The Monster Under The Bed:Final:?

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Leep
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If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
Location: Butte, Mt.

The Monster Under The Bed:Final:?

Post by Leep »

The Monster Under the Bed—Part 2:

The next few nights were spent together in my bed. We had worked out a system where I would sleep for a few hours, and then Tommy would sleep. This was an uncomfortable arrangement, but we were too young to know how else to conduct this.
Absolutely nothing happened.
And, if we didn’t go to sleep each night with the comforting bulge of the sword poking into our backs, I would have believed we had dreamed it all. Finally I told Tommy we had to make a change. I said I didn’t think it would come while we were in the same bed, it had become suspicious. Tommy was very reluctant to do this, and I couldn’t blame him. But, I told him if we didn’t stop him, and soon, it might move on to another child and we wouldn’t be able to live with that guilt. He reluctantly agreed, after I assured him I would sleep during the day and stay awake watching him all the night.
This too lasted an interminable time, and I confess I grew lax and it was my inattention that caused what came next. I was determined to stay awake each night, but the stress finally got to me and this night I fell into a deep sleep. This was what the b*st*rd had been waiting for.
I dreamed a horrible dream that night that the creature had finally exited from the closet and pounced gleefully on little Tommy. I struggled to awaken, but I could not move my limbs. Finally, I heard and saw the Tommy from my dreams, the Skeleton Tommy, urging me to get up before it was too late. I felt a jarring slap from his bony hand that shocked me into full wakefulness. I looked frantically about and to my eternal horror saw my little brother in the monsters’ grasp.
“Frankie, he squeaked, help me Frankie, you promised.”
With a roar of rage I jumped to my feet and felt under the mattress for our salvation. It was gone. I stood numbly looking wildly about, as the monster held Tommy aloft triumphantly.
“I’m sorry Frankie, he said miserably. I put it under my mattress so I would feel safer.”
I looked at the foul creature and watched the scaly tail lashing about. I knew if it came in contact with any part of my body, it would break what it hit. Counting to three, I ran suddenly and vaulted over that foul appendage, doing a somersault like in gym class and landing on my feet. Without a seconds pause, I swept the mattress from the bed with one hand and grasped the shining hilt of the sword with my left. It flashed through my mind irrationally for a second that Leep was left handed also. From the corner of my eye I saw Dad and the witch enter the room to see what all the noise was about. The witch took one look and promptly fainted.
Dad yelled, “Frankie, what the h*ll is that thing?” “It’s like Tommy tried to tell you Dad, it’s the monster under the bed.” “Surely you’ve heard about him.”
Still holding Tommy above its shaggy head, it turned slowly and looked with dark satisfaction upon our Dad. “I couldn’t come in here with that b*tch living here. Together with this brat-they were too strong.” He looked confused for a second, then continued.
“I never had that happen before, so I got rid of the b*tch.” “You should have seen the look on her face when she rounded that curve and I was standing there.” “You would have laughed your *ss off.” “She ripped the wheel over and boom, into the ditch she went.” “I watched her while the water was rising.” “I laughed at her, but she acted like I wasn’t even there.” This seemed to cause the beast more confusion and I edged ever closer. “All she did, he continued, was to pray to her God, and not even for herself, after the first minute, but for these brats and for you, you poor fool.”
“I laughed when the water closed over her head, but all she did was close her eyes and smile.”
While the b*st*rd was reminiscing, I edged even closer. “Tommy, I suddenly yelled, bite that b*st*rd.”
Without thinking, Tommy leaned over and sank his teeth to the hilt in the foul creatures’ hand, paw, whatever it was. And, just like someone who has absently allowed a match to burn too close to his fingers, the monster shook his hand violently for a second.
The marvelous result was that it whipped Tommy bouncing across the room like a basketball, where Dad gladly caught him on the third or fourth hop. With a roar of rage it turned all its intensity now upon me. I had stepped even close however and was as ready as I would ever be. When it drew itself up in preparation for a fatal lunge at me, I pulled the sword from behind my back. As I did the same blue flame shot up the blade and engulfed my body. I saw blue lightning flash and blue thunder roared as I stepped up and thrust with all the might in my young body into the foulness before me. The blade sank in to the hilt and with a sudden rip upwards, I opened it from stem to sternum. The blade must have caused terrible damage to its internal organs, but as I pulled the sword upwards the wound on the outside closed rapidly behind itself. The end result was a caricature that looked like a mad tailor had sewn an obscene zipper on an obscene monster.
It stood stupidly for a second unbelieving that a smallish twelve year old had caused such damage. “You little b*st*rd, it rasped, I should have taken care of you first, like I did your Mother.”
I just looked at him, it - for a second and responded-“ I hear h*ll is nice this time of year, I hope you like it.”
With a sudden move, it turned and crashed through the window, taking frame, curtains and sash and all with it. Its power was still so great that it cleared the porch and landed in the middle of the yard. I stood and watched as it moved ever more slowly away and into the woods.
Tommy looked at me for a second and then said with wonderment in his voice, “We did it Frankie, we really did it.” I smiled and said,” We sure did Tommy.”
The rest of the night was spent telling Dad all that had happened and what led up to this night. The wicked witch packed her bags the next day and moved back with her Mom a couple thousand miles away. Talk about icing on the cake. Dad doesn’t seem to mind all that much, he says he is going to spend the rest of his life taking care of us,
I kinda like that idea.
An anonymous phone call to the local police the next morning started a chain reaction that is still discussed everywhere today. After an initial investigation, where they found the owner of the property dead of apparent natural causes, they did some exploratory digging, and before the day was over there were bulldozers, backhoes, and men with picks and shovels all over the place. When they were finally finished, they found fifty two small skeletons buried on that little piece of h*ll. Families from towns in a fifty mile radius came and camped in and around the town, and when everything was done they could finally put their children to rest and find some measure of peace and closure. The monster responsible or all this carnage was burned in the local crematorium until nothing was left but a small box of ashes, promptly taken to the outhouse that stood in the back yard.
An unknown benefactor bought the rest of the property and had it bulldozed to the ground, burned all that could be burned and had the rest carted off to the nearest land fill. Construction started on what was to become a park, or a memorial to the little ones who had suffered and died there. When it was finished there were benches and a beautiful plaque, with all the names of the children engraved on it. Above the plaque was a statue of a small child, with a beautiful angel standing above and behind it, with loving wings enfolding and protecting the child. There was a fountain at one end, where one could quench his or her thirst. Parents from all over came and sat there and found some measure of peace and closure.
Tommy and I went there, sometimes with Dad but more often by ourselves, to think and talk about Mom and how much we missed her and loved her. “We’ll see her someday, won’t we Frankie?” I smile and say,” We sure will Tommy, bet on it.””
“I have a suspicion about who bought the place and paid for the memorial. I would bet money it was our friend with the robe and staff.” Tommy lit up and said, “Gee Frankie that would so cool.”

Time passed and life returned to near normalcy, whatever that is. Three years later, Tommy made us all rich. He was talking one day to Dad and I and supposed that he could make a bed that kids would like and not be afraid to sleep in. Dad looked at him with some interest and asked, “What would it be like, Tommy?”
“You know, Dad, a bed where monsters couldn’t crawl under and scare little kids, or big kids either.” Dad walked away, lost in thought and some time later he designed a bed that met all of Tommy’s’ qualifications. Dad took this design and patented it and, with the money from Mom’s insurance, {He had never spent any of it} made the” Kid’s bed.”
It was a massive, heavy design, with one unique quality about it. At one end was a small opening where a handle could be inserted. As you cranked the handle, the bottom of the bed slowly lowered until you reached the desired height. With kids, it was always fast to the floor. There was a small drawer where the handle could be stored, until it was needed again.
Moms could easily crank the bed up high enough to clean under it whenever they thought it was required. The system of wheels and pulleys and the ratio from one wheel to another was the secret to it’s’ ability to easily raise and lower.
The bed caught on like wildfire. Kids were drawn almost magically to it, and more than a few grownups bought it for their own use. In just a couple years we had stores all over the states, and in more than thirty countries. My job was to travel and introduce them to the different areas and countries. Some of our best customers were in the more backward countries like Bulgaria, Transylvania, Romania. People bought them without realizing their significance, but the kids always instinctively did. And- they were handsome, strong, fine quality beds; they just served a better, finer purpose. They helped kids sleep without fear, as long as they were placed as far away from the closets as possible.
I guess you can’t have everything, where would you put it?
Tommy has a girl friend now; Dad has finally remarried, to a sweet, wonderful woman, who treats us like her own sons. It is a little strange, finally to have that again. I fear it is too late for me, but Tommy revels in it, and Dad is finally happy. For that, I am grateful.
And me, you ask?
I spend almost all my time, no not selling beds as you might imagine, they almost sell themselves, but seeking out the evil ones, the monsters that would harm the innocents among us, the children. My body has more than its share of scars, I am still new to this and I fear my skills are still developing. By some grace, I have avoided serious injury and have sent five more of them to their own personal Hells.
There was the seminary where two holy men used this place to hide and leave late at night to do their evil. The worst was in Romania where three nuns hid the vileness they engaged in for twenty years, that is until I came with my sword and sent them on their way to h*ll. I carried the scars on my back from that encounter. One kept my attention while the other crept slowly forward and suddenly swept close and stabbed with a dagger she kept in a silver scabbard. Only some instinct at the last moment made me twist to the side and I killed her/it as she was plunging the knife in my back. Providence or something of a higher order saved me that time. I quickly turned and killed the snarling witch that the other suddenly became. Staggering a little, I walked swiftly into the next room and gave the last one her chance. The vicar stood ashen faced and in a trembling voice begged me to stand down and please leave. I bowed and smiled at him and bade him wait and watch. As I drew my sword, blue fire playing along its length, what was once a nun became a monster rushing at me with claws extended.
I watched then as it lay there smoking slightly and then, as they always did, stood gazing dumbly as it simply sank out of sight, leaving nothing but a sickly smell. The Vicar crossed himself and walked shakily to me and asked, “Is this then what you do my son, travel the world seeking out and destroying evil?”
“Aye, it seems that I have been chosen for this.”
“Thank you for your service to the Lord and May God be with you.”
“He better be, if he wants me to finish this, if there is to be such a thing,” I said grimly.
I left then, weary and hurting, thinking about my next stop.

I heard a story in Transylvania about a fight in the black forest, where two warriors fought and defeated a small army of monsters that lived there and terrorized the whole countryside for centuries. The man I talked to spoke of a man named Jonnie, and two fighters named Leep and Slack, whispers about a skeleton named Tommy, and a cowardly shadow. I was most intrigued by this and searched the area for two days, finding little but a beautiful meadow with caves looming above. I searched some of them, but found nothing out of the ordinary, except for the wreckage of a small plane, which the forest had almost reclaimed.
Another day I heard a homeless man talking, almost to himself, about a great battle fought not far from there, just out from the city, where these same two warriors fought against tremendous odds and were victorious yet again, this time with the help of an army of Skeletons that charged onto the field of battle, and took the fight to a multitude of monsters, while Slack and Leep watched on, each bleeding from dozens of wounds, gasping for air, but cheering their friends as the battle raged on and on.
Again, victory was theirs.
I asked for directions to the site and followed them to the battlefield. Again, little evidence was left of the great conflict but a vast field of flowers, here and there broken by a white cross bearing the name of a fallen warrior, one who would never go home again. I stood with head bowed, saddened and gladdened, both by what had taken place here, and also by the knowledge that even though these two warriors battled great odds, they did so together. Was I then destined to roam the world alone, fighting the evil that flourished with no man, or woman beside me?
I had read the book that Tommy cherished over and over again, convinced finally that the story was true.
As I lay my head on another strange pillow, in another strange country, I prayed, as I often did now, for my Lord to send me a friend, a compatriot to share my bleak existence with. Although I knew I was chosen from birth to fight the evil and protect the children, still sometimes the loneliness weighed heavy upon me.
Sleep was long in coming that night, but when it did it brought dreams, dreams I hadn’t had for a long time. My elusive friend Tommy, the Skeleton was there again telling me to be strong and patient. Just before he disappeared form my thoughts, he whispered about a cave near by, with a waterfall obscuring the path along the way. “Just walk right through it, Frankie, have faith” “Whenever you are ready, come over and join us, it is time.”
The next morning, I walked a great distance to the cave and stood indecisively for a time. I could hear the water roaring in the back of the cave and even went so far as to walk into it and stand watching the water tumble down, cascading merrily from rock to glistening rock.
Abruptly, I turned around and went back to the hotel and called my brother to tell him I may be gone and out of touch for awhile, but not to worry. Tommy’s’ voice was troubled as he asked me to please be careful. He had come to some acceptance of what I did, but he worried nonetheless.
I loved my little brother.
He often asked if I could not quit this grisly business and live a normal life. He knew, though, that I had to follow the path that had been laid out for me, for who else would protect the children.
He was silent for a moment on the phone, then asked suddenly, “Frankie, are you going over there, did you find the way?”
I laughed gently at the excitement in his voice, and prayed he would never change. “I’m not sure, Tommy, perhaps.”
“Oh wow, so cool.” “If you go, you’ll come back, won’t you Frankie?”
I smiled at the love and concern in his voice. “You know I will, Tommy, I would miss you and Dad too much.” “Tell him for me will you?”
It seemed I had made up my mind without realizing it.
The next day I walked into the cave and kept right on going. The air shimmered for a second and then I emerged into a world much like our own, except standing there was Leep and Slack and Tommy. They embraced me all in turn and wished me welcome.
I felt safe for the first time in a long time. Standing back away from the others, I noticed another figure. As I walked closer, she stepped away for the tree she had been standing beside and walked slowly up to me. Her red hair shone in the sunlight, and her green eyes flashed with a fire of its own. “Hello, she said, my name is Mary, and you were a long time in making up your mind.” “I have been waiting for you for the longest time.”
We walked arm in arm through the flowers and the warm sunshine, Leep and Slack and Tommy trailing slowly behind, all grinning like fools.
As we approached the town I saw who I knew must be Franklin, ever-present pipe in the corner of his mouth, writing as he must. He looked up, and around the pipe said, “Welcome Franklin, welcome home. I see you’ve met my niece.” “Like your name, as well,” he said smilingly.
I looked at the vision on my arm and as she smiled sweetly back at me, I knew that we would be together, for always. I loved her already.
Maybe it was the water.
I spent some time there getting to know my new friends and comrades at arms. I spent countless hours sparring with them all-and learned much the next few months. Finally, I felt I was ready to resume my duties and told them of my decision to take my leave. They asked me to wait a bit and moved away to talk among themselves.
“Franklin, we may have need of you and your skills soon.” “Will you help us when we call?” “There is a problem looming ahead and we could use your help.” “There is great risk, but we must always answer the call.”
“Indeed I will, I responded, it would be my honor.”
Mary came to me and hugged me close,” You come back to me, Franklin, or I will be forced to come and get you over there.”
I smiled fondly at this woman I had grown to love and assured her that no evil or multitudes of such could keep me from her side.
I left then, and continued my quest to eradicate the filth that was almost everywhere.
Months later, I received a letter in one of the many mail drops I kept all over the world. It simply said,” Come, we need you.”
Without hesitation I packed my bag and left. When I saw my friends again, and my love, they explained what was to come. I shivered a little as they described what lay before us. Could we prevail against this new threat, this new evil?
Even those two stalwart, brave fighters looked not a little worried. But, off we went together, what were once two was now three, on a quest of right, and goodness.

But, that my friends, is another story.

Leep Out:
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