The day the dinosaur saved the night

When I was little, much like other kids my age I was afraid of the dark. Actually not so much afraid of the dark as afraid of being in my bedroom in the dark at night. We all know that the closet monsters and under the bed monsters have had time all day to master their plot to eat you or take you to the depths of the closet or whatever it is that monsters do. And when your parents turn the lights off at night and you are all alone, that is their time to act.

I could hear them breathing and the shadows on the floor were there reminding me that they are very real. I would jump out of bed, careful to avoid the bed monsters and run to the living room to the safety that the light and my parents provided. After all, monsters wont come out when your parents are around.

Inevitably my dad would take me back to bed and show me that their were no monsters and once again turn out the light. But I knew that the monsters were too smart for that. They had used their magic vanishing powers to disappear while the lights were on and would be back the minute my dad left the room.

This of course was the case. I tried to use my glow worm to create a bubble of light around myself but it was too dim.

I also tried hiding under the blankets. Every kid knows that blankets can become this wonderful force field of protection. But when the monsters start making noises, it is time to run.

So once again I would dart past the bed monster to the living room and explain the severity of the situation to my dad.

After several of these trips to the living room, my dad finally came up with a solution. He had a power that was stronger than any monster in my room. He handed me my plastic toy dinosaur and explained that he could guard the room of any and all monsters. He placed him at the door and turned out the light. Sure enough the monsters in the closet and under the bed had retreated to the depths of the closet and did not come out as long as the dinosaur was there.

And thus creating my love for dinosaurs