The Cage Fighter who grew to be afraid of the dark

The Cage Fighter who grew to be afraid of the dark

fiction
edward w pritchard

One could only endure a cage boxing match against Boswell Shayes. Boswell had a fierce nature, even for a competitive cage fighter and Boswell looked a thug. Boswell's body, his countenance, and his physiognomy were menacing and intimidating. None of the other cage fighters enjoyed sparring or cage boxing with Boswell Shayes. When Boswell walked down the street even groups of three or four teenage men sensed his truculent and aggressive nature and they pulled aside instinctively.

The only person who knew a gentler side of Boswell was his girlfriend Lillian. Lillian was a single Mother with a six year old daughter, Megan. The little girl, Megan was very sick and for the last six months while Lillian worked if Boswell wasn't working at his day job he was by Megan's bedside at Children's hospital reading to her or watching cartoons. It was only because of Lillian's insistence that Boswell continued to workout with his cage boxing training for he was inclined to spend all his extra time at the hospital with Megan, who was a sad sick little girl.

Boswell continued to train for the kick boxing and because he wanted to hurry to the hospital he made every minute of his workouts count. The gym became a refuge for Boswell and he approached his workouts with a fierce intensity. Boswell became trained for cage fighting to a proper sporting edge and he was at his peak of conditioning.

Although Boswell was in peak physical shape he developed severe insomnia about the time Megan began spending more time at the Children's Hospital cancer ward than at her and Lillian's small house. Repeatedly Boswell the cage boxer began to have horrifying dreams of terror and death which woke him promptly at four AM. Boswell would then be unable to return to sleep and would fret and suffer for Megan's safety. The fears continued to creep on into Boswell's day as well. Boswell began to fear the night time hours and Boswell the fierce cage fighter came to be afraid of the dark.