Scary Stories and Urban Legends

Childs' Eyes

Through the eyes of a child, the
world is very different. Every child
has a fear of what is lurking under
their bed. They fear what is hiding
in the closet or peeping in at them
through the little crack in a door
that's standing ajar.

A doctor would tell you that
children are much more
perceptive than adults. Their eyes
are able to see the things that an
adult's eyes cannot see. When you
grow up, you become blind to the
dangers that creep and crawl
through the darkness. Children
can see what is truly there. They
see the monsters.

If you were to look, for just one
night, through a child's eyes, you
would know what true fear really
is. If you were able to see again
the things you only dimly
remember from your childhood,
imagine how terrifying that would
be. Can you remember those
sleepless nights, burrowing under
your covers, shaking and
shivering in the darkness, afraid
to move, afraid to make a sound,
afraid to breathe?

Those are the nights that adults
forget. The nights when you
would cover yourself completely
with your blankets, so that the
monsters couldn't see you. The
nights when you would hold your
breath, so the monsters couldn't
hear you. The nights when you
would lie as still as possible, so
you wouldn't attract their
attention. I know you remember
those nights.

The only thing that would protect
you was light. Bright light. You
slept with the light on. That made
it safe. That meant they couldn't
get you.

Teenagers are caught in the
middle. They still sense that
something is there in the
darkness, but they try to convince
themselves it's just their
imagination. They're embarrassed
to sleep with the light on.
Teenagers have forgotten that
light is the only thing that can
keep them away.

While you're sitting there in front
of your computer, do you think
that the light from your monitor
will be enough to keep them
away?

Sorry. It's not.

Now look behind you with a
child's eyes and try not to scream.