My job is designating a monster under your bed. One special case has caused each creature assigned to quit. I gaze at my files realizing I have no other options for this task, over the last couple years every monster designated to Carolyn Drake has failed. One by one, Every. Single. One. Her first creature, a half-fish half-human named Rolf, had been on the job for over 3 years now and then suddenly she was no longer frightened of him. After Rolf, we have been trying a line of ordinary, unusual, and unique monsters. I even transferred an animated corpse with large fangs and tentacles to her. She sent him back in tears!
I look at my clipboard, only one available monster left. There will be no other choice than to assign myself. Field work has never been my forte, but as awkward as it will be the task can fall to no other. It’s getting late now, Mrs. Drake tucks in Carolyn, I slowly glissade to the space beneath Carolyn’s bed whilst being silentious. Setting my devotion to the bed above me, Carolyn is still awake but slowly drifting into to her dreams, reaching up over the bed I run my ice-cold finger over her cheek, nothing but silence has she fallen asleep. With no response, I do it again only to hear a trembling whisper. “I’m not frightened of you, monster!” There’s a clock on the wall slowly ticking, passing time. Suddenly a door in the house slams and Carolyn releases her breath as if it were her first. The sound is overpowered by Oliver Drake yelling at his wife. Heavy footsteps are approaching from the direction of the stairs accompanied by loud breathing. Carolyn scrambles off her bed and quickly slides under the bed with me.
“Move over!” Carolyn whispers to me with a tone of deprivation. As I do the door to the bedroom slams open and I smell human intoxicants before the man even steps inside the room. I understand now why Carolyn isn’t frightened by any of my monsters, her own frighten her more. Oliver reaches under the bed as I thrust my wrist into his hand. As he starts to pull I slither out. “What the…” I cut Oliver’s sentence off by revealing my thirteen-foot looming body. Standing menacingly over the intoxicated man I stroke his face with my cold fingers.
“If you hurt, upset, or frighten, I will track you down in this world and the next, doing the same to you until the end of time.” Speaking in a promise to him. Oliver scrambles to break free and runs from the room soiling himself. I extend my hand to Carolyn pulling her out from under the bed, tuck her back under the covers and kiss her forehead goodnight.
“Rest well my child. I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
Carolyn Drake is my child.
-Monster under the bed.
What was the purpose of this. The following.
Every year more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children.
The United States has one of the worst records among industrialized nations – losing on average between four and seven children every day to child abuse and neglect
That’s a report of child abuse made every ten seconds.
In 2014, state agencies identified an estimated 1,580 children who died as a result of abuse and neglect — between four and five children a day.
In 2015 this number raised to an estimated 1,670 children that died from abuse and neglect in the United States.
Source:NationalChildrensAlliance.org
In 2016 the following has been reported on:
- 4 million child maltreatment referral reports received.
- Child abuse reports involved 7.2 million children.
- 207,000 children received foster care services.
- 75.3% of victims are neglected.
- 17.2% of victims are physically abused.
- 8.4% of victims are sexually abused (Almost 60,000).
- 6.9% of victims are psychologically maltreated.
- Over one-quarter (27%) of victims are younger than 3 years.
- Annual estimate: 1,670 to 1740 children died from abuse and neglect.
- More than 90% of juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator.
- Child abuse crosses all socioeconomic and educational levels, religions, ethnic and cultural groups.