THE WINDOW OF FEAR.
"I wish I had a candle," said Billy, trying to look around him; for it
was so very dark he really could not see anything but black shadows and
the black shadows of the shadows. Indeed, it had suddenly grown darker
than ever before, and the wind began to moan as it sometimes does when
a storm is brewing. "Of course I'm not afraid of Bogie Man--but I think
I'd rather have a candle with me--just--just for companionship. I
wonder if the Singing Tree could help me."
So he sat him down in the middle of the street, planted Barker's bark
and told the tree what he wanted.
At once it sang--
"Little Nancy Etticoat
In a white petticoat
And a red nose,
The longer she stands,
The shorter she grows."
And with a low bow handed him a lighted candle.
"That's better," he said; "I seem to feel easier already."
And off he trudged, peering up at the houses in search of
"In-The-Dark," Bogie Man's Castle. Of course, he couldn't walk very
rapidly, for the candle wavered and flickered, and tried more than
once to go out; but he shaded it with his cap and got along very well
considering.
And at last he stood before a great black shadowy building, dotted
with large windows in all conceivable shapes. Some looked like
cruel sneering mouths, others like the hungry open jaws of ogres;
others like large staring eyes. In fact, each window bore a hideous,
fear-compelling aspect, and all were as dark as a hole in the
ground--all but one, from which a blue and yellow light streamed. And
this was the most hideous window of all, for it did not look like
anything--just a shapeless, nameless, dreadful yellow splotch on the
wall. And over it Billy read these words, "The Window of Fear--look not
lest ye see terror."
"This must be Bogie Man's house," said Billy. "I--I am sure it is
rude to look in at windows, and besides that, ugh! _what_ a hideous
window--I'll try the front door."
At last he found a wide, low, grinning door, and he had just mustered
up the courage to ring the bell, whose handle was the tail of a snake,
when the door opened suddenly and out flew a thin, gaunt, pink flannel
cat with shoe-button eyes and a long, blue worsted tail. Billy tried
to seize this opportunity and enter; but slam went the door in his
face, and off down the road went the cat. And at the same moment two
large flat things, with waving streamer-like arms, lifted themselves up
in front of him and tried to knock his candle out of his hand. Billy
stepped back just in time to save it and stood staring at the quivering
forms. "What are those things, I wonder?" he exclaimed. "Layovers to
catch meddlers," said one of them. "Hands off," said the other, and
then they lay down again on the door-mat.
"Then perhaps you can tell me if this is Bogie Man's house," he said.
"It is--now go away," said one.
"This door is only to go out by--it never opens to let any one in,"
said the other.
Billy thought a minute, and then, hoping he could surprise them into
telling him some way of getting in, said, "Then how is that cat ever to
get in again?"
"It never will," said the first Layover; "that is Scaredy Cat, and she
will never come back."
"What was she running away from?" asked Billy.
"Her tail."
"Her tail?"
"Yes--it is a frightful yarn. Now, go away; I'm through talking."
Billy tried to secure an answer to several more questions, but never a
word could he get out of them.
"I suppose I shall have to look through the Window of Fear after
all," he said, with just the faintest shiver. And throwing back his
shoulders, he made for the window. He had to hoist himself up onto the
sill to look in, and when he had gotten up, he sat with his back to the
window and his eyes closed, until he could catch his breath and muster
up his courage to peep in. Then he slowly turned his head. It is a good
thing he had a tight hold on the broad sill, for the sight that met his
gaze, froze his blood and almost knocked him off his balance.
There stood Bogie Man in the middle of the room juggling his own
hideous head with one hand and a great ball of burning sulphur with the
other. Billy saw now what made the blue and yellow light. It was the
sulphur, which flashed and sizzled as it went through the air, emitting
a million angry sparks and tongues of fire when it struck Bogie Man's
hand. And Bogie Man's body--ugh!--as tall as a church-steeple, as large
around as a house; as full of knots as an old oak-tree, yet as black
and eerie and unformlike as a flying shadow. The hair on the head was
long and green, his eyes like two sparks floating in a saucer of
water, and his mouth like a shark's. He had a nose like a large ripe
apple.
"And I must vanquish him," said Billy in dismay. "I will for Honey
Girl's sake--I'm _NOT AFRAID_." As he said this the whole world seemed
to take fire with a lurid flash of lightning. "Crash"--a peal of
thunder split the heavens and rolled and rumbled through the lonely
streets of Never Was.
Then the rain came down in solid sheets, the wind blew a hurricane, and
on the crest of the gale rode a thousand shadowy figures, shrieking and
moaning and tumbling over and over as they came.
The first touch of the wind blew out the candle, and at the same moment
the sulphur ball indoors burst and disappeared. So Billy sat there
in the dark, his back to the window and in front of him countless
thousands of bitter enemies--Banshees, Wraiths, Ghosts, Sprites, Imps,
riding on Crimson Devil's Horses--all the weird and wicked things that
claim Bogie Man as their King.
"Billy Bounce," called the voice of Nickel Plate.
[Illustration: _Billy shot a blast of hot air from his pump full in
Bumbus's face._--Page 263.]
"Here," cried Billy, undismayed.
"Hurrah--hurrah--hurrah--howl--howl--shriek!" cried the enemy.
"Caught at last. No hope, no hope for Billy Bounce," said a voice.
"Is that Bumbus?" asked Billy.
"I be," said Bumbus, suddenly jumping onto the sill and trying to push
Billy off. But "Swish!" Billy shot a blast of hot air from his pump
full in Bumbus's face and down he dropped.
"Come on," cried Billy; "you _can't_ frighten me."
"Your last chance," cried Nickel Plate. "Give up and I will save you."
"Never!" cried Billy.
And with that the battle commenced.
Oh! the countless slaps and cuffs and tweaks he got. My! the hideous
din and noise of their cries. Ugh! the horrible faces they pushed right
into his. But the harder they fought and tried, the less real harm
they seemed to be able to do. Fear, fear was their only weapon, and as
Billy's heart grew stout within him, the weaker became their attack.
Billy leaned heavily against the window and worked the hot-air pump
desperately. Time and time again the Imps, Sprites and Crimson Devil's
Horses renewed the attack.
"On, on!" cried Nickel Plate from a safe place in the rear.
"Buzz-z-z, buzz-z-z! Pluck his eyes out!" cried Bumbus, striking at
Billy with his three-edged sword.
"Put him to sleep forever!" cried Drone, waking up in the midst of the
combat.
But Billy never said a word. He was holding his breath for the final
onslaught, which he felt was now being arranged, so he only gritted his
teeth and pumped hot air into and through the frantic enemy. Down went
Bumbus again from a blast in the ear. Puff! puff! and away and away
sailed an imp never to return again.
"Rally!" cried Nickel Plate.
For a moment there was a lull, and Billy knew the time had come when
he must beat or be beaten. "I'm not afraid," he panted to himself, and
then with a rush and a wild shriek the enemy hurled itself forward in
a solid mass. On they came, yelling terribly, their eyes spitting
flashes of light and their mouths and jaws working in horrible
grimaces. The foremost imp had just come in striking distance, when
Billy leaned back more heavily on the window to brace himself and
_crash!_ the pane broke and Billy was inside. With the crash all sound
ceased. All were as surprised as Billy. Quick as a flash he was up on
his feet and prepared to grapple with the hideous Bogie Man that he
knew was in the room with him. "Light," he cried, and in a jiffy he had
pulled his candle out of his pocket and lighted it.
He looked for Bogie Man. He was gone, and in his place stood a little,
old, shrivelled man.
"Where is Bogie Man?" cried Billy, and then stopped and looked again,
for the little man was an exact miniature of the big figure he had seen
through the Window of Fear. "You are here!" he cried. "I see it now.
The window was a magnifying glass. At last, at last." The little man
made a move for the door.
"No, you don't; you've got to take the note," cried Billy, forcing it
into Bogie Man's unwilling and trembling hands. "And now," he began,
but just as he spoke, in through the broken window poured the enemy,
intent on Billy's capture. But he was determined to have his talk
with Bogie Man and secure his promise that Honey Girl was to be left
unharmed. Seizing Bogie Man he cast his eyes about him for some means
of escape. He saw a door just behind him. With one bound he reached it,
threw it open and was off down the corridor headed for the front door,
which he saw dimly outlined at the farthest end. Behind him shrieked
the Imps and Sprites, filling the house with their wild, weird cries.
The foremost Imp was clutching at his hair, and had almost caught him
when he reached the door, flung it open, jumped through, and crashed
it to again just in time to catch the Imp fast, half in and half out.
"Bing!" and Billy had taken such a leap up into the air as he had never
taken before.