"So, what do these creatures want with a kid from our world?"

Friday takes a deep breath and stares into the distance.

"They need gods." He nods his head slowly then fixes the boy with his tattered gaze. "When the two worlds were split apart, all the creatures for whom belief and the manipulation of the energies known as magic were the same thing ended up on this side and all the things that naturally had a surplus of energy ended up on the other side."

"What does that have to do with anything?" The boy absently waved away a mosquito.

"There's an old rule, all but forgotten in vampire lore, in this world. It states that things from the other world are not allowed to approach those from this side without first being invited. You have to talk to them first to allow them into your life. They show themselves and people on this side, if they see them, speak first. Children have the strongest belief and so they are coveted. It's why all the monsters in all the stories seem to want children. They are the most likely to invite them, and they're the most powerful in the manipulation of the other world's energies.
"The lucky ones are killed by vampires or something like them. The unlucky ones are taken to the other world and made into gods."

"Gods? Isn't that a good thing?"

"Organized religion has done it's job on you. The gods there aren't strong and they aren't alone. The gods there have something the unscrupulous need and are willing to exploit. They have beliefs that can be manipulated. Their beliefs are reality in that world. They are slaves to the will of the monsters who keep them, much like djinni or ifriti are bound to lamps or bottles.. Then, around about when puberty hits, they are used up and a few lucky ones are killed. Even more rarely, they realize their own potential and send themselves home. You don't want to know what happens to the rest."

"Wait, they come back?"

"Oh, yeah. Steeped for such a long time in pure magical energies and trained to be powerful in their beliefs, they overcome long odds against madness and captivity and return home."

"Don't they stand out?"

"Yeah. Even in the history books. Some you wouldn't have even heard about. Others... Joan of Arc, Gengis Khan, Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, Ramses the first. They come back and believe in their own world conquests or other similar goals. A little magic and a lot of belief and one person can change the whole world."

---

Oh, and for those who are interested, this little wretch is a five-year-old girl.