boogeyman was supposedly famous for.
One night after I finished my dinner at the Pit, I encountered such a person. Dressed in all black and solemnly walking down the streets of the campus, the person hid in the shadows of Wilco, waiting for someone to pass by.
As I picked up the remainder of my fries and started leaving, I noticed that they were silently following me. I sped up, but they kept pace. Immediately, I broke out into a run, deciding to take the long way back to my suite.
They followed me, yelling sweet promises of “free candy” and “let’s be friends.” At any moment now, they would be trying to lure me into their candy truck! No, I will never let that happen to me! Though free candy does sound like a good offer … but no, I must stay focused! Free candy BAD.
As I dashed away into the cover of the night, the figure chased me down, their creepy voice echoing into the distance. When I finally took a break to catch my breath and calm down my racing heart, I saw a shadow in front of me. The person had chased me all this way! And behind me was a brick wall. I had nowhere else to run.
I faced my fears and stared down the person in front of me, as he opened his mouth to speak.
“Hey man, are you gonna finish your fries?”
