Hear My Story

Different cultures have the same belief on the bogeyman. Adults will tell children about this mythical creature to frighten them. They want the little ones to be good. In America, elders mention his name to keep the kids from going out of the house after dusk. But the US of the 19th century is far from the US of the present time.

Stephen King's "The Boogeyman", published in 1973, is probably his finest piece in the short story genre. It's about Lester Billings, a father of three, who makes an appointment with Dr. Harper. He blames the Bogeyman on the death of his children. A man of science will find it hard to believe his story. But the climax turns the tale upside down.

Analyze this

"I'm not one of your freaks strutting around and pretending to be Napoleon or explaining that I got hooked on heroin because my mother didn't love me. I know you won't believe me. I don't care. It doesn't matter. Just to tell will be enough."

Different people (from different countries) have the same first impression about the Bogeyman. This creature is usually a male entity, an embodiment of their worst nightmare. The dark represents uncertainty, which is a frightening thought. It's also unknowable. King was on a playful mood, though.

If readers would take Lester's stories seriously, then his three kids were hard to contain. (In the case of his eldest, it was crib death. The second succumbed to convulsions.) However, the little ones needed parental supervision. This would expose Lester's irresponsibility. Patricide could be the other possibility. The author didn't reveal Lester's past, but his agitated behavior suggested a homicidal urge. Readers would be undecided, until they reached the last two pages. Dr. Harper turned out to be the Bogeyman.

Lester might have committed murder prior to his having a family, and his children were his latest victims. (The past caught up with him, which drove him to kill his own flesh and blood.) If this was Ira Levin, then readers won't have a doubt. However, King's other short stories would include the supernatural. He also wrote about creatures who were by-products of man's manipulation with nature. In the case of this story, King attempted to pry into the reader's worst fear. It won't be children, but it could be something else.

Could the tale be part of Lester's wild imagination? If he made this all up, then whom was he trying to escape from? If the Bogeyman was after him, then what naughty deed he have done? Older readers would recall Freddy Krueger, which was a good try. If you haven't figured it out, then think about your worst fear. You might relate to Lester, if not sympathize with his plight. And you don't like to be out in the dark.