Title: Fearless

Rating: M for Language, Violence, Grotesquerie, and General Trippiness

Summary: A girl suffers trauma to her temporal lobe. The result: no fear. ~ Squint and turn the screen sideways for romantic subtext. Less than 1000 words per drabble.

Disclaimer & Important Notes:

I don't own Freddy. I don't want to own Freddy. He's a bad, bad man. I do not own Elm Street, either, though once I stole a sign.

None of the poems in this piece are mine. They are a collection of Mother Goose nursery rhymes, poems from children's books and stories, and songs passed down through generations of children and parents to acquaintances who were kind enough to let me use them.

Entry One, Night One: Fable

Word Count: 341

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Fable

(Night 1)

"You haven't heard of him?"

Ash shrugged. The name was familiar, but that was all.

"Dude, how can something like that not make an impact?" Mike said, chuckling and shaking his head. "The story goes that this guy used to do awful things to kids, and the parents decided to take justice into their own hands. They hunted the dude down like a rat, cornered him in that old factory, and burned the whole thing to kingdom-come. Boom."

"But that's not all," Amanda interrupted, shivering, and then grinning mischievously. "Something happened. Freddy didn't die—or at least, he didn't go away. Somehow he figured out how to live on…in kids' dreams."

"So when the kids of these parents started getting older," Mike added, "he started killing them. In their dreams."

Ash tilted her head. "Just the kids whose parents killed him?" she asked.

"Well, they were the targets," Mike admitted, "but they say he can get into anyone's dreams, if he tries. He feeds off of fear."

"Just think," Amanda offered, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "The kids who died—our parents knew them. They were friends with them. Heck, it could have been them!" She shivered again deliciously, a nervous grin lighting her freckled features.

Ash blinked at them. "Doesn't talking about him like this kind of set you up for nightmares tonight?" Her expression was quizzical.

"Well, yeah," Amanda shot back, her lips twitching n merriment. "That's part of the fun. What do you say you come over tonight, Ash? Jacie and Lizard will be there. We can tell ghost stories."

Mike hooted. "And Ash will be the one protecting you all from the boogeyman!"

"Well, yeah," Amanda shot back. "That's part of why we like to have her along!" She flashed a broad, bright smile. "What do you say, Ash? Maybe we'll freak you out after all!"

Ash allowed the corner of her mouth to curl into a smile. She'd go, of course. It would be enjoyable. "Not a chance, 'Manda," she said mildly. "I'm not afraid."

Of anything.

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Up stairs and down stairs in his night-gown,
Tapping at the window, scratching at the lock,
"Are the children in their bed? It's past eight o'clock!"

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The character of Freddy Krueger is very interesting, exciting, compelling. Normally, he's exactly the kind of character for whom I'd love to write a romance. HOWEVER.

Child molestation? Not hot.

I briefly thought about backdating my fanfiction and going by-the-book with the old-school vids. After all, back in the day, people didn't talk about molestation. Freddy was only ever explicitly referred to as a child-killer (which somehow I can stomach better than a molester). However, I believe it was always implicitly a part of his character, and as much as I'd like to go back and remove that bit of the lore, I would feel like I was "cheating" (though it has never bothered me to read such a manipulation of the character in other people's fanfics….bring 'em on!).

So…as much as I would have liked to make this into a full-fledged fiction rife with character development and twisting plots and unveiled mysteries and sexual tension, I was too eeked out. Instead, I hope you enjoy the little bits and drabbles I am offering instead, and make of them what you will.

There will be eight chapters: I can't imagine more or less. They proceed as follows:

Fable
Furnace
Fear
Fruitless
Failure
Fall-Out
Fatality
Freddy

The goal is to use as few words as possible while still making sense. To be safe, I'm marking each chapter as less than 1000 words, but right now I think all the drafts are at less than 700. I know drabbles aren't always popular, but I hope you have fun with them!