There was a monster under her bed but no one believed her. She was the only one who could see and hear him. She could hear him breathing in and out. With each breathe he took a icy chill would fill the room. Her room was always the coldest place in the house. 

She pulled the blanket over her head. Her nightlight flickered and she gasped in fear. She wanted to scream out for her parents but she was afraid they would be angry to be awoken again. 

Pulling the blanket up, she tucked it under every part of her body and huddled up against the wall. This was the farthest from the edge of the bed. This is where he couldn't reach her. 

Nervously she tried to close her eyes. Peace and sleep would not come. All she could hear was his breathing. 

The next morning the news was on t.v. Her parents sat and whispered about the murders of all the little girls and boys in the town. One week and there was already seven murders. The little girl's thoughts went to the monster under her bed.

Panicked grew inside her at the thought that she may be next. That night her parents whispers in the hallway gave her peace. They were not going to sleep yet. For the first time in days maybe she could finally sleep soundly.

The little girl rolled over feeling safe and secure from her parents and drifted into a much needed slumber. The creaking of her bedroom door made her awake.

She opened her eyes and saw the shadow of her parents. Her night light began flashing as she could hear his breathing become a growl. She wanted to tell her parents to run away but when the night light went out, she was stunned by the darkness.

The screams of her parents pierced the darkness and the little girl crawled against the wall and huddled into her blanket.  She felt the edge of the bed sink down. The air turned chilly around her. 

A cold hand touched her face and she felt her lean near. She closed her eyes in fear and he whispered in her ear, "They were the real monsters." In a flash the night light came back on.

The monster was no where to be seen and she could no longer hear his breathing. The next day when the police discovered the scene that had unfolded, the truth came out with it.

Her parents had been the ones targeting and killing the town children. The thing under her bed was what protected her.