My tiny pink toes, Stone stiff

Afraid to stir, The Monsters

hiding under my soft bed

Freddy Krueger like

Finger knives

Creep and click, hoping to drain

Me of all my blood and other parts

Slowly, with my rounded blonde head

Hidden swiftly, tucked under the freshly

Washed covers, Skinny legs drawn to

Fetile position, Pink toes cramp

In their scrunched up hiding place

A thin neck protected by armored

Guards of teddy bears and thick layers

Of covers. The vampire's red

Eyes burn right through

My sweat covered head, my breath

Turns hot and stale

The shadows dance and twist

Shift to malicious entities

Ready to drag me kicking

And screaming, to the evil world

Dwelling underneath my bed

My chewed nails, No help!

My screams stuck deep in my

Locked throat, suffocating fear,

Heartbeat drumming in my ears

Deafening the echoing sounds,

Of the Monster's lumbering steps

Closer and closer, but curiosity

Kills the cat, my wide blue eyes must

See. What it is about to pounce me?

A bright light blinds my darkened eyes

The bedroom burns into focus

A figure stands, looming over my

Tangled bed. My forever tanned

Grandma stands, frown on face,

Her thin but strong arms settled

On her hips, brown eyes, quite unlike mine,

Looking at me in exasperation...

Yet her cool hands smooth

Out my Monster tossed sheets,

Produces a small glass of cool tap water

Tucks me in and says in her stern

Southern voice, "Get to sleep."

The warm, inviting brightness of light

Extinguished by the flip

of her slender calloused finger.

And the shadows once again

Invade and the Monsters taunt

Knowing daylight is still a few hours

Away... I can wait it out, beat them

at their own game, I think...

But in fetal state, with cold feet

Tucked under my butt. Head

peeps from beneath the growing

Warmth of my speeding breath

Overtaking the small enclosed space,

a small inhale of fresh air

I scan the room making sure

Nothing is out of place, but

then from the very darkest corner

Of my eye, a small shadow begins to grow

Spreading across the room

Dark tendrils slither and snake

Towards me, hoping to snatch

A child's wiggling pink toe, Loose

of it's protective shield. Again my

Voice frozen in fear. I duck back

In my dark cocoon, waiting

On the Golden burst of light

Pouring through my windows

Ridding every crevice of the ever

Creeping dark shadows. Fluttering,

My dry eyelids drop like dead flies,

and the Monster... steps out of his

Shadowy depths, lays a kiss upon

My sweaty brow, "She fought

Bravely this night," he chuckles to himself.

This little golden headed

Tomboy, of fire and spite

Light and shadow, she

Can stand in both

Worlds of gods and monsters.