Monster
under the bed
Ben crawled under the bedsheets again, breathless, eyelashes wet. The monster was still under his bed, he could hear it moving around and he didn't dare to let a limb hang over the edge. He pulled his bear close to him. He couldn't wake up Mummy and Daddy again. Every time they looked, they were always so very cross with him for waking them up. They never say the jaws or the yellow eyes. They never felt the slimy touch in the middle of his dreams, the whispers in his nightmares, the claw marks in the carpet. He had tried everything to save himself, sneaking parts of his lunch to an old frisbee as an offering. Well, anything that he could keep from Sean.
It didn't help, though. Lunch might keep Sean from him but the monster obviously had a different taste. He sniffled into his bear. What if it ate children and it was just waiting? But for what?
He wasn't crying, really, he wasn't. He had to be a big boy but...bravery is one thing spoken about but so rarely given. He had heard about people praying and asking people for help. Praying didn't help him before with Sean so why would they suddenly work for the monster? Maybe he was just a rotten kid. Maybe this was meant for him.
Something brushed against the sheets and he clung to his bear. This was it. He was going to be eaten. The shadow moved closer, dark as the graveyards he passed on his way to school. He guessed that the wet sheets didn't matter so much now. How could Mummy and Daddy be cross at him if he was all eaten? He still couldn't stop blurting out a cry.
"What are you hiding from?"
The voice was...
Unfamiliar and yet he had heard it before. He was certain he had heard it before. It was something prim, stern and soft, cuddly. Deeper than he thought but...why did he think anything like that would have a voice?
He peeked from his sheets to see a woman in front of him. She too seemed familiar to him but he didn't know why. Darker, rounder, hair askew like those mummies who went to the school from the other part of town. Some people said bad things about them and one little girl Subira gets bullied. Was that her mummy? No, it couldn't be.
He looked at her, panicked. She was standing so close to the bed, what if...? What if she was just the monster in disguise...or even worse, she would get eaten by the monster? It didn't seem fair that this woman who appeared would get eaten...
"The...monster." he said, quietly. He looked down, wiping his eyes on the bear. She grinned broadly, nodding, as if she had already known. he pulled the sheets over him, trying to hide the stain from her. The woman nodded before looking under his bed. Part of him thought that she was just going to not see the monster just like the adults always did. Maybe it went invisible with the grown ups around.
He couldn't quite believe it when she helped to drag something out. It was huge, the body seemed to go on forever and it stood tall, having to stoop to stop himself going through the ceiling. The woman seemed a little out of breath, holding onto her hips, panting. he must have not paid much attention when she dragged it out since it seemed to simply transition from one place to another.
"Don't you have something to say?" She shook the monster's arm, her remaining hand waggling her finger. It was something Ben had seen so often with parents. But telling off the monster? That was...something else entirely. The monster seemed to roll those terrifying yellow eyes, before looking quickly down at the floor.
It opened it's jaws, the rows of sharp, black teeth staring at him. "Sorry." it said before blinking out of existence. The woman smiled again, shaking her head.
"She was always such a silly thing." she said, as if the monster had been nothing more than a disobedient puppy. Still, she moved closer to Ben, sitting on the floor beside him. "Are you alright, Ben? i know she must have given you quite a fright over the past while."
He didn't say anything, still bewildered by the woman's presence, the dismissal of the monster, not becoming someone's dinner. He shook a little, eyes wide as the sky. She turned, the frock coat she was wearing twirling as she did. He licked his lips and gained some courage. "Who...are you?"
She stopped, smiling at him before ruffling his hair. She smelled strange, like his bike: oil and rust.
"I'm Archive. And I'm always watching over you, Ben." she grinned devilishly, in a way that made Ben squirm. "Do you think Sean would like a monster under his bed?" Ben didn't say anything before shaking his head. She grinned more normally, those shades of darkness falling from her face. "Correct answer."
She faded from his sight, like a footprint on the beach. Ben didn't say anything when he went to school but he felt stronger. Sean didn't scare him anymore. Ben had his own monster to fight for him - Archive. she might have looked like one of the mummies who went to his school but in that grin...he was only glad that she seemed to look out for him.
It didn't help, though. Lunch might keep Sean from him but the monster obviously had a different taste. He sniffled into his bear. What if it ate children and it was just waiting? But for what?
He wasn't crying, really, he wasn't. He had to be a big boy but...bravery is one thing spoken about but so rarely given. He had heard about people praying and asking people for help. Praying didn't help him before with Sean so why would they suddenly work for the monster? Maybe he was just a rotten kid. Maybe this was meant for him.
Something brushed against the sheets and he clung to his bear. This was it. He was going to be eaten. The shadow moved closer, dark as the graveyards he passed on his way to school. He guessed that the wet sheets didn't matter so much now. How could Mummy and Daddy be cross at him if he was all eaten? He still couldn't stop blurting out a cry.
"What are you hiding from?"
The voice was...
Unfamiliar and yet he had heard it before. He was certain he had heard it before. It was something prim, stern and soft, cuddly. Deeper than he thought but...why did he think anything like that would have a voice?
He peeked from his sheets to see a woman in front of him. She too seemed familiar to him but he didn't know why. Darker, rounder, hair askew like those mummies who went to the school from the other part of town. Some people said bad things about them and one little girl Subira gets bullied. Was that her mummy? No, it couldn't be.
He looked at her, panicked. She was standing so close to the bed, what if...? What if she was just the monster in disguise...or even worse, she would get eaten by the monster? It didn't seem fair that this woman who appeared would get eaten...
"The...monster." he said, quietly. He looked down, wiping his eyes on the bear. She grinned broadly, nodding, as if she had already known. he pulled the sheets over him, trying to hide the stain from her. The woman nodded before looking under his bed. Part of him thought that she was just going to not see the monster just like the adults always did. Maybe it went invisible with the grown ups around.
He couldn't quite believe it when she helped to drag something out. It was huge, the body seemed to go on forever and it stood tall, having to stoop to stop himself going through the ceiling. The woman seemed a little out of breath, holding onto her hips, panting. he must have not paid much attention when she dragged it out since it seemed to simply transition from one place to another.
"Don't you have something to say?" She shook the monster's arm, her remaining hand waggling her finger. It was something Ben had seen so often with parents. But telling off the monster? That was...something else entirely. The monster seemed to roll those terrifying yellow eyes, before looking quickly down at the floor.
It opened it's jaws, the rows of sharp, black teeth staring at him. "Sorry." it said before blinking out of existence. The woman smiled again, shaking her head.
"She was always such a silly thing." she said, as if the monster had been nothing more than a disobedient puppy. Still, she moved closer to Ben, sitting on the floor beside him. "Are you alright, Ben? i know she must have given you quite a fright over the past while."
He didn't say anything, still bewildered by the woman's presence, the dismissal of the monster, not becoming someone's dinner. He shook a little, eyes wide as the sky. She turned, the frock coat she was wearing twirling as she did. He licked his lips and gained some courage. "Who...are you?"
She stopped, smiling at him before ruffling his hair. She smelled strange, like his bike: oil and rust.
"I'm Archive. And I'm always watching over you, Ben." she grinned devilishly, in a way that made Ben squirm. "Do you think Sean would like a monster under his bed?" Ben didn't say anything before shaking his head. She grinned more normally, those shades of darkness falling from her face. "Correct answer."
She faded from his sight, like a footprint on the beach. Ben didn't say anything when he went to school but he felt stronger. Sean didn't scare him anymore. Ben had his own monster to fight for him - Archive. she might have looked like one of the mummies who went to his school but in that grin...he was only glad that she seemed to look out for him.