. . .

Boy

The closet was cold, that evening. I wasn't used to such a cold. By this time of the evening, I was usually lying in bed waiting for it to arrive. The bed was always warm. I longed for its sweet embrace even as I feared the approach of what was still to come. No more, though, I thought to myself. This would be the final night. Tonight, I would have my revenge, and it would be sweet indeed. Tonight the llama would breathe its last.

The llama had come, every night, for as long as I could remember. I remembered when I had been very small and still in my crib, it had just poked its head inside the room, its long ears waving, softly, evilly. I had hoped that it would stay that far away. Later, though, when I had grown enough to have a real bed, it would come into the room, its soft fur and slightly putrid stench always reminding me of past scenes of torment. And it would come up to the bed, and lift the covers with its teeth, and creep inside. And then, it would - it would - no! I would not remember! It would never happen again!

Wait. A sound from the door. I peered out through a crack in the closet wall that had been there since the last time I had struggled vainly against it. My door was opening, silently, softly. A pale image ghosted inside. The llama. It was here.

It approached the bed. Cautiously, it nuzzled the shape under the covers with its mobile, accursed nose. Occasionally, I had attempted to pretend it wasn't there, hiding beneath the covers, and it was obviously assuming that this was another of those times. I gripped my new baseball bat tighter. It reached its long neck over, lifted up the blanket...

Now! While its head was occupied underneath! I burst out of the closet, and before it could react, smashed its evil head with a swift blow of the bat. Then again! Again and again! It slumped downward, unmoving. I paused, leaning on the bat, resting.

In a flash, it recovered, and freed itself from the enshrouding blankets. A serpentine hiss emanated from it as it rose, towering to its full height. A male llama can rise to almost 7 feet in height, and this was one of the largest of its breed. Its teeth shone for a moment in the moonlight as it gave a wicked grin. I trembled in fear. If I couldn't defeat it this time... I was done for. There was no doubt it would destroy me for my insolence, and eat my heart as I had so often dreamed it might do. I was committed now.

It dove for my breast, mouth opened, ready for a vicious bite which I narrowly avoided. I aimed a blow with my bat at its stomach. It adroitly avoided the strike. It was large, but astonishingly agile. We danced around eachother, for a moment. Then - a vicious exchange of blows! It took a bite out of my arm. My blood mixed with its blood on the bat. Another exchange! Fast and furious we battled.

As we paused, both breathing heavily, I noticed something. It favored the right side, and reacted swifter there. Had I damaged its left eye with my initial strike? I decided to risk it all. I feinted right, and as it swerved, ducked around it to the left, struck at the head again with the bat... and connected! A solid blow, and it gave a brief moan, the first sound of pain I had ever heard it emit. I struck again and again, beating it downward, knocking it to the ground and raining blow upon blow on its unresisting form, until blood and brains spattered the walls. Finally, it lay utterly still. A few more blows to test, but the unnatural life was gone from its body. I fell on my bed, utterly exhausted.

A voice from outside. "Dan? Dan, are you all right in there?" A smile slid across my face. "Yeah, dad. I'm okay. Everything's fine now. For the first time, everything is all right."