“The dark one’s” By Ben Goode 2016 © (image not mine)

They visited her every night. And she expected them.
No longer scared, but perhaps she should have been.
But she didn't like them at all.

She had tried to tell her Parents about them,

but they didn't believe her anyway. 
And every time her parents came, her visitors were gone.
Little black shadow people crawled up onto her bed.
There were five of them now.
"Why do you keep coming back?" She asked. 
"And you keep bringing others, and you promised me not to!"
"We need to take only a little" One whispered.
"But its my life, I need it. You can't keep taking it, its mine!"
"You have plenty; you must share it with us!"
"But it hurts me, please don't take it, I'll die!"
"It won't hurt long; you must sleep now, close your eyes!"
She closed her eyes and when she did the shadow people
seemed to take away wisps of light away from her, and
they consumed it hungrily. 
The girl whimpered as they did, but there was nothing she 
could do. And nobody would help her, nobody ever did.
She seemed to shiver as they took more and more away.
The next morning Doctor Garran, and the girls parents stood 
around the little girls bed with concern.
The little girl still slept and looked quite pale and sick.
"Whats wrong with her Doctor?" Asked the mother. 
"She has been like this for days now, and its been harder
to wake her for school"
"I need you to stand away for a moment while I examine her." 
Dr Garren said to the parents. And they stood back.
The Doctor kneeled down to the girl, and he whispered to her.
"It’s the dark ones isn't it, just nod your head. I will help you"
The little girl nodded slightly.
The doctor took out a small bottle of dark liquid and held it 
to her lips for her to sip. And she took some in.
"What are you giving her? What is that? You never asked us
if she could take that!" The mother interrupted him.
"It’s something I asked you to give her once before, and you
obviously didn't. It’s a vaccine!" The Doctor glared at the mother.
"I'm sorry Doctor you'll have to leave. We told you once before
we don't believe in chemicals or man-made medicines!" 
The father said as he moved toward the Doctor.
"I've done all I can do now anyway." The Doctor said as he 
turned to leave.
"And you'll be hearing from our lawyers, good day Doctor!" 
The mother snapped.
The next night the little shadow people crawled up onto the
girls bed once more, and this time there were ten of them.
The girl didn't respond to them in her weakened state.
The shadows didn't waste anytime in trying to take more
of the girls soul, but when they tried they started to gag
and cough, and they scurried away and off the bed.
The parents were sleeping soundly in their own room 
when the creatures crawled up onto their bed.
There were twenty of them and they totally surrounded the
parents. Their life energy was consumed easily as they slept.
But they never woke up the next morning, when their 
little girl did. She stood at their door looking in on them, 
and shook her head.
"I told you!"