You came to the wrong house…

As Brethoen slowly faded into the darkness, it chuckled.
The clock struck midnight, and above it, a shivering young man was clutching his head.
“Another good 14 years of job, another forever scarred young’un.
Ah, being a monster under the bed is such a gratifying job.”
Brethoen murmured, as it completely disappeared.
It moved across the cracks of reality, across the shadows and the places where light rarely shines, and soon, it arrived at a new house.
“This…
This is my next home.”
It murmured, as it slithered inside.
As soon as it entered the house, it headed towards the bedroom of a 4 year old child, but what it didn’t feel, is that as soon as it stepped inside, the family’s dog woke up, and the mother, and father both smiled.
Brethoen nicely occupied the shadows underneath the bed of the child, and waited.
It was the dead of the night, the moment when the young one slept the sleep of the true ones, the deepest sleep, when it started to move.
It sunk deeper into the shadows, taking over them, controlling them, making them slowly encroach on the bed, on the sleeping child.
It was to give the child nightmares of the highest order, ones that are more real than reality itself.
But just before it could touch the blanket’s edge, something wet was felt, and then a sharp pain.
Brethoen retracted its shadow tendrils, and with a myriad lights, its endless eyes appeared on its pitch black body, looking outside…looking around.
And there it was.
A dog…a puppy.
It looked under the bed, with shining beady eyes.
It barked soundlessly, as if…
As if taunting Brethoen.
But Brethoen wasn’t moved.
It wasn’t its first time meeting a sensitive pet, in actuality, there were times when the parents themselves could almost see it.
But it never mattered.
For Brethoen was one of the oldest, and strongest of them all.
So, it stopped trying and waited.
The cub of the canine kind must tire out.
Oh, it was so wrong.
Every night, the puppy stopped Brethoen’s tries of messing with the young’uns sleep.
Be it by biting, licking or throwing its toys under the bed.
Soon, Brethoen realised something.
The puppy could see it, touch it, even its true body, not just the shadows.
It shivered.
For the first time since humanity has been chosen to be haunted by it, it was afraid.
It wanted to scurry away.
Back into the shadows, the cracks of reality and out of the house.
But the puppy was on its tail, biting and dragging it back.
Soon, a strong pulling force has forced Brethoen back in to the house and into the light.
“You came to the wrong house, shadowling…
My son needed training, and you shall make do with it.”
The dad’s voice sounded.
Brethoen wanted to laugh, to manifest its body and wreck -avoc…
But it couldn’t.
It was then chained into the shadows of the young’uns room, weakened, and forced to scare and try the young’un’s mind day to day.
Slowly strengthening it, making the young’un a better version of himself…
Brethoen was forced, to do the opposite of its very nature, and it realised as well.
It did indeed come to the wrong house…