Monsters

 I was staring straight at the window watching the oranges and purples of twilight fade into the black of night. Knowing soon the darkness would be here. It was already coming. I am not afraid of the dark, only afraid of things in it. The monsters are always there, always in the darkness. You can see shapes moving, eyes glaring. I was crouched in the corner of the room. In my hand was a flashlight I had found lying around. Beside me, there was a nightlight that cast a very dim shadow around the corner. It wasn’t dark enough. It never was. You can’t hurt the monsters. How could you hurt a shadow? Only with light, but I didn’t have enough. I was too scared of leaving this haven to run to the light switch. So I sat there waiting for the monsters to come. Hoping I would be okay tonight. I heard a creak and my head whipped to see the red eyes and sleek shadow coming towards me. I pointed the flashlight and clicked the button. The beam of light made the shadow disappear, for now. Glancing over the darkness I made out more monsters. I used the light to make them disappear too. They kept coming. And coming. I couldn’t fend all of them off and knew that tonight would be the night they got me. I let out a shrill scream. Heavy footsteps came racing down the hall. The door to the room was thrown open and the light from the hall forced the monsters crowded around me away.

“Luce! Are you okay?” My daddy asked in his soothing voice as he pulled me into a huge hug.

“The monsters were about to get me.” I cried into his shoulder.

“Want to sleep with me and Mommy tonight?” My only response was a nod.

“Okay.” As he closed the door behind him, I saw the monsters reform knowing my daddy won’t always be able to save me.