h Chapter Three g
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The children got up off the grass, brushing the dirt from their clothes. Very cautiously- the children approached the opening the door once covered. They could see very old, rotten wooden steps, covered with patches of green, moist moss. The steps disappeared into the darkness below. The smell of the rotting wood and dirt was wafting up to their noses as they bent down staring into the darkness.
“I can’t see anything down there, it’s just too dark!” said Izayah, bending as far over as he could without falling into the gaping hole, trying very hard to see into the darkness below.
“I’m going to go get grandpops flashlight.” said Alaysia, sprinting off towards the house.
Izayah and Shaylah just stood over the hole, staring down into the dark nothingness as they waited for Alaysia to return with the flashlight.
Alaysia opened the back door of the house and entered the kitchen. She began pulling open drawer after drawer, searching each one until she finally found the drawer containing the flashlight. She switched on the flashlight, checking to be sure that it worked, which it did- and pushed the drawer closed. Just as she turned around, Alaysia nearly ran right over the top of her other little sister, Micaiah, whom Alaysia was always arguing and fussing with, as siblings usually do.
“What are you doing with the flashlight?” asked Micaiah.
“Uh, None of your beeswax!” said Alaysia, not wanting to tell her little sister anything about what they had found outside.
“I’m telling grandpops you have his flashlight.” Micaiah said as she turned to go into the hallway to find her grandpops to tell him.
“Okay, Okay!” “Oooooh, you’re such a tattletale!” said Alaysia, frustrated at her sister. “Come on then, I’ll show you what I’m doing with the flashlight.”
Alaysia, taking her sister by the hand, led her out the back door and out into the back of the yard where the others were waiting.
“Did you get the flashlight?” asked Izayah.
“Yeah, I got it, and this little twerp too!” Alaysia said, pointing to Micaiah.
“I ain’t no twerp!” exclaimed Micaiah, sticking her tongue out at Alaysia.
Izayah took the flashlight from Alaysia, and, as he shined the light down into the hole, all four children stared, squinting their eyes to focus, trying to see whatever they could see.
“We still can’t see anything.” said Izayah. “I’m going to go down and have a look.”
“I’m going to!” said Alaysia, not to be left behind by her younger brother. “You guys coming?” she asked- smiling to herself, thinking that they would be too afraid- but being very surprised when both girls said that they were coming too.
“Be careful- the steps are really slippery and they might break when you step on them.” said Izayah, being very careful himself as he went down the steps, shining the flashlight, yet still barely being able to see a thing because it was so dark. Izayah could smell the odor of damp dirt, and old wood. It made his nose wrinkle up as he sniffed.
“You guys better stay close so you don’t get lost down here.” he said, snickering to himself, knowing that it would scare them a little.
All four of the kids moved slowly down each step, being very careful where they planted their steps so that they didn’t slip and fall. They all had their eyes open wide as they watched where Izayah was shining the flashlight.
Suddenly- a movement in the farthest corner of the darkness caught Izayah’s attention. He quickly shined the light in the direction in which he saw the movement, but he could still see nothing at all, it was so dark. Warily, Izayah kept his eyes glued to the spot where he saw the movement, moving closer and closer with the light, and then, very faintly, he could see an outline of something in the far corner of the room.
“I found something!” yelled Izayah. His voice echoed loudly, causing the others to stop in their tracks, bumping into each other.
** “Who’s there?” asked Izayah, pointing the light directly at the shape in the corner. There was no answer.
Izayah moved even closer to the form, his curiosity pushing him even though he felt afraid of whatever it was he was looking at.
“I said who’s there!” exclaimed Izayah more forcefully.
This time there was a squeaking sound as, whatever it was, turned around to look at Izayah. The light causing the eyes of whatever it was to shine, making Izayah move back.
What is that? Izayah was asking himself, squinting his eyes, trying to focus in the darkness.
As Izayah and the girls were trying to see what it was that was huddled in the corner, there suddenly became a soft glow of light all around it.
“Look!”- cried out Alaysia, pointing at whatever it was in the corner. “The things hairs on fire!”
“No it’s not.” said Izayah, “It has little lights on the end of all its hair.” he said as he was pointing at the hairy little creature.
“What is that thing?” asked Shaylah. “Will it hurt us?” she asked nervously.
When Shaylah asked that question the hairy little creature slowly turned itself around to face them all. Every one of the kids were freaking out, each wanting to tear up the stairs to get away from whatever it was they were seeing, but their curiosity held them fast.
The creature was about four feet tall, covered from head to toe with hair so long that it drug on the dirt floor. All through its hair the children could see what looked like tiny, miniature little light bulbs of all different colors. Each of the bulbs brightening, and then dimming, making just enough light in the darkness to allow the children to see the creature. It had a very strange face. Its nose was huge. The end of it looked as though it had been stretched out and then tied in a knot. It had big, sparkling green eyes that just seemed to work like beacons because the creature blinked so much. Its cheeks were all purple, red, and green- like the colors of rotten apples that had dropped on the ground from a tree. Its lips were so thick and red that they could actually be those wax candy lips that the little children always used to buy in the candy stores. The hairy thing had enormous feet. The toenails hadn’t been cut in so long, if they ever had been at all, that they were just curling backwards and rolling up, all yellow and gnarly.
“It kind of reminds me of Cousin It.” said Alaysia. “Remember the hairy thing on the television show called The Adams Family?”
“Yeah!” exclaimed Shaylah and Micaiah in unison, both girls giggling, thinking about the hairy little guy on the tv show. “But Cousin It didn’t have lights in his hair, and its feet didn’t look like that either.” said Shaylah.
Izayah and Alaysia were hardly listening to the others because they were so intent on the hairy thing that was right here in front of them.
As Izayah took a step closer, the creature suddenly jumped forward- but it couldn’t get to Izayah because its arms were both chained. Izayah shined the light and followed the chain from the wide, heavy bracelets on the creatures arms, all the way to the wall where the other end of the chains links were attached by thick, rusty rings embedded into the concrete. The chains were very heavy and strong looking.
Alaysia stepped up next to her brother.
“Why do you think someone would chain it down here like that? she asked Izayah. How does it get food and water? How does it survive down here?”
“Can it talk?” asked Micaiah, to no one in particular.
The hairy creature was writhing and squirming in the chains. It began making squeaky, shrilly noises, until its voice changed- the sounds forming into words which all the children could understand.
“I’m not a monster; or a Cousin It; or anything bad at all!” it said, its voice changing over and over until it finally smoothed out into a gentle sound.
Amazed that the creature had actually spoken words, Izayah asked: “Then what are you? Who are you? And why are you down here in this room in the ground all chained up like that?”
“I am the Oogie Man!” exclaimed the creature, pulling against the chains.
All four of the kids moved away, fear striking into them at what it had said.
“You’re the Boogie Man?” asked Alaysia. “Then you are too bad!” she said defiantly. “The Boogie Man eats people, hides in their closets, under beds, and he eats people.”
“I didn’t say Boogie Man.” it said. “I said: Oogie Man!” “And there really is no Boogie Man. That’s a name that human people made up.” said the hairy creature, the tips of its hair glowing brighter when it got excited, different colors shining and swirling all around like kaleidoscopes.
“What’s a Oogie Man?” asked Micaiah.
“Me- I’m an Oogie Man!” it said, it’s colors dimming and brightening as it spoke.
“Okay- you’re an Oogie Man!” said Izayah. “But- exactly what is a Oogie, and why are you down here all chained up if you’re not bad?” he asked.
“Yeah- how did you get here?” asked Shaylah.
“I’ve been here for a long time, hundreds of years I think- though I can’t be sure because, of course, I have no clock in which to tell time.” “But I know it’s been at least hundreds of years for sure. I was chained up by old Manglejack- a grumpy old Ogre, because he didn’t like it that I always laughed and played and had fun.” “He’s really mean, so he drug me down here and chained me to the wall and left, and I’ve been here ever since.”
“I bet you’re hungry and thirsty- huh?” asked Shaylah.
“Not really.” the Oogie said. “Oogie’s don’t have to have food and water, even though we can eat if we want.” “We’re magical and don’t need things like humans do.”
“If you’re magical, then why don’t you just get out of them chains yourself?” asked Micaiah, feeling a bit more brave since the creature had said that it wasn’t bad.
“The chains were made from magic, so I can’t get them off myself.” It answered. “But you can take them off, it said suddenly excited, because you aren’t magic!”
The Oogie thrust out its arms- exposing the solid steel bracelet, waiting, hoping that they would take them off.
Izayah looked at the bracelets and chain. “I don’t know.” he said, wondering aloud. “How do we know you won’t use magic on us and hurt us?” “Besides, how could we get those bracelets off? They look too strong and we don’t have a key.”
“Please, Oh Please?” begged the Oogie- holding out his arms. “I promise that I am a good Oogie, and I would never hurt anyone.” “That’s not the way we Oogie’s are, we never hurt anyone.” “You don’t need a key to get take off the chains. Because you’re human- all you have to do is tell them to come off and they just fall off themselves.”
“I think it’s telling the truth.” said Alaysia.
“Me too, Me too.” said Micaiah and Shaylah at the same time.
But Izayah, still being cautious- was still thinking about it because he wasn’t so easily convinced.
“If you’ll let me go free, said the Oogie- I’ll do something nice for every one of you. I promise I will.” “I’ll do something that you each will really really like.” “Just let me be free of these chains.” “Help me.” it begged and pleaded. “Please, won’t you help me?”
“I’m going to get grandpops!” said Shaylah, turning to go up the steps. “He’ll know if we should help you or not.”
“I think that’s a good idea.” said Alaysia.
“Me too.” said Izayah.
“Me three.” Chimed in Micaiah.
The Oogie dropped his arms in defeat, moaning sorrowfully and pitifully, the glowing tips in his hair dimming so low that the room was almost totally dark once again, and there was no colors to the glowing lights now.
“I’m never going to be free!” said the Oogie. “I’m going to be chained down here forever.”
“If you’re really a good Oogie, then my grandpops will know, and he’ll get them chains off.” Said Izayah.
“You just don’t understand!” said the Oogie. “Your grandfather won’t be able to see me because no grown up human can see a magic Oogie.” “Only kids, and of course creatures of magic can see and hear me.” it said, still whimpering as it leaned it’s hairy body against the wall and begun to sound like it was crying.
Izayah, Alaysia, and Micaiah just stood there, shuffling their feet and feeling sorry for the Oogie. Not one of them certain of what exactly they should do.