Beware the Ooga

It is hard to sleep to the sound of crunching bones.

I am trying, though.

I don't know why this keeps happening to me. Every time they put me in a new home, somebody gets eaten. Miss Flora was so nice to me, too - she wasn't like the others, who would smack me for being too loud or messy or in the way.

Miss Flora was kind. She gave me a room to myself, with new toys, a desk, and a closet full of clothes that still had tags on them. She brought me medicine every night, too. She said I was sick from all the house hopping. I didn't feel sick, but it was nice to be noticed, kissed goodnight, and tucked in.

The medicine hurt my stomach, and I threw up the first two nights. I cried when she came in to clean me up. This is usually when the punishment starts. I braced for the worst. Miss Flora just smiled, wiped my face, changed my sheets, and promised that I wasn't going anywhere.

But now she's hanging midair in the darkness of my bedroom.

Her body floats just off the ground, no longer struggling or screaming, just quiet and very, very still. Her pink shoes fall to the floor as it lifts her to its mouth. I hate this part. The head is always the loudest bite. I dive under the covers, shut my eyes, and wish for this to be a dream. But it's not. There really is a monster in my bedroom eating my foster mom.

I think about the next morning. The police will come and ask questions. They will throw my stuff into a trash bag and call Joanna, my caseworker. Everyone will look at me with sad eyes, and I will look at the ground and wonder where I'm going next. Joanna will buy me a toy and tell me this is not my fault.

No one will ask about the Ooga. That's what I call it.

I call 911 when the sun comes up. The police are there in minutes, and so is Joanna. A friendly police woman asks me to tell her what I remember, but I lie that I was fast asleep. I don't think she believes me. Then she notices the plastic medicine cup on my nightstand.

"Are you sick?" she asks. I just shrug.

She smells the cup and frowns. The next thing I know I'm in an ambulance with Joanna and the sirens are so loud I think my head will burst.

My hospital room doesn't have a TV, so Joanna gives me her phone to watch a show. Nurses come in to check on me - some bring me food, some ask questions, and then some just type away on their computers. One of them pokes me with needles. It hurts so bad that I try to rip it out but they hold me down and tie me to the bed. I hold Joanna's hand and cry until I fall asleep.

I wake up when I hear it.

The room is so dark now. Somewhere in the room, a faint red light blinks on and off. On and off. On and off. I can see Joanna asleep in the chair beside me. I try to reach for her, but my arms are tied. I am about to call out when I see it move. It is big and black and hanging from the ceiling. Its many eyes shine in the red light.

"Please stop," I whisper. "You are scaring me."

The Ooga doesn't move. It sits perfectly still suspended above me. Then it does something it has never done before - it speaks.

"I have come to say goodbye, dear changeling," it says with a voice so deep you can feel it in your chest. "My promise has been kept. Your enemies on this plane are dead, so I will return to my home in the Darkwood. Joanna will adopt you and raise you like her son. But remember this, child of twilight: you are not her son. You are a noble of the fae wild, and your kingdom is the stuff of nightmares. Beware the Ooga!"

Then it was gone.

Joanna woke when the first nurse came in to check on me. I pretended to be asleep until the nurse left the room. Then I felt a kiss on my forehead and opened my eyes.

"Hey, buddy. I think you're getting out of here soon. How do you feel about coming home with me?"

"Forever?" I asked.

"Forever."