They Feared Lions And Tigers And Bears But The Big Bad Monster Lived Downstairs.

Once upon a time, a happy child lived in a shiny tower by the sea.

Outside was a dark forest full of lions and tigers and bears,

But in the tower, there was no fear, and no danger and no pain.

The child lived with her Mommy and Daddy on the top floor of the tower,

And downstairs near the garden lived her Grandpa and her Grandma.

Her Mommy had a new baby, and her Daddy worked day and night

So the child wandered from room to room and took down magic books from the shelves and learned the secret of words.

You must not think she was lonely, because her Grandpa loved her very much.

He’d sit her on his lap and tell her how pretty she was, and how much she was loved.

And tell her wonderful stories

One day a strange and terrible thing happened.

Underneath her Grandpa’s face, a Monster appeared and opened its jaws.

 And the Monster said: "Little girl let me touch you."

But the child knew a secret word from the magic books and she said “NO”

And the Monster screamed with rage but he could not touch her

That night she did not sleep, afraid of the Monster

But the next day, when she came down to the garden, the Monster was gone

And her Grandpa was just as nice as he was before.

“I have banished the Monster with the magic," she thought, "or it was never there.”

 For a long time, all was well, then the Monster-in-Grandpa said again: “Little girl let me touch you”

And again she said “NO”, and it could not reach past her power.

From then on, she never knew who’d be waiting in the garden:

Her nice Grandpa telling stories or the Monster with the poison words.

One day she said to the Monster: “Begone, or I shall tell the world you are a Monster who made a nest inside my lovely Grandpa"

But the Monster laughed and said: “No one will ever believe you, because they don't want to."

So she told her Mommy and her Mommy pretended not to understand.

And she told her Grandma, but her Grandma looked away.

So she told the Wizard who taught magic words...

And the Knight in shining armor...

And the Lady who made get-well potions...

And they listened, and they heard her.

So the Knight and the Wizard and the Lady took the Grandpa away so they could take out the Monster.

And the child knew that when a Monster makes a nest inside the heart of someone who should be your friend you must shout "NO!"

And if someone - ANYONE - tells you not to tell, you MUST tell!

And tell, and tell and tell...Until someone believes you, because silence makes Monsters stronger.

But true words makes them go away forever, and set the children free.