Monsters

 Writing prompt: Her life changed when she learned the monsters were protecting her


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She swears she can see them hiding in the shadows, watching her every move. Monsters of myths and stories, looking at her constantly, as if waiting for something to happen.

She vaguely remembers talking to them when she was a child. She never got an answer, but it didn't matter to her, she just kept talking. As she grew older, their presence began to make her uncomfortable. They never spoke, not a single sound escaped their lips. They just stared at her.

From uncomfortable to scared. The dark started to feel like a really unsafe place, and she never doubted to sleep with the lights on -even if she felt a little embarrassed to admit it-. She ran away from dark places and used as many excuses as necessary so she didn't need to go out of the house at night. Her parents never noticed her fear, while her friends believed she had very restrictive house rules.

She thought many times about telling someone, but she just dared to do it once. She was still a kid when she told her parents about the monsters that watched her. She described them in detail. She told them about how scared she felt every time she turned off the lights. Fearing that the moment the light disappeared they would attack her. She told them how she didn't want to close her eyes because she didn't know if she would open them again. But her parents didn't believe her. They told her monsters didn't exist, and that it was all her imagination, that there was nothing to worry about. They just laughed and dismissed her.

With time she learned to ignore the feeling of being constantly watched. She was still scared of the dark, and she couldn't sleep unless there was a light turned on, but she could manage her fears and go out at night with her friends without having a panic attack. However, her life changed when she learned that the monsters were protecting her.

It was late at night and she was going back home after leaving her drunk friends in their home. She was walking alone and couldn't help but look at the monsters to make sure they wouldn't attack her. Distracted by the monsters, she didn't see the group of men that surrounded her, weapons in hand.

The monsters moved quicker than the eye can catch and were suddenly surrounding her. Protecting her from the men who were going to assault her. The men ran away from them while she stood there, blinking. Her brain unable to understand what just happened.

Once she was perfectly safe, the monsters slipped into the shadows once more, as silent as ever.