• They say that there are no such things as monsters. That vampires and werewolves aren't real. They say that there is nothing in my closet, or under my bed. They even say that my nightmares cannot touch me, that they cannot hurt me. They swear to me that the ghosts I see are not real, that the cuts and bites on me must come from somewhere else.

    So self assured they are in their assumptions that they believe I am simply looking for attention when I scream in the night. They tell me to close my eyes and hide under my covers, but the hands and teeth can still reach me there. They think I must hurt myself when I sleep because I wake up with nail marks on my skin, and bruises on my body. They beg me to stop, but how can I stop what I cannot even touch?

    Why will they not believe that I am not the one doing these things? Why do my parents leave me, my mother crying? Why do the doctors force pills down my throat? Why do the demons not go away? Why are the walls of my room so soft? Why do my parents never come to see me? Have I done something wrong? I promise I will stop screaming if my mother will hold me and tell me she loves me like she used to. I promise.

    I just want them to be right. I want the monsters to go away. I'm so very tired. I have been secretly saving the pills the nurse brings me for a month now. I think maybe if I take them all at once I should sleep for a long time. Maybe long enough for the monsters to go away. I started taking them a few minutes ago. I'm almost finished swallowing the last of them. I feel so full. But already I can feel myself getting sleepy. I hope I sleep for a long time.