For those who don’t know: I have a mailing list. You should join. 🙂
Also, I’m starting a couple new things with my blog:
1. Creeptastic Tales: Origins on the 2nd of every month, where I explore the creepy origins behind fairy tales and nursery rhymes. The first post went live earlier this week.
2. Skully’s Reviews on the 10th of every month where I review a horror book and give it a skull (star) rating. Up first is The Bird Eater by Ania Ahlborn.
3. Interviews (I’m still trying to think of a better name) on the 17th of each month where I’ll be interviewing a different author. Horror author Adam M. Booth, author of The End–a lovefest full of coeds and shenanigans… no wait, that’s something else. It’s actually a zombie book from the perspective of a woman trapped inside her own zombiefied body–will be the first to have his brain picked by my gnarled, decaying fingers. If you’re interesting in being interviewed in the upcoming months let me know.
Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way it’s on to the story we go.
—–
Bedtime
Photo copyright-Kent Bonham
“Don’t leave, Daddy. I’m scared.”
“Scared? Of what?”
“The giant, metal lizard monster.” Zeak pointed at a dark corner of the ceiling.
Kevin walked to the corner and lifted an arm. Almost immediately he yanked it away screaming. He ran across the room waving a handless arm.
Zeak shrieked.
Kevin popped his hand out the end of his sleeve and laughed. “Chill, little man. I’m sorry. I was just messing with you. Nothing to be afraid of.”
Zeak stared over his father’s shoulder at the yellow eyes that blinked to life in the corner. “You woke it up,” he whimpered.
—–
This post was written for Friday Fictioneers. Now off with you. Go read the other tales of mystery, intrigue, death, and all that other jazz.
Adam Ickes 
April 4th, 2014 at 7:51 AM
Wow, Adam! Good story and well-written. Now we not only have monsters under the bed and in the closet to worry about. We have them on the ceiling. I read where an enterprising person is marketing a spray to get rid of monsters in the bedroom. The parent buys it and sprays it anywhere in the room where the child thinks there’s a monster. The inventor refuses to tell what’s in the spray. It had to happen sooner or later.
April 4th, 2014 at 9:59 AM
I’ve heard about that stuff. It’s an interesting idea, but I’ll just put water (or febreeze) in a spray bottle and label it monster repellent or something if the need ever arises. No need to pay someone else for something like that.
April 4th, 2014 at 7:52 AM
That’ll teach the dad for scaring his son witless!
April 4th, 2014 at 10:00 AM
It certainly will.
April 4th, 2014 at 9:19 AM
What started as an innocent prank…
April 4th, 2014 at 10:01 AM
Don’t all deaths by monster start that way? Have I been misled?
April 4th, 2014 at 9:36 AM
Took you long enough to get here this week, Adam! That final line of this, is the best part. Very ominous!
April 4th, 2014 at 10:03 AM
I’ve been posting my FF stories on Fridays for the last couple weeks… it’s a pretty out there concept, I know.
How’s the vacation going?
April 4th, 2014 at 10:04 AM
How old is Zeak? My 4 year old son says he can see monsters. Should I be checking the house???
April 4th, 2014 at 10:11 AM
Zeak is somewhere in the vicinity of 6. Bedtime rule #1: Always check for monsters. If you see one, don’t let it know you’ve seen it and get yourself and your child out of the room under the guise of him forgetting his favorite toy that he wanted to sleep with. Code words are key here so he knows to play along. 🙂
Awhile back, when my daughter was 2 she swore up and down that there was a lamb in her bedroom and she didn’t want to sleep in there for like a week. Every now and then she still brings it up out of the blue how one time there was a lamb in her room. It’s very odd.
April 4th, 2014 at 10:25 AM
Good tips! My son knows very well the difference between real and imaginary. Yet he keeps seeing this particular monster. Tomorrow we are going to Pakistan, hopefully she will not follow us there.
Good luck with the lamb!
April 4th, 2014 at 10:31 AM
I’d find out everything I could about your son’s monster and turn it into a book (with my own twisted alterations of course) then slap “based on a true story” on the cover. People eat that kind of stuff up.
April 4th, 2014 at 10:35 AM
Spoken like a true author! As it is, I’m getting bankrupt trying to promote the books I already wrote (about him).
April 4th, 2014 at 10:46 AM
I know the feeling. I hate promotion. I’m going to get my mad scientist on the line to see if he can come up with a way to get the books to promote themselves. If that results in mutant books running around devouring innocent people… well, we’ll just have to live with that collateral damage.
April 4th, 2014 at 10:49 AM
I love it! Nice bedtime tale. 😉
April 4th, 2014 at 11:17 AM
As hard as I tried I couldn’t see anything but a giant, metal lizard in that light. Glad you enjoyed it!
April 4th, 2014 at 11:18 AM
Yeah, me too! 🙂 I don’t think I’m going to have the time to write anything this week. 😥 Real life is taking over…
April 4th, 2014 at 1:26 PM
Adam, This was awesome. Now all that is left is karmic payback for Kevin. Messing with Zeak like that. 🙂
April 5th, 2014 at 9:29 PM
And karma, as they say, is a bitch.
April 4th, 2014 at 6:53 PM
Hope Kevin saves Zeak. Some dads never grow up…thank goodness!
Well written as always
Dee
April 5th, 2014 at 9:30 PM
I think the ideal is growing up enough to know when to be serious, but not growing up so much as to lose your sense of wonder.
April 4th, 2014 at 6:56 PM
Nice twist! That actually scared me. Now how am I going to sleep tonight?
April 5th, 2014 at 9:32 PM
With a teddy bear? Or maybe with Pennywise the clown? I’m sure he could cuddle you to sleep.
April 4th, 2014 at 7:21 PM
The kids, they always have a sixth sense about monsters. Did you have to go and scare me again! Great story, Adam.
April 5th, 2014 at 9:35 PM
The biggest (and by biggest I mean only) monster I’ve faced so far (as an adult) was a lamb that was in her room and scared her. I’m not sure where that imaginary lamb came from, but it freaked her out.
April 4th, 2014 at 7:32 PM
Excellent story, Adam. Honestly, I saw the end coming. Either you’re becoming predictable, or you’ve always been predictable and I’m just getting to know your style.
Actually, I’m just kidding about the predictability thing. I saw it coming because my mind is just about as sick and twisted as your own and I’m razzing you about being predictable because you welcome half-drunken rants but since my wife hasn’t arrived home with the chicken wine yet I’m stuck here soberly ranting about being sober when this week really lends itself to being half-drunk instead. Wait . . . if the week is drunk and I’m not we have a problem. And . . . here’s my wife with the chicken wine and a glass that can help me fix that problem.
Cheers!
Marie Gail
April 5th, 2014 at 9:37 PM
I’ll have to work harder next week to throw in an extra special twist just for you. I admit this week was pretty non-twisty run of the mill stuff.
I do hope you enjoyed your wine.
April 4th, 2014 at 9:45 PM
I like this, particularly the uneasy feeling that maybe the child’s not imagining things after all. I remember staring at my closet wall, thinking I could see faces in the patterns of the wood. Children have such morbid imaginations!
April 5th, 2014 at 9:39 PM
Growing up, my closet didn’t have a door. Sufficiently freaked me out that I didn’t have a door to close on more than one occasion.
April 4th, 2014 at 10:36 PM
Not the most comforting dad, is he? Well done.
April 5th, 2014 at 9:40 PM
He certainly isn’t, but at least he’s around and knows enough to apologize after scaring the kid.
April 5th, 2014 at 4:21 AM
Good one!
April 5th, 2014 at 9:40 PM
Thanks, Sandra.
April 5th, 2014 at 4:34 AM
Dear Adam,
Your next book, “Bedtime Stories from the Crypt?” Almost a sweetness baton…almost. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
April 5th, 2014 at 9:42 PM
That is a great name for a book, but it’ll have to wait. I already have a handful of others queued up waiting for their chance.
The mailman brought the sweetness baton around, but I sent it back marked “return to sender.”
April 5th, 2014 at 7:07 AM
Uh Oh! Now you’ve made me scared to go to bed 😦
April 5th, 2014 at 9:43 PM
Don’t be afraid… they can smell fear. 🙂
April 6th, 2014 at 6:12 AM
🙂
April 5th, 2014 at 7:53 AM
great monster story Adam. i’ve always disliked parents who deliberately scare their children.
April 5th, 2014 at 9:43 PM
I’m in the same boat. There’s no need to scare them when you can teach them to scare others. 🙂
April 5th, 2014 at 8:36 AM
I remember when I was little the light in my closet, which was painted yellow, made me feel like there was a fire in it. Fortunately for me, there wasn’t. Unfortunately for Kevin, I think they’re in trouble.
janet
April 5th, 2014 at 9:44 PM
It’s weird the things our minds conjured up when we were kids, isn’t it?
April 5th, 2014 at 11:44 AM
There’s nothing funnier than punking your own kid…until it comes back to bite ya…
April 5th, 2014 at 9:45 PM
I think this one may come back and literally bite him.
April 5th, 2014 at 1:42 PM
Poor kid! Monsters in his room and a dumbazz dad!
April 5th, 2014 at 9:45 PM
Never a good combination!
April 5th, 2014 at 9:52 PM
Not very reassuring for a kid! lol
April 5th, 2014 at 7:30 PM
All monsters aren’t flesh.&.blood
April 5th, 2014 at 9:46 PM
So true.
April 6th, 2014 at 7:25 AM
Adam — I knew people were going to write about the “light monster”. It was unavoidable — it’s a great picture and that little gremlin just jumps out at you. I think you’ve done a great job — this might just be the definitive “light monster” story. I love that you delved into childhood fears, and even the prank seems like something a father might do to ease their child’s terror. Great job, darling.
April 7th, 2014 at 7:57 AM
Thanks. I actually didn’t want to write about the light monster, but I couldn’t see anything else in this image so I had to go with it.
April 6th, 2014 at 7:41 PM
it was a live monster, then it wasn’t, then maybe it is…. loved it 🙂
April 7th, 2014 at 7:58 AM
I’m still not sure if it’s actually there myself or just the boy’s overactive imagination.
April 6th, 2014 at 10:02 PM
That’s a great ending, Adam, like a classic double-fake-out in a horror movie. Hopefully they can run away from it.
April 7th, 2014 at 7:59 AM
Nothing like a good double-fake-out!
April 7th, 2014 at 6:15 AM
Good story Adam! Really awesome – poor kid, he’s going to see something he probably doesn’t want to see. Stellar piece! Nan 🙂
April 7th, 2014 at 8:01 AM
Thanks, Nan. I find myself wonder what will happen to the boy after the monster gets ahold of his father. Only time will tell I suppose.
April 7th, 2014 at 9:14 AM
Reading your comments, I had a kid brother – I was 13 when he was born – and at 2, he came down to the kitchen in his pyjamas and said there was a big white bird in his bedroom. When I was a kid, I was staying with an aunt and I woke up in the night to see 3 lit candles hovering just under the ceiling in a corner of the room. I believe children can see things adults have convinced themselves don’t exist. In your story, the monster actually existed and the kid saw it. Great story!
April 11th, 2014 at 9:02 AM
You might be on to something there.
April 7th, 2014 at 9:32 PM
Aha! What an awesome twist! You caught me off guard with that ending. You set that up well. Nice!
April 11th, 2014 at 9:02 AM
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.
April 9th, 2014 at 11:48 AM
yup. let sleeping beasts lie. well done.
April 11th, 2014 at 9:04 AM
Certainly a good mantra to live by.
April 10th, 2014 at 11:31 AM
Great. Now I’ll never be able to play this prank again without second guessing myself…
Btw, I love the new blog design. Looks great!
April 11th, 2014 at 9:05 AM
It disturbs me that you had to put “again” in there. haha
Thanks. Believe it or not. This was the design I originally had when I first started my blog. I just reverted to it because I realized I liked it better.
April 11th, 2014 at 9:43 AM
Hahaha I am the oldest of six kids…with five younger siblings, how could you expect me not to say “again”? Lol. Actually, it is the youngest to likes to play these types of pranks more than me.
Really. Well I like it. 🙂