II: The Iesus

The Monsters Under Your Bed: A Mini-Series

Photo by Alex Chambers on Unsplash

written last 2019.

1. Open your eyes. The fog surrounds you in each direction you turn. Try all you want, but that’s all you can see.
2. Blink three times. This realization will hit you: you’re in a dream. Or, maybe not? Your dreams are normally distinct and realistic. This is anything but that. But everything is not what it seems. Things will clear up sooner than you realize. I repeat: Everything is not what it seems.
3. Hold up your hand and touch the mist. The fog will disappear. Ignore this and the cloud will keep you stuck inside, and this fog is one that never disappears. Everyone will remember you as only a fuzzy memory, one that fades in and out. Remember, you have more power than you imagine.
4. You’ll notice a bed from where the fog previously was. Your bed. It is already made, like how your mother taught you. The pillows are fluffed up, and your comforter is folded on top. Approach the bed with caution.
5. Check under the bed. You will see a letter written to you. Don’t be fooled. The ink is metallic red, a color you have seen too often. Blood. Your blood. Read the message. Should you accept this challenge, hide the note in your pocket. You will need it later. Advance to step seven. If you choose not to carry out this test, do step six.
6. If you refuse to do this challenge, return the letter and lie on your bed. Blink your eyes three times. Once you open them, you will awaken in the actual world.
7. Beside the pillow is a bag with your name. Grab it. No matter what happens, don’t lose it. If you lose this bag, you will fail to have any chance of defeating the horrors under your bed. This bag is more important than you know.
8. Open the bag. You’ll receive a bottle of water. Chug it down. Breathe. Calm yourself. Check your wrists, check for any place where you were harmed without realizing it. If you do not finish the water jug, you will drown as the beasts under your bed will call its friends and surround you.
9. Get a band-aid. Cover any wounds that you have found. Don’t punish yourself. These things happen. The monsters under your bed are more powerful than you think. But don’t worry. So are you.
10. Close your eyes. Form an antique store in your mind. It doesn’t matter which one; or if you’ve never been to one. Imagine what an antique shop might look like. Let nothing distract you.
11. You will feel the wind rushing and pulling you. Stay strong, and stand still. Do not get pulled by the breeze. And do not open your eyes. Once you do, you will never wake up from this dream. You will be stuck in an endless peril, haunted and tortured by the monsters.
12. Once the howling of the wind has stopped, open your eyes. In front of you is the antique shop you have built in your head. Knock three times, with a three-second interval for each knock. Knock in any other manner, and the antiques inside will awaken and chase you until you are left with nothing but bones.
13. A man with neon pink hair will greet you. He will ask what you perceive of his hairstyle as he welcomes you. Be honest. If your thoughts are conflicting, express it. If they are too rude, do not cut back on your words. If he notices a shred of a lie in what you have said, he will lock you inside, and you will be tormented with the lies everyone in the actual world has hidden from you.
14. The man will thank you for your honesty and offer you a pendant for this adventure. You can choose any design. It is up to you. The only condition is you have to name your necklace, “Iesus.” Changing this name will make you lose the battle ahead of you, and the accessory you have chosen will be your doom.
15. Once you have taken your jewelry, wear it at once, lest you lose it, and never wake up from this nightmare.
16. Shut your eyes and let the wind take you to your bedroom once more. Touch your necklace resting on your skin. It must be cool and smooth to the touch.
17. Your obligation to the pendant is to take care of it. Do not drop the necklace. Do everything in your strength to keep it safe and within your possession. Any harm or scratch done to the Iesus will likewise be given to you. Do not let it disappear. The Iesus will support and give you strength in your battles. The necklace will be your companion. If you take precious care of the Iesus, it will reciprocate with more power rushing through your veins. If you distrust the jewelry, worse will happen to you. Your relationship with the Iesus will cause a shift to your advantage or disadvantage. Remember. Everything is not what it seems.