Monsters
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Little Billy sat up. Sweat trickling down his forehead, he panted, gasping for air. A bad dream... again. Momma said that dreams were nothing but his imagination. They can be happy dreams and they can be scary, but never true. Billy didn't understand what she meant by that. The monsters coming after him seemed quite real to him. And the glaring eyes, pointy teeth dripping with blood and claws curved like eagle's beaks did not help with the distinction between reality and nightmares.
Speaking of monsters, Billy suddenly became aware of his surroundings, the darkness that engulfed him and all the monsters that lay within. It was in these moments that he longed to go to his parent's room and snuggle between Momma and Poppa. No monster could ever get him there. But no… Momma had said that he had become a big boy now and was no longer allowed to do that. He must deal with his monsters. Clutching Teddy tighter to his chest he trembled at the thought.
Outside his window, the leaves rustled. Probably a bird had just come home. Perhaps he was out looking for grubs for his little ones. Kind of like when his Poppa was late for dinner and he'd sit with his mother, waiting for him. Billy liked climbing trees. After school, he and his friends would always try to reach the highest branch of that maple tree in the park. The sheer fun aside, it was always an exciting event to find a bird's nest. But Billy wasn't allowed to touch the eggs. He was warned about that strictly.
“You can look at the nest. But you must never touch it or the eggs in it. Do you understand, Billy?”
“But Momma, I want an egg too. Peter got one from that nest we found the other day”
“No, you can't. Would you feel good if someone took you away from me?”
“No,” sobbed Billy.
“Well, taking an egg is exactly that. So you must never do it. Am I clear?”
Billy never did. He hated disobeying his mother. To a seven year old, parents are gods. When something goes wrong, Momma and Poppa can always make it right. Always. But no matter how much he tried, he couldn't fight off the fear. These trees didn't seem too lovely at night. Full of mysteries, that's where the monsters hid sometimes. Reaching out from the dark slowly, cautiously silent, they would open the window. Hands gripping the sill, they poked in their heads. And then... well, Billy didn't want to think about that. Sweating, sobbing and shaking, he thought about making a run for the door. He could sleep on the couch and watch the TV. That seemed good.
He looked at the door. But the faint light coming from under it barely provided any comfort. It reminded him of how far he was from it. His heart skipped a beat as he saw the door creak open. Someone was there. Were the monsters outside too? They were going to get him now. Dig their claws and teeth deep into his skin. And it would hurt. It would hurt a lot. Billy did what any boy of his age would consider as the last resort. He screamed. The door opened wide and there standing was his savior… Momma. She hugged him tight and kissed him on the forehead. Her words of consolation as she wiped away the tears were all that mattered now. They could not get him. They could not do anything. All the monsters had gone away. Everything was alright again. Momma was there.
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