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"Again?" I frown, certain I’ve never otten eyes like that

"I saw you when you were a child You were a cute little thing Sweet enough to eat"

Owl Man gnashes his teeth playfully, but there’s nothing funny about the way he does it and I get goose bumps uptoelse I half expect Dad to call ood-bye, but he lets o without a word

I find it hard to settle I keep thinking about the guy in the kitchen, those unnaturally large eyes Who the hell is he? He doesn’t look like anyone else my dad has ever invited round

I surf the Web for a while, then stick on my headphones and listen toto losejust inside the door tooff the headphones and sitting up quickly

"I did knock," Owl Man says, "but there was no answer"

"How long have you been standing there?" I yell, trying to re myself inappropriately over the last five or ten minutes

"Mere

"Where’shard For a crazy second I think that the stranger has killed Dad,up for an attack on me

"In the kitchen," Owl Man says "I had to come up to use the facilities"

He falls silent and stares at , round eyes At the back ofthat old fairy tale to er All the better to see you with,about insulting hi my privacy

"I wanted to ask you a question"

"Oh yeah?" I squint, wondering if he’s going to make a pass at me, ready to scream for Dad if he does

"Do you still have the dream?" he asks, and the scream dies silently on my lips

"What dream?" I croak, but I know the one he means, and he knows that I know I can see it in his freakish, unsettling eyes

"The dream about the babies," Owl Man says softly "Your father told er"

"Why the hell would he tell you so like that?" I try to snap, but it comes out more as a sob

"I’m interested in dreams," Owl Man beams "Especially dreah-pitched voice, and it sounds just the way the babies in htmare say it

"Get out of my room," I moan "Get out before I call my dad and tell him you tried to molestlike that," Owl Man sniffs and takes a step closer "I’ until you tell me"

"No," I spit "I don’t have it anymore, okay?"

Owl Man studiess You do still have the drea"

The tall, thin ers to his lips and blowsyou again after all these years Take care of yourself There are dark times ahead of us But I think you will fare well"

With that he turns and slips out ofthe door behind him I don’t put my headphones back on I can’t move I just lie on my bed, think about his enormous eyes, wonder at the nature of his questions and shiver