Goodnight Sweet Child

'Mummy, there's something at the door?'
'Now now darling. There is no-one at the door. Rest now. It's sleepy time.'
'But mummy I can feel it. There is something at the door?'
'Darling, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt. There is no-one at the door!'

He struggled against her reassuring hand on his chest. The bed was warm and the blankets tucked up under his chin but he couldn't shake the fear off. He knew it. There was something at the door and it wasn't good. Mummy raised her hand from his chest and stroked his brow.

'Darling, of course there is nothing at the door. Who on this world would be at the door at this time of night?'
'But mummy. I'm scared.'
'Oh my baby, no need to be scared!'

His mummy leaned in and rested her head against his. She breathed deep his young child smell and smiled. Sitting back she reached for the light by the night stand.

'No mummy, pleeease don't turn off the light. I'm scared.'
'Ok darling. I will leave the light on. Will that make you feel better?'

He sniffed a little, more of a grunt. His eyes were wide as he looked at his mummy, his whole world. If she said he was safe then he knew he would be. No-one would cross his mummy. She was his protector. He set his jaw determinedly.

'Ok mummy. If you leave the light on I will be alright. You promise?'
'Yes darling, I promise. Now remember, if you wake up in the night and you feel frightened then you can always come into Mummy and Daddy's bed. How's that?'

He breathed a noisy sigh of relief. Despite his unease his eyes were getting heavy and he could feel sleep pulling him under.

'Yes mummy, thank you.'

She watched him as he drifted off. My beautiful child.

She watched his eyes close and his chest start to rise and fall until she was sure he was sound asleep. Then she pushed herself up on her scaled hands. She moved to the door gently lest her clawed feet woke him with their scraping and huffed a happy little puff of sulphurous breath from her reptilian snout. Her sinuous tail hooked the door behind her and it closed with a small click

Goodnight sweet child