Bedtime Stories for Children: Monsters by Adam Wallace

There were monsters in Alex’s bedroom. Horrible, hairy, snarling, smelly, mean, mangy monsters.

And they loved the dark.

Time ticked by. Alex’s mum turned off the light. Alex waited, scared and shaking.

The first monster peeked out to make sure it was dark. It looked at Alex hiding under his doona. It waved to the others and out they came, all of them.

Alex peeked out at just the wrong time and …

‘AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!’

Alex raced into his parents’ room.  The monsters burst into laughter.

The next night. Halloween. The monsters’ favourite scaring night of all. When the lights went out, Alex would be in trouble. But then Alex’s mum came in and said that she and his dad would sleep on a mattress in his room. Alex smiled. He was happy they would be there, but still a little scared.

Time ticked by. Alex’s mum lay down on the mattress. His dad turned off the light.

Alex waited, scared and shaking.

The first monster peeked out to make sure it was dark. It looked over at Alex hiding under his doona. It waved to the others and out they came, all of them.

Alex peeked out at just the wrong time and …

He leant out of bed, the monsters drawing closer.  He tapped his dad on the shoulder. His dad looked up at just the wrong time and …

‘AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!’

Alex’s parents huddled in the corner of the room. The monsters surrounded them. Alex stared, waiting for his parents to do something. They didn’t move, although his dad did whimper like a little puppy. Alex would have to deal with this himself.

He stood up as tall as he could on his bed and he yelled out, “HEY!”

The monsters turned around.

“You big bullies, leave my mum and dad alone. If you don’t, I’ll swing you around by your tails. I’ll poke you in the eyes. I’ll pull off your spikes. I’ll reach up your big hairy nostrils, pull out your little brains, and eat them for breakfast! This is my room and you have to get out. OR ELSE!”

Well. The monsters didn’t know what to do. They liked their eyes and their spikes and their brains. They looked at Alex. It looked like he meant what he said.

The monsters turned and walked back through the cupboard, muttering apologies to Alex as they went.

The next night. Alex lay in bed smiling. Those monsters wouldn’t be back in his room again. He turned off the light and went straight to sleep.

His parents lay in bed waiting, scared and shaking.

Out they came. The first monster peeked out to make sure it was dark. It looked over at Alex’s mum and dad hiding under their doona. It waved to the others and out they came, all of them.

Alex’s parents peeked out at just the wrong time and …

‘AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!’

©Adam Wallace 2011, photo by Tania McCartney

Bedtime Stories downloadable tales for children are an AWO initiative, run in support of the National Year of Reading 2012. We encourage you to print and read these stories with your kids, and revel in the joy a wonderful story can bring. All stories are original and have been penned by established and emerging Australian authors. Every month, we will publish four stories running to a central theme, each on a Monday morning. See here for more.