Fujur Preux (fujurpreux) wrote in 50originals, @ 2007-08-15 18:23:00 |
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Current mood: | content |
At Night
Title: At Night
Table: Horror
Prompt: 35 - Monster
Rating: PG
Length: ~1000
Summary: There's a monster under my bed.
There is a monster under my bed. My dog knows it too, because he never goes there, unlike every other dog I know of, who spend much of their time under their masters' beds.
I want to sleep, but the monster won't let me.
The worse thing is that he doesn't do anything; he's just there, looming, forcing his presence in my room. Under my bed.
Under me.
I spend the whole night every night sitting up, my eyes wide open, holding the pillow against my chest, waiting, just waiting until it's daytime.
I want to sleep I want to sleep I want to sleep.
But I can't.
It's been a while since my dog decided to sleep in the kitchen. The floor is cold and hard but it's safer there and I when I see him all fresh and rested I ask myself if I should move. The thing is, I'm not sure if the monster would follow. I remember reading somewhere that our monsters follow us everywhere.
I'm a mess. This can't go on any longer.
I can't sleep at night, but I can't sleep at day either. They won't let me.
My parents, my teachers, my so-called-friends insist that I should be awake during the day and do whatever they want me to do and then, at night, go to sleep. In a way, they're like the monster, except that they don't scare me that much; instead, they make me angry. But, then again, they don't know about the monster. Maybe I should tell them how I feel. I haven't done it because I'm afraid they'd laugh. I'm too old to be afraid of monsters.
Am I, really?
When I see the adults being able to sleep on their beds at night, I wonder if don't have any monsters to fear. If that's the case, I want to grow up as fast as possible. Then I'll be able to tell the monster under my bed to go away. Or maybe he'll go on his own accord when he notices I'm all grown up and I don't fear him.
On the meantime, he's there.
Sometimes, I want to know how he looks like. What he eats. But I don't dare to look.
Does he eat my fear? Does he runs to Monsterland or wherever he's from and grabs a bite of whatever he eats while I'm at school trying to convince the teacher I've had an excellent night with sweet dreams?
Why is he there? Does someone pay him? It has to be it; who would spend most of his time under a child's bed if he wasn't expecting some sort of reward?
I want to be able to sleep again, but I can't. Not in my room, not on my bed. I could maybe sleep on the couch, but what if the monster follows me?
If I could only sneak into the kitchen as soon as my parents turn their light off, I could hug my dog and we'll make each other warm, and we both could sleep together on the floor. The monster can't hide himself under the floor; there's not enough space down there.
My mom soon notices I haven't slept in ages, and she asks me about it. I don't answer, I only stare at her, unable to tell her how much I really want to sleep.
I want to sleep I want to sleep I want to sleep.
Perhaps she understand that I can't, because after talking with my dad, she takes me to see a doctor, a nice man with a thick, gray beard and glasses. He looks so kind and speaks so soft that he actually convinces me to tell him what scares me so.
When I tell him, he doesn't laugh. He just nods seriously and says he'll make the monster go away. I ask him how and he answers he has his methods.
He looks so sure of himself that I don't question him. Though maybe I do it because he didn't laugh. For the first time since I can't remember, I relax. I've put my faith on him and I wait for my bedroom to be a safe place again.
I'm sure it won't take long.
A couple of hours later, back at home, my mother grants me official permission to spend that night on the kitchen floor, in a sleeping bag. That's good too, because the monster won't fit between the bag and the floor, so he'd have to remain under my bed.
Then, the twist appears.
My mom announces she's going to be in my bedroom, waiting for the monster and get rid of him.
I look at her. I want to ask her how she plans to do it, but I'm too happy and too tired and I so want to sleep.
I only warn her about falling asleep. She says I shouldn't worry.
Not much afterwards, the sun sets and I put my head on a pillow. My dog is curled against me and I brush his fur, thinking about how my mom is going to vanish the horrid monster.
Then, I can't wait any more. I close my eyes and I fall asleep and it feels so good.
The next weeks pass in a blur.
The monsters all gone now and I've caught up with my sleep, but my dad is angry and scared and sad all the time.
I try to tell them mom will be back as soon as she's done with the monster, but everyone's still looking for her in the wrongest of places: outside.
I ask to go to the nice, bearded man so he can tell them; they'll believe him.
But he doesn't say a thing. He just frowns and broods.
On the plus side, he still doesn't laugh.