It was a dark night as I laid silently, heart beating fast, unequivocal that there was a monster under my bed. Growing up, I had never feared ghosts or the boogie man, but now at the small age of 5, I knew there was some type of creature living beneath me while I slept. I pulled my covers up to my eyes in fear as I listened to it snarl and growl, and my imagination began to run with fearful thoughts. Was it going to come up and eat me? No, that couldn’t possibly happen. Monsters didn't exist, and why should I be made a prisoner in my own bedroom? I thought about the stupidity of my paralyzing fear. I was in my own home! Whatever the creature was, it couldn’t restrain me like this. With this thought in mind, giving me a sudden dash of bravery, I leaped off my bed to see what atrocity was making those terrifying noises.
   

 This hadn’t been the first time I was awoken by the frightening sounds, and as I crept closer to the din’s origin, I took a deep breath and on the count of three, looked under my bed. It wasn’t in sight, but I could hear growls coming from deep under the bed, and in childhood curiousness, I crawled closer to it to discover what it was. First, I found the tattered clothes of my Barbie dolls, and as I silently gasped, astonished at the cruelty of this monster, I quickly carried on, more motivated to find the monstrosity. The pile of ruins ascended as I continued, full of my favorite clothes and dolls, all ripped apart viciously. As I continued on, the trepidation that consumed my previous nights began to return as I looked at the torn apart toys that scattered my floor. What if it did that to me? It began to seem too barbaric to face, but right as I was about to turn back, I saw it.
     

It was a small mass covered in a pile of blankets, with a hunched back, and nasty, deep growls emanating from it. I paused upon seeing it, but after assimilating all my courage I knew I could face whatever it was. I began to crawl closer to it, slowly, and reached my hand out to lightly touch it’s fur. Its body tensed, the growls growing more hostile as it felt the foreign object on its back, but I recognized the fuzzy fur as soon as I felt it. Only Sassy, my new puppy had fur that bright and soft.

 “Sassy!” I cried out, thankful it wasn’t a threatening animal.
     

Her head turned around in confusion, and I hugged her right away. As I picked her up in my arms, and took her out from under the bed, I was so relieved that I forgot all about my ripped up dolls and anxiety. Years later, my dog still enjoys causing a little destruction, but I have never again been woken by another monster under my bed.