Yes, it's based off the Metallica song. I used some of the lyrics as plot devices. I wrote this in about twenty-five minutes, so it may not be up to par. Thoughts?

Enter Sandman

Hush little baby, don't say a word...

“There's nothing to be afraid of, dear. No monster is going to get you. Go to sleep now,” Comforting words from a mother to her child. Always said, always soothing. How true can these words be though? Monsters are fake, ghosts don't exist, and the Boogieman is made up. Kids are born into this world with a natural fear of the dark. They aren't taught to be afraid of these creatures, so how have they worked their way into the minds of our youth?

The simple answer?

They exist.

And never mind that noise you heard...

I was a boy of four when I first noticed that there was something more to the dark than I had first believed. Things in the dark changed when you looked at them. One little harmless toy with the light turned on was just that: A harmless little toy. Then the lights go off. That little toy is now much more menacing. Its fake painted smile seems to curl into a sinister grin as its plastic eyes turn toward you maliciously. This is when the fear first entered my mind.

It's just the beast under your bed...

Pretty soon, I started hearing it. The snickering noise that came from my closet. Every night, I would leave the light to my bedroom closet on, shaking in fear at every creak it happened to make. I was just about asleep when I heard the noise that would be burned into my mind for the rest of my life. It was a soft whisper. “I'm going to get you.”

In your closet, in your head...!

I froze right there. Was I having a nightmare? Was I slowly going crazy? None of these explanations were comprehensible to my four year old mind. Clouded with fear, it began to panic. I tried calling out for my mother, but there was no sound. Only a hoarse cough escaped my lips. Then, the shadow in the corner of my room moved.

Exit light...

My eyes darted to the movement, and my mouth fell agape. There was a man there. It was someone I had never seen before. He was holding a knife, and I could see blood on the silver of the blade that was illuminated by the moonlight.

Enter night...

I called out to my mother one more time as the man drew closer. He kept his blade held high. His greasy black hair hung over his face in a mess of curls. I began to scream. I heard running footsteps, and the the light turned on.

Take my hand...


I looked around the room as well as I could with tears streaming from my eyes. All I could see was the worried face of my mother and father, and no sign of the man from before. I told them all about what happened. They comforted me, and left the room after I had settled down. I felt like it wasn't over though. I felt like I would see him again. Just as I began to go back to sleep, I heard it. “I'm still going to get you...”

We're off to Never Never Land...