~The Doctor
Once upon a time there was a little girl. She was like every other little girl. She loved some things and hated some things, some things made her happy, others made her sad.
And some things made her cry in the night for her mama. She had monsters.
The monsters looked like shadows crawling in through the windows and under the crack between the door and the floor. They looked like a sweater tossed over the back of a chair. They looked like a pile of dolls and stuffed animals. But they were none of those things. The monsters were real.
Every night her mama tucked her into bed and gave her a kiss on the forehead. In that moment she felt safe and secure. Because there is no safer place than in the presence of one's mama. But her mama always left and she was alone with her monsters.
She tried to be brave. She tried to tell herself that the monsters were not real, that they were just shadows and sweaters and toys. But she knew better and she always ended up crying for her mama to save her from the monsters.
Night after night she anticipated the moment of terror when the light went off and the monsters came out. Night after night her mama came to her in a blaze of protective fire, frightening the monsters away until tomorrow. It was exhausting. For both the little girl and for her mama.
But monsters don't get tired. They don't wear out. They are very patient and they can wait and wait and wait until babies and mamas are tired of fighting and being brave and that's when they gobble you up.
Lucky for this little girl, her mama was smarter than the monsters. She would never get tired of fighting because she would win first.
One more time she tucked her little girl into bed. She gave her a kiss on the forehead. She said, "Good night, sleep tight," and turned off the light. And this time, she waited. She heard her little girl cry, as she knew she would, for her mama to save her from the monsters.
The mama burst into the room, turned on the light and dared the monsters to come out. She commanded the monsters to come out. Out of the closet! Out of the drawers! Out from under the bed! Out from behind the door! OUT OUT OUT!!! She grabbed her little girl by the hand and together they chased the monsters out. Out of the closet, out of the drawers, out from under the bed and behind the door. Out of her room, down the hall, to the front door.
The mama flung the door open and yelled at the monsters, "GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE AND DON'T YOU COME BACK!" She slammed the door as the last monster slinked away in fear and shame.
The mama walked her little girl back to her room, closed all the doors and drawers, kissed her on the forehead, turned out the light, and said, "Good night, sleep tight."
And she did.
The monsters were gone.
And they never came back.
True story.
2 comments:
Love the story and the illustrations. I think you should get it published!
hmmm...that's an idea! I would have liked the illustrations better if they weren't in Paint. I like his hand drawn illustrations better than computer enhanced illustrations. But still. It's a good story.
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