[ WP ] A person falls in love with the monster under their bed . The monster in their closet is none too pleased .

My mind drifted somewhere between sleep and the slow ballad trickling out from my ear buds, I was immersed in that transient space that your mind occupies between wakefulness and exhaustion. My thoughts teetered unsteadily on the cliff of coherence and were gradually beginning to drop off. That ’ s when I heard it. Not a dramatic thud, or a theatrical clank, no this was a much more subtle noise. It wasn ’ t the sound ’ s volume that shook me so deeply, but rather its eerie familiarity. A gentle whoosh followed by a slight thump. My body jerked upon hearing it, an involuntary reaction that I wish I could have prevented. Suddenly awake, and feeling the tingle of every nerve ending, I tried desperately to grasp at straws of logic. “ What was that? ” “ Where have I heard that before? ” Unable to answer, I laid as still as possible, my heart still pounding. I began hypothesizing, frustrated with inconclusive theories. As the minutes passed and the consoling silence returned to my room my heart regained a slow and steady cadence. I chuckled softly to myself at how preposterously I had reacted. “ For God sakes, I ’ m 17 years old. ” I thought “ I ’ m ridiculous ”. I stuffed the ear buds back into my ears, allowing the sound to fill my thought space. I drifted off to sleep. 
 My eyes shot open. Suddenly alert again, and certain that something had just caressed my arm I blinked forcefully trying to recognize the objects in my room that were cloaked in a veil of darkness. One by one my possessions came into focus, a dresser, my laptop, my purse. I continued to slowly scan the room. “ I don ’ t remember leaving the closet door open, huh. ” Content that nothing seemed terribly out of place, I convinced myself that I must have dreamt the touch. I closed my eyes and then slowly I turned over. Just as I resigned myself to returning to dreamland I heard it again “ whoosh…thump ”. A sudden lump in my throat, I debated whether or not to open my eyes. I had to know. What was this familiar sound? In an instant I opened my eyes again and rolled toward the direction of the noise. 
 When my eyes met his I couldn ’ t breathe. A sudden rush of emotions, I felt paralyzed. A mix of fear, déjà vu, and confusion swept over me. His inhuman face was strangely familiar and inexplicably beautiful. I sat motionless trying to comprehend the figure before me. He grinned a gentle grin. A flood of memories saturated my brain and unconsciously I relaxed my body. “ Hello Ben ” I said with a groggy smile. “ Hi Liz ” he replied, his voice much deeper than I remembered. 
 Imaginary friends are the currency of creative childhood play. Some children have many and cast off old ones easily in order to create new playmates. Some have many and maintain them simultaneously, makes for a great tea party. And others have just one that they invest all their time in, creating rich detailed friends, and elaborate worlds in which to dwell, that was me. Some kids fear the monster under the bed. I married him. 
 Ben leaned in and silently wrapped me in a comforting embrace, and I relished the feeling of his long lost arms. The moment was fleeting though. As Ben began to slowly back away, I recognized a look of concern in his eyes. “ What ’ s wrong Ben? ” I asked gently. Ben looked at me contemplatively before saying “ Liz, I don ’ t know how to tell you this…do you remember how rich and elaborate the worlds were that we created together? ” I nodded inquisitively. “ Well ” ben explained “ those worlds were so elaborate, that they somehow took on a tangible form, and spawned other worlds and monsters well beyond what you and I created. ” Ben paused then said hesitantly “ do you remember Rutherio? ” I shook my head in dismay recalling the ruthless monster we banished to the world inside the closet. “ You see ” ben said “ for the last nine years I have struggled to keep our worlds from breeching yours ” I nodded struggling to comprehend what Ben was telling me. “ Rutherio has grown angry and bitter about his banishment ” Ben said. “ Rutherio is determined to take you as his bride Liz, which will allow him to permanently bridge the gap between your world and ours. ” “ The only thing that stands in his way is me. ” Ben explained, and I looked at him puzzled. “ We may have only been six years Liz, but you created me out of love, and in our world that makes our marriage valid. ” “ Now it ’ s the only thing standing between us and Rutherio ’ s nefarious plot. ” Ben said. “ Will you help me Liz? Time is running out… ” I nodded to him emphatically. 
 BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. I rolled over to shut my alarm off and opened my eyes to see sunlight seeping through my bedroom curtains. “ Woohoo! Dream within a dream! ” I thought to myself. 

