Doug recognized the look and it invited even as it frightened him. Doug himself use to play mind games.

His little brother Travis used to have nightmares. Doug would be half awake and he'd lay there listening to him whimpering until it grew like a bubble into a scream. It brought their mother or dad running in with orange juice and a story for both boys until Travis drifted to sleep.

It was years later that he admitted to his brother that after lights out, he'd painted scary stories in the dark just for the drink and a story.