"Just another average night," I thought. Climbing into bed, I remembered my childhood trepidation of monsters from under my bed. I remembered how I had jumped up onto the mattress, not even daring to touch the floor near the bottom of it. Silly me, being so afraid of things that I was now so certain to not exist.

As I began to drift off, I saw a glimpse of movement to my left.

"It's nothing, probably just a branch fluttering in the wind," I thought, closing my eyes...

Suddenly, I felt something very soft shove me off my bed. Slamming onto the floor, I opened my eyes to a terrifying sight: a genuine monster. It was covered in a large murky shroud, suspended above the floor. It had a face of the blackest black, with no discernible features, and covered by a cowl. I was paralyzed with horror. Could it be real? Had my childhood phobias come to life?

The monster leaned toward me and started to open its mouth. It grew and grew, a pitch-black bottomless hole, and my surroundings became warped around it. Out of nowhere I regained my control, and upon this I rolled away and began sprinting away as fast as I could. The monster put out an ear-piercing screech, but I didn't look back.

Running out of my room, I slammed my door closed, hoping it would deter the demon. I rushed down the stairs and out of the house, but as I looked back I recognized the fiend right behind me. How did he move so quickly? I began sprinting as hard as I could, trying to put some distance between the wretch and me. The demon stayed right behind me. After passing seven houses, I looked back and the monster was gone.

"That was close," I said to myself quietly. As I paused to catch my breath, I noticed a stately tree off to the side. Running up to it, I became thankful of my climbing skills, and ascended to a point near the summit. Taking in the view, I did not notice the monster.

Abruptly, I felt something friskily force me off of my hand holds. I thankfully fell straight into a pile of leaves. Groaning, I clambered to my feet to meet the gaze of exactly what I had feared the perpetrator was: the demon. Tearing off to my right, I survived the encounter.

I ran and ran as hard as I could, but it still remained right behind me. I kept running until my legs were on fire, slumping down to the cold, hard soil beneath me. I turned around to watch as the fiend's gaping maw consumed my entire field of view, and distorted the things I had left to see. I began to feel a strong invisible force pull me into the abyss of a mouth, and the demon whispered, "Requiescat in pace, Didymus" then everything went out.

I couldn't see, I couldn't hear, I couldn't feel anything besides the sensation of free-fall. A dull, metallic taste permeated my tongue. As my breath began to run out, I tried to breathe, but there was nothing to take in. I felt an intense, throbbing pain grow in my face and upper body as my deprivation of oxygen continued. My hands and feet started throbbing. I could feel every single heartbeat, as if a giant hand were rhythmically clasping my body. The falling sensation was nothing; this was true torture.

Out of nowhere, I simultaneously bolted upright and gasped in a lungful of air. I peeled open my eyes to see the refreshing sight of my room again.

"Phew!" I had thought that it was real, but it was just a dream. I must have jinxed myself earlier...