He knew it was true. But still, he found himself on his small, eery bed reciting it over and over again in his head…. “No such thing as MONSTERS, no such thing as MONSTERS,” but what was he to know, he was a kid after all.
He was scared, he didn’t like admitting it but he was. The darkness stained his mind and made him feel alone. A dog without its owner, a squirrel without a nut, a man without his sanity. He was used to it though, he was an only child and his parents didn’t care about him at all. He spent most of his days playing by himself or talking to his stuffed animals.
The only thing that kept him sane was the essence of a moon he could make out through his window. Still, he couldn’t get a better look being trapped on his bed. In the real world he survives by leaning on other people, but in the dark, there’s no one to lean on, no one to help you get rid of your monsters.
No matter how stubborn he is, he can’t deny it anymore. There’s only one way to get rid of the monsters, but that’s only if you do the FOLLOWING IN ORDER….
1: Never look under your bed
A BED, a desolate island disconnected from the world, how can something feel so safe and yet so unsafe?
2: Don’t open your closet
A ROPE, use it. He did in fact because the rope found itself around the closet handles keeping it shut.
3: Keep your bedroom door shut
A BOOKSHELF to block the door.
4: Don’t look out your window
BLINDS, he didn’t want to but he was forced to pull down the blinds. Obstructing his view of the moon, obstructing his sanity.
5: Turn on all lights
A LIGHTSWITCH, one flick of that switch can change everything, from danger to safety, from death to life.
6: Get a weapon
A cold, loaded COLT 1860 ARMY REVOLVER found its way from under the bed to a spot in his chest making him feel warm and safe. His parents never let him do anything, they abused him, lied to him, threatened him, but they did have a lot of guns. It was 12:55 and the world around him seemed to fade away as he shakily prepared himself for the next step…
7. Go back to sleep.
But how could he it was too late? The monsters would come out soon, ready to FEED.
8: Prepare, at 1:00 they come out.
The BEDSHEETS were his protection, the only thing keeping the real world from his happy safe world. He practically lived under the bedsheets when he was in trouble or when his dad went around on an anger spree. 12:58, too close. He was trapped in a maze of fear and uncertainty under those covers. Time moved in slow motion for those split seconds as he waited.
12:59…………tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. 1:00 would come soon. In life, he ran away from his problems, from those gaping holes without resolution. To him, he shouldn’t try anything unless he succeeded, shielding the pain of losing. But this, he, has no choice …….. TICK.TICK.TICK.
1:00…
1:01…
1:02…
1:03…
1:04…
1:05…
No monsters. Was he safe? Were the monsters gone? Was there actually no such thing as a monster? NO.“Knock, Knock, Knock,” thought too soon. Tick, tick, TICK.
“Sweetie would you please open the door,” such an innocent voice, but what do he know anymore. THE VOICE, Don’t trust it, never trust it. Because it will always be the monster. Life can be deceiving, it’s built on lies and pain, and to him the second he trusts anyone, they betray him. His mom, his dad, his used to be friends. To him, he has to face the monsters alone.
9: Don’t open the door for the monster, NEVER open the door for the monster
“It’s your mom sweety, I know it’s been a hard time after the FUNERAL and all but there’s no need to shut me out!” Never trust A MOTHER, especially not a fake monster mother like this one, “Honey I love you so much please let me in.”
TEARS, he knows he's better than that. He knows it’s not his actual mother, but he still clings to that one saying, “No such thing as monsters, no such thing as monsters, no such thing as monsters”.
A sharp yearning pain grew and grew inside his stomach, which he now realizes was nervousness. He had never felt nervous before. He never planned ahead, he faced whatever came his way and in his mind, actions had no consequences.
“That’s it, honey, I’m opening up!” the monster yelled in anger opening the door making the bookshelf fall over and with that all chances of surviving. It’s was feeding time for those monsters as they ALL CAME OUT.
BANGING: from the closet
BANGING: from the outside of the window
BANGING: from under the bed.
Hands from under the bed pulled at his sheets, breaking his bubble, his shield, his only safe place. From every little corner and drawer, GREEN SLIMY hands came out. Of course, he couldn’t see this closing his eyes. Finally, the monsters pulled the sheets off his bed, leaving him, cold and bare with his gun cuddled next to him.
He was doomed, that’s just the truth.
10: Do not LOOK into the monster’s eyes
Eyes provide sight, knowledge, understanding, but in those moments through which he had his eyes sealed, he had no idea what was happening to him or what his fate was. He was useless like a half-eaten thrown away bag of chips, and he HATED IT.
The monsters stood around him, observing him cuddled up alone as a wet damp puddle of tears got bigger and bigger around his face, slowly suffocating him in fear and pain. He was a TEST SUBJECT to them. The monsters slowly leaned in and started poking at him, shaking him back and forth like a cat and a yarn ball. Another small puddle appeared by his pajamas, PEE. “Please sweety what’s wrong, let me help you!” he knew better than that by now.
11: Most importantly do not show FEAR
Fear, Monsters feed on fear. Every little time you are afraid of anything, the monsters smell it. And eventually, if he got afraid enough, they would EAT HIM. He realized what he had to do. The green ugly monsters leaned in towards him licking their lips, opening their mouths, getting ready to eat. “No such thing as monsters no such thing as monsters” he and his gun slowly moved up facing the monsters.
“ I love you so much sweety, please put the gun down,” the monster’s voice spoke to him, it put him in a trance of hope, and for a second, he was about to put down the gun. His whole life he had been alone, not letting anyone help him, but this could just be his mom, maybe there were not monsters.
But then he remembered all the steps he went through, what he’s seen, how his mom would not have been that nice, and he realized, “You can’t escape your monsters”. No matter what you do they come back. The only thing you can do is Face them.
12: Tighten the grip on your gun and FIRE!!!!
Bang!
Bang!
BANG!
Gunshots went everywhere as he lost control. He felt like every gunshot was taking away a little bit of him. His body slowly becoming weaker and weaker until there was nothing left.
SILENCE, nothing left but the ticking of his clock and the scared helpless thoughts of him.
Slowly, he opened his eyes expecting the worse…..
NO MONSTER. But a monster of a different form, his MOM.
“Dang it!” He cried in frustration. She laid there, cold and lifeless, her eyes rolled up out of her sockets as her body got paler and paler. No more MOMMY, NO MORE.
He had spent his whole life trying to get rid of his monsters, but the only monsters are the ones you create, and he had just created one.
HIS MOM, With the help of him, loosely slid into his bedroom closet and sat upright next to another body, a MAN, his dad to be exact. Their bodies were both filled with gunshots as they sat dead with their dark, black, dead EYES WIDE OPEN, looking up at him.
“Sorry guys, I was just TRYING TO GET RID OF MY MONSTERS” Slowly, he shuts the closet as their open, blank eyes stared back up at him in disbelief.
Days later he would flee the country, leaving his monsters behind. But some monsters can’t stay buried forever. Behind every corner, and in every closet, holds your deepest darkest secrets, your monsters…
YOU CAN’T ESCAPE YOUR MONSTERS