I slumbered in the shadows, as I always did. The only time I rose was to inspect the child. When he had been naughty, I could get closer. I would brush his dreams, making them scary. When he was good, I couldn't really approach, not without pain.

But a new scent brought me to my senses. The smell of evil. Someone was approaching, someone who had malicious intent. I slithered out, keeping in the dark to examine their approach.

Being a monster, I perceived time differently. I could reach the intruder, examine them, and hide before they could take another step. When their eyes moved, I could step into their temporary blindspots. It allowed me to understand just what their intentions were. They sought to kidnap my child. That could not stand.

I fled back to the room, already decided on a course of action. I couldn't stop it immediately, not without raising the alarm. The boy's parents would be in danger if that happened. He could loose them. Whilst I punished him, I had no wish to force him down a path where I would have to become worse.

Instead I forced myself to approach, picking him up. Even a light touch made my nerves scream in agony. Gritting my teeth I shifted him below the bed, out of sight. I swiftly moved the covers to drape over, taking his place. I shifted my appearance to be him, and acted as though I were asleep.

The person came in, holding a cloth mask. They slipped it over my head, securing it around my mouth and nose. I could taste the chemicals on it, an attempt to ensure my sedation. With it in place they lifted me up, dropping a note in my place. I let them carry me out, hanging limp as though deeply unconscious.

They moved quickly for a human, taking me out to their car. I was clipped into a seat, as though being taken for a drive. The person climbed in, starting the car to drive off. I let us go for a minute, before slipping back into the shadows of the car.

"Naughty."

I whispered in their ear, laughing as they jumped. They turned to the now empty seat, shaking their head.

"How dare you try to kidnap him."

I gave another laugh, forcing shadows to move. They choked the windows, shutting out the night. A manipulation of the engine stopped it, bringing us to a halt.

"What's going on? What are you?"

I manifested a face before him, grinning wide.

"I'm the monster under the bed. I eat bad children. And you are a very bad man."

He tried the door, yelling incoherently. I tightened my shadows around him, keeping him still. I felt his fear rise, a delicious morsel mixed with his evil nature. I hadn't had the pleasure of dining on a human before, and probably wouldn't again. I slowly absorbed him, savouring everything.

Only when he was gone did I leave. I pushed the car off the side of the road, leaving the door open. I couldn't care what happened to it. But I swiftly returned to my home, and my child. They still slept, a blessing for me. I battled through the pain to tuck them back in, before hiding again.

He was a good kid. As long as he stayed that way, I wouldn't have to eat him either.

"Come on Timmy, pack your stuff quick."

"I can't find my dinosaur."

Timothy's mother, Elizabeth, was getting impatient. She had apparently decided spending a little extra time to allow him to gather his favorite toys was worth avoiding a meltdown, but as the search dragged on the cost of that decision was growing.

"You can leave the dinosaur, daddy will bring it later."

I could hear the fear in her voice. The longer the search took, and the more noise Timothy made rifling through his toys, the more likely it was that she'd be caught trying to drive off into the night with a child she had lost custody of.

"What the hell, Liz?"

Johnathan stood at the door, already calling the police.

"John, I can explain."

"I'm sure you can, but you'll have to explain to the cops, because this stunt of yours is violating the hell out of your visitation rights."

"You can't do this to me, he's my son."

"I haven't done anything to you, these are all the consequences of your choices."

This was going to get ugly. It always did.

"Psst, Timothy, down here."

Timothy dropped down and crawled under the bed.

"You alright, kid?"

"I don't know. Mommy said she and Daddy weren't going to fight anymore, but now they're fighting again."

"I know. I know. It's not very fair to us, now is it."

"No. Mommy said we were going on vacation, and Daddy would come with us. But I don't think Daddy knew about the vacation."

"No, he didn't. Let's let the grown ups figure that stuff out. For now you should get some sleep."

"I don't know if I can sleep under the bed though."

"I do it all the time. Plus, look what I got."

"MY DINOSAUR!"

"That's right kid. Now let's get some sleep."

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

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>* No AI-generated reponses 🤖 >* Stories 100 words+. Poems 30+ but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* [RF] and [SP] for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

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