Boogie Bird

Thinking back on my childhood, things I thought were normal, they weren't. I remember waking up in the middle of the night to see what seemed like people dancing at the edge of my bed. Although it never scared me due to it being a nightly occurrence since I could truly remember. It is when the things that were in my perception that were seemingly harmless became part of a everyday routine, that only didn't haunt me at night but during the day as well. That's when things became a more frightening, more than just some child's dream land.

These things or people I was seeing weren't whole images, more like shadows from a times past. That reality and fantasy somehow took it's place in my everyday life. Stories I were told as a child somehow became real as I got older. Made me question 'were these just grime stories or were they a deep seeded family secrete?'

See years prior in my father's home country there was a creature known as the 'Boogie Bird' a mighty nightmarish bird. He only appeared in the night during the bridge between dreaming and awake. He stalked out his prey on nightly visits, to assess the strength in the light within' them. That's what fed him, not a persons flesh but their lively power on the inside.

One day a powerful king, unlike any other king. He was a troll king, a vicious and heartless sort. He heard of the boogie birds unique way of feeding and thought he could use that to his advantage. Yet he wasn't to sure how to capture this magnificent creature of the night. So he sought out a reward for any who could give him clues on how to capture this bird.

Well the troll king did go on to capture this bird but when his subjects figured out why he wanted such a powerful creature. They ripped him of his title and banished him into the Mountains of Nipa. This is where my families story takes place and continues to this day.

That bird, that stalker of the night visits without tell. I remember one night I could have sworn I wasn't dreaming or was I? I awoke to a tapping on my window, I ignored it thinking maybe it was a branch from the bush outside just blowing with the wind. When the tapping progressed to get louder and more rapid. Getting up from my bed finally, peering out my window, all I could see was the surrounding trees lite up by the neighboring street light. Shaking my head I proceeded to head back to my bed when something out the window caught the corner of my eye. I turned to get a better look when the street light seemed to dissipate and I could hear my window crack with a loud thud against it.

I could see a huge gray eye as the light began to flash on and off in the distance. As if there was a ghastly large and ghost like figure on the other side. Flapping gigantic wings right there before me. I stumbled backwards before nearly hitting the ground, I opened my eyes and I was there laying in my bed still.

My heart throbbing, sweat pouring down my brow over my eyes. Looking around my room in a panic not sure what had just happened. I get up from bed, my heart still leaping from my chest heavily. Make my way into my bathroom, I look in the mirror and realize my nose is bleeding, thinking 'what the hell kind of dream was that?' I turn on the facet to the sink and begin to brush cold water over my face as the blood drips into the porcelain lining.

Grabbing a towel I start to pat my face dry. When I feel something on my shoulders, sliding along the back to the front. I close my eyes and hear a whisper in my ear, "wake up..."

I open my eyes I am on the ground of my bedroom floor, right in front of the window. The crack plain in sight but nothing else there other than the bushes and trees outside. Confused, I stand up to go look at the crack more closely. Placing my hand over it, I begin to wonder what could actually be happening. Am I finally going as crazy as everyone has said I've been or is there more to it?

The next morning you can imagine I felt restless as I poured my morning coffee. The thought of what happened that night before still lingering in the back of my mind. My mother places my medication in front of my on the counter, I just solemnly look over at her. Knowing if I told her about what had happened that night she'd blame it on my mental health. Picking up my medication, swallowing it down made me even question what I saw, if it could be real at all.

One thing I didn't tell you is that I am also schizophrenic, so hallucinations are in fact a common thing for me. But it isn't what this story is about......

That next evening I was a bit hesitant to go to sleep, while in my room anyways. So I ended up sleeping in what was the guest room that night. See the guest room has no windows, made it feel a bit safer. As, I am laying in bed staring at the ceiling, the popcorn started making shapes and pictures. Almost as if you are staring at a starry night sky.

Starting to drift off I hear something faintly outside, I want to investigate but I am too tired from the night before. So eventually I fall deep asleep where met in my dreams is the images of a strange creature. It almost resembles a crow but much larger in stature. As it hollers, the screech of it pierces through you. It looks over at me with it's large grey eyes, flapping it's wings it's as if a light aura of grey streaks with it. Rising up towards the sky it swiftly glides straight at me!

I wake up, my heart beating fiercely. "Boogie Bird," I mumble under my breathe, reminding myself of those stories I was told as a child. But, I haven't even thought of him since I was little and my father use to tell us those old tales. Surely it is all just make belief.

As I am rationalizing in my head I hear a crash outside. Not being able to see out any windows, I muster up the courage to go outside to see what happened. Walking out the front door a crisp chill nibbles at my face. Looking around, except for the dim light and trees, there's nothing visible out here.

Walking further out into the yard before getting to the street, I turn and look towards the house. I see something above the roof yet almost perched on it. I couldn't make out what it was yet my instincts told me to hurry and get back inside but I got almost hypnotized looking at whatever this may be. I wanted to run, just go inside but my body stood in its place.

That's when I heard the alarm going off. I open my eyes, I'm back in the guest room. Laying in bed with my shoes still on, 'what the?' I think to myself. Now I am convinced I am going crazy.

Preoccupied in my thoughts at the kitchen table barely paying attention to what is being said around me. "What's the answer to my question?" I shake my head as my home school teacher is addressing me. Realizing I didn't pay attention to what she was saying to me. She puts a places a paper before me and says "since you were off somewhere else you can read this yourself and give me a descriptive answer at the end."

My homeschool teacher was a pretty amazing teacher, she dealt with a lot while teaching. She fought breast cancer, had some terrible things happen in her life but she always had a smile on her face each day I saw her. See in this story, my teacher plays a huge part. For she was the one I confided a lot to rather than my therapists because Mrs. Johnson just understood me.

After I read the assignment and wrote down the answer I drifted back into my thoughts as my teacher began to check my work. "Are you okay today? You seem like something is bothering you?" she asks as she sets the papers down. I begin to tell her about my strange dreams or what I think are dreams.

She sits there listening as I recall the details of what were in those "dreams." You could tell she was interested in what I was saying because of the expressions on her face. Finally when I got finished with explaining it all to her she said, "Well if those are dreams you have a very active imagination but I do doubt any of it is real." Which I figured she would say, it just felt good getting it off my chest. "how bout this so those thoughts don't fester in your mind, keep a dream journal of all the events that take place. That way you feel better and get it out of your mind, especially before class." She smiled at me.

So later that day after I got some of my school work done I thought about what Mrs. Johnson said. So I asked my mother if she would take me to the store to get a journal. She didn't question me except she did remind me I had to finish my homework first.

Later that day after we got back home my mother stopped midst walk, "Why is there a crack on your window?" I didn't know how to explain it to her or where to begin. I knew no matter what I said I was going to most likely be in a bunch of trouble. So I told her I accidently hit my window the other day with my soccer ball. Needless to say my suspicion was correct, I did get into trouble.

That night as I am sitting in my room playing a video game trying to distract myself from the anxiety of going to sleep. I see a flash go past my window, I ignore it. I wanted so much to refuse that there was anything outside and that I may have flown off my rocker. So I try focusing harder on what I am doing when I see another flash go by.

Shaking my head I turn off the console and my bedroom light to go lay down in bed. Getting into bed, my mind racing with all different possibilities of how there may end up being a rational explanation for what's been going on.

Laying there with the soft pillow beneath me I begin to doze off. Thinking about the dream the night before, the boogie bird that inhabited it. Slowly I begin to drift into a mountainous serene place.

I am at the bottom of a huge mountain, the evergreens running ramped up the sides, with a small creek waterfalling gently down. The sight is very breathe taking as I can hear the birds chirping around me, the faint sounds of wildlife's pitter patter near by. Suddenly I hear a loud screech high above me. Looking up I see nothing but the sunlight shining back down on me. As I am looking upward I notice what looks like it could be a cave of some sort.

Filled with curiosity, something urges me to start my way up the side of the mountain to check out this mysterious cave. As I am walking making my own pathway along the mountains side, it sounds like something is following me. Looking around I see nothing through the thickness of the trees. Brushing it off, I start my way again except this time I feel something strange brush against the bottom of my legs.

There's a small tricolored cat at my feet purring, looking around again trying to figure out where this cat may have come from. I pick it up, it has a collar with a name tag 'Linda' it says. "Where'd you come from?" I ask her before setting her back down. The cat seems very friendly making her way in and out between my legs. As I am staring at this cat there is a sudden screech and crashing sound....

I open my eyes, but cant manage to move. It is like my muscles are being restricted almost as if there is something holding me down. I start panicking trying to scream out, my vocal chords aren't allowing me to make noise. That's when I notice the figure above me, it's wings stretching the length of my room. It's grey eyes staring deep into me, I stop breathing and clench my eyes firmly shut.

"Are you okay?" I hear a familiar voice. I open my eyes back but now I am at the kitchen table with my teacher. I stand up immediately, knocking my chair over. Mrs. Johnson looking shocked and unsure what is going on.

As, I scan my brain on how I ended up here. 'I was just in my bed, how the hell...?' I thought to myself as my teacher stood up asking if I were okay again. I didn't want to alarm her so I replied swiftly, "yes, yes I am. Sorry I thought I saw something." I pick up my chair and set it down as both her and I took our seats.

Mrs. Johnson could tell I was in my head our entire teaching hour but she didn't push to ask why though. Instead she asked about my new journal, "Have you written anything in it yet?" I shook my head in response, she looked concerned. I must've looked as if I saw something that troubled me, which I mean yeah I was troubled.

As class began to come to a stop, my teacher asked me about the boogie bird. I had forgotten I told her about it, "what would you like to know?" I asked with a shroud of uncertainty if I truly wanted to talk about it.

"Is that what has been on your mind throughout class?" I nodded as she sighed, "well hopefully that bird won't disturb our next class." She smiled as she picked up her books to leave.

As I was finishing up homework the phone rang, I got up to answer it. "Hello," I answered as I got a hello back realizing it's my father. Him and I talked for a few minutes before thinking about he was the one who use to tell us the stories about the boogie bird and troll king. Took me a minute before I decided to ask him about the his old stories, specifically the boogie bird.

He got silent then began to chuckle, " you remember those stories?" I told him yes and how I wanted to know more about the boogie bird. "Well you see when I first encountered the boogie bird was when I was in my room laying down with my cat Linda and....."

"Wait did you say Linda dad?" Remembering the cat from my dream.

"Yes, Linda was my cat when I was around your age, her and I use to go up the side of Nipa when I was little. She was kind of like my shadow in a way." He stopped for a minute, "why do you ask?"

Me trying to think of something other than she was in my dream to say, "Oh I didn't know you had a cat when you were young is all." I then continued with, "So you actually encountered the boogie bird?"

My father begins laughing, "so that's how the story goes." He replies in a jokingly matter. I shake my head, thinking to myself well this may be useless. "Anyways, the boogie bird use to take children in my town when I was little to bring to the troll king to have work in his cave. The troll king had something of the boogie birds most prized possessions is why he ever listen to that mean old troll. You remember how the boogie bird feeds of a persons lives light, well the troll king did much worse to these people." That's when he stops and says, "Sorry to cut this short but I got to go, love you, bye." And with that he hung up.

Now I have more questions than answers, this is beginning to get very frustrating for me. So I think about my journal and figure I'll write what I know about the boogie bird in there, see if I can come to a conclusion to all this madness.

I grab my journal and a pen, I flip it to the first page and it is already written on. Very confused I look at the hand writing and well sure it was mine. Not sure what to think I begin to read what I had wrote.

'As a loud crash hit the ground beside me, Linda that cat began to growl as her hair stood on her back. I could see a large bird before me, one very familiar to me. His wings smacking the trees around me. He stands so strenuously as if he is hurt in a way. He begins to screech as Linda growls at him getting in front of me. Before I could manage to turn and run, one of his large claws grab me. Linda leaps up and bites his claw as he struggles to keep ahold of me. Finally as the cat lets out her nails and proceeds to scratch him, he leases and I fall hard on the ground.

I wake up to something gritty licking my forehead, there is that cat. I'm not sure where she came from but she certainly helped me out of this mess. But, as I closed and opened my eyes again I was out of my dream. I need to know more, hopefully I can get some answers in the morning.'

That's where I left off but how did I miss so much time in my day? See, this is where things are very strange in this story. A boogie bird haunting my dreams or my reality? A cat named Linda whom seems to have a close connection to me, maybe because my father? And, a troll king who used the boogie bird as a kidnapper.

After a few days I didn't have anymore encounters as my dad would say with the boogie bird but now years later. Well we'll say this story continues. A story for another time.