The Shadow Monsters

THE SHADOW MONSTERS



“Jacob, it’s time for bed!”
“No, not yet Mommy!” Jacob said, as he rubbed his eyes and covered a yawn.
“Look at you, you are so tired.”
It was true. Jacob was tired. It wasn’t that he didn’t like bedtime. He loved the way his daddy read him stories. He loved the way his mommy sang him songs. He loved how cozy his new big boy bed was. The thing was he had to sleep downstairs, in the basement. There were pipes and wires everywhere and the furnace made a loud roaring sound all night long. His parents were so far away in their room upstairs. As long as they stayed by his side, he could fall asleep, but when they left, the shadow monsters would come out. Every night was the same. He would lie in his bed and peer around every corner of his dark room, his heart racing and pounding in his ears. It wasn’t long before he could hear the dry slither of the shadow snake and see its slimy tongue.
“SSSSssss….”
“Go away! Leave me alone!” He’d whisper, but it never would.
Next he’d hear the rusty rustle of the shadow dragon’s wings as it settled itself on its perch.
“I’m not scared of you!” Jacob would shout, but the dragon would not budge. It only hung there from the curtain rod and stared at him with it’s glittering red eyes. Jacob imagined it was sizing him up for its dinner.
When the shadow moose shook its giant antlers and stomped its great hooves, Jacob couldn’t take it anymore. He would clamber out of his bed and stumble up the stairs, shaking with fright and choking back tears.
If his mommy and daddy were still awake, they would sternly say, “Go back to bed, Jacob,” and they would take him back to his room. The shadow monsters were afraid of Mommy and Daddy, but as soon as his parents left, the beasts would creep back into his room and up the stairs he would run.
If Mommy and Daddy were sleeping, he would quietly tiptoe into their room and climb into his little cot that was kept there in case he had a nightmare. Daddy would make a grumpy grumbling sound, Mommy would heave a huge sigh, and Jacob could tell that they weren’t very happy with him. But the shadow monsters never came into Mommy and Daddy’s room. He knew he was safe there.
Jacob really wanted to stay in his big boy bed. It was much cozier than that little cot. He was just too scared.
One day as he watched his favourite T.V. show, a wizard pulled out a magic wand and made an evil dragon disappear. This gave Jacob an idea. That night, before he went to bed, he tucked his little flashlight into the pocket of his pyjamas. After mommy and daddy left, he laid there in the darkness of his room and waited. It wasn’t long before he saw the slithery shadow snake slide across his ceiling. Very quietly, he pulled out his flashlight and, “ZAP!” He shone it on that snake and the snake disappeared.
“Take that, you creepy crawler!” Jacob chortled. His plan worked!
When the dragon rustled its wings, he pointed, aimed…, and shone that flashlight right into its nasty red eyes.
“POOF!” it turned into a shirt hanging in the closet!
When the moose started to snort and shake its antlers, Jacob turned his light on it and that moose was so surprised it leapt straight up into the air. When the it came down, Jacob saw nothing but an upside down chair with the four legs sticking up.
“GOTCHA!!!” Jacob shouted. He smiled a huge smile and heaved a big sigh of relief.
“That will teach you guys for messing with me!” He exclaimed.
He carefully shone his light into every corner of his room. When he was satisfied that there was not one more shadow monster left, he closed his eyes and with a big smile on his face, he fell fast asleep. From that day forward, he slept in his own bed every night with his flashlight by his side, and he never had a problem with the shadow monsters again.