Childhood Fears

And then it was darkness. Pitch-black viciously malicious darkness manifesting itself in the child's bedroom. Tommy was in his four poster bed laying wide awake, too afraid to fall asleep. Despite his desperate cries for help, his mother dismissed his claims that a monster lurked beneath his bed, unconvincingly assured him that it was just a figment of his imagination. She tucked him in and left. In total darkness.

His eyes assumed the shape of perfect circles, his heart palpitating as if he were running a marathon. Losing vision, his aural senses sharpened. Every little tick and creak magnified a hundredfold. He dared not close his eyes, in case he drift off and gets ambushed in his sleep. The past few nights have been terrifying. The shifting of shadows against his linen curtain. The rattling breath emanating from the closet. But worst of all was the clawing and gnawing under his bed.

Tommy hadn't notice his pupils had gradually expanded and his vision adapted, his room becoming more focused. This is what he feared. Seeing it. He was just staring straight into the patterned ceiling when an ominous metallic sound whirred close to his head. Tik tik tissssssk. He just laid rigid, his muscles stunned in fear. He could feel his heart beating penetratingly into his eardrums and throat. For a moment he struggled to breathe. Then, it burst, only inches from his left ear. TIK TIK TOK TSSSSSSKKK. He jolted immediately under his blanket, his pants might have been drowned in lava. His whole body was trembling frantically. His teeth clattering and his toes cramped and curled.

Tears were seeping out of the corner of his eyes but not a single sound escaped his pursed lips. He laid under the sheets for what seemed like an eternity on top of another. His breathing and heartbeat had not slackened for an instance, continuously attempting to drive him insane. Only when it became unbearable and his lungs strained for oxygen did he steadily lower the blanket, his head emerging into the open air. Vulnerable.

This is not real, Tommy assured himself. It just part of your silly imagination. Just like mother said.

But it wasn’t.

He stared at the foot of his bed.

The outline of a head.

He gasped in horror; he didn’t know what to do so he screamed as loud as his voice box permitted. But the figure had vaulted onto his miniscule body and clamped his mouth tight, its claw digging into his cheek. Shhhhh it warned. Be quiet.

Tommy was still struggling against its enormous weight when he thought, he could talk, strange. Ever so slowly, he unfurled his eyelids and what he saw genuinely surprised him. It was certainly a monster but it was not the kind he had in mind. Despite the darkness, he could distinguish many characteristics: It wore furs of blue and black patterns; there were two horns above its minute ears; its beaded eyes gleamed and it smile bared soft rounded teeth. ‘Sorry I didn’t mean to scare you,’ it exclaimed in its deep amicable voice.

The monster shifted off him and laid at his feet. Tommy sat upright, his arms clutching his knees in unison, as he examined it. It was the shape of a marshmallow and had a short tail in its rear. Like a cuddly dinosaur.

‘You’re not even scary.’ He spoke with little bravery in his wavering voice.

‘Of course I’m not Tommy,’ it countered warmly. ‘I’m Grezzy, guardian of your bed.’ It grinned.

He gazed at him suspiciously. He certainly did look like he meant no harm, despite his rather sharp metal talons, which shimmered in the streak of moonlight from the gap in the curtain. He massaged his face where it had pinched him.

‘Oh, so sorry. I didn’t mean to squeeze that tightly.’ It responded with a hint of dejection. ‘I just didn’t want your parents see me. They’ll shoo me out for sure. I’ve seen many others kicked out and wandering the lonely streets at night.’ It sighed.

Tommy thought about what it said but it doesn’t make much sense to him. ‘If you are a guardian then why were you scratching the floor under my bed. Or rattling my closet?’ he questioned. ‘I couldn’t sleep for three nights.’

‘I was meant to …’ it began, but halted mid-sentence. Horror streaked its face. The smile immediately drooped into a gaping hole and its claws clasped over it. It slowly turned its frightened eyes on Tommy and muttered.

‘I meant to warn you. There’s a man in your closet. Watching you.’