There's no monster under the bed, it's just you're toys!

The Boogieman isn't hiding in your closet. See? It's nothing but clothes!

That's what I always heard from everyone, especially those nights I woke up screaming because of the red eyes gleaming in the darkness.

It's just your imagination getting the better of you! Just don't think about it and it'll go away!

I tried, but it didn't work... Nothing ever works...

It can't hurt you! It's just a shadow!

I know it's not a shadow. It's far more sinister than that... But no one believes me. Why should they? I'm the only one who sees it... Maybe they're right... Maybe I'm just seeing things... Maybe I am crazy...

No, I'm not. I can't be. It has to be something else. But if it is real, why is it haunting me? What did I do to deserve this? I'm only 8 years old... I never hurt anyone... (It's more like the other way around...)

Yes, it's true. I get bullied a lot at school. It hurts, but no one cares. They just keep doing it day in, day out. Even the teachers won't help me, and my family just doesn't believe me. (I don't show them the bruises anymore. I tried once, but when they asked the principle, he said it couldn't have been any of the students; that I probably just tripped or something...)

The principle doesn't know anything though... He just turns a blind eye to the torment I have to put up with. (It's because of the monster that haunts me. I see and hear things the others can't and they laugh at me for it.)

But something's different today; I can feel it. Whether it's good or bad though, I don't know. I felt it since I woke up. I did everything just like I usually do in the morning: eat, change, leave. I spent the whole school day waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. But that awful feeling kept resonating in my bones.
I walked in the door, the feeling of dreadful unawareness of what was to come increasing dramatically.

The breeze way seemed fine; nothing looked out of place.

Shrugging and hoping it was just my paranoia, I went into the main part of the house which put me in my kitchen. It looked okay at first, until I saw some dishes knocked off the counters and a few cupboards were randomly wide open.

Sudden panic gripped me.

What happened?

I ran to the living room but stopped in horror.

The walls had been splattered with blood in several places and the furniture had been knocked around as if in a struggle.

"Mom?! Dad?!" I screamed, running upstairs.

Their room was empty; so was the upstairs bathroom.

I ran to my room next and froze in my door way.

It was there; the horrible nightmare creature... The monster that's always waiting in the shadows... And it was staring right at me with it's gleaming red eyes.

I tried to stumble backwards, anything to get away, but it was far faster. It really was like a shadow and before I knew it, the monster was in front of me, grinning darkly.

"W-what do you want? Where's m-my family?" I asked it shakily.

"Somewhere where you'll never get them back." It said. It's voice was deep and sounded like some sort of hiss/growl mix.

"What do you mean?" I was crying by then. Were they really gone?

It smirked even more. "The Shadow Realm." It replied, with what appeared to be satisfaction.

I didn't know where that was, but it sounded bad. Really bad.

"Why are you doing this?!" I cried.

It simply laughed. "Why not? I was bored..."

I wasn't really listening anymore. I'd fallen to the ground, terrorized and grieving. I might not have been close to my parents, but learning they were dead and that you'd
never see them again at such a young age is still painful.

The creature was suddenly much closer to me than before.

"I'm leaving for now, but know I'll be back.." It said, then dissolved into nothing.

Shivering, I stayed on the floor until I fell asleep from the exhaustion of what had happened.

I'm 14 years old now, but the creature never came back. Maybe he forgot, is what I hope, though I know he'll be back eventually.

Nothing much has changed for me since when I was 8. I still get bullied and I'm worried about it coming back, but less than when I was little. After all, since he left then, I haven't seen him at all, which helped my paranoia a bit.

But I know this won't last long... He'll be back soon...

The only thing I'm worried about is this:

Will I be ready for him?