Monty the Mouse and the Monster That Wasn't There - A Children's Story

 Monty the Mouse and the Monster That Wasn't There

By Bill Conley, America’s Favorite Children’s Storyteller

Moral to the Story:
Fear often grows in silence and shadows, especially in the mind of a young child.
Even the safest room can feel overwhelming when imagination takes over.
What a child needs most in those moments is the calm presence of someone they trust.
A loving parent can help shine light into the dark places of a child’s thoughts.
When fears are faced together, they lose their power and begin to shrink.
Monsters may seem real, but love and truth will always prove stronger.

In a quiet meadow under a silver moon,
a family of mice lived in a cozy burrow woven from twigs and leaves.
Inside, little Monty the Mouse lay wide awake in his cottony bed,
his round ears twitching at every creak and thump echoing through the walls.
The dark corners of his room seemed deeper tonight,
and the closet door, slightly cracked, looked like it held a thousand secrets.

Tap. Tap. Scratch.

Monty bolted upright. He clutched his blanket tightly and gasped.
“It’s the monster,” he whispered to himself.
The one his cousins whispered about—the one that hid under beds and behind closet doors.
The one that waited until little mice closed their eyes…

With his heart pounding and tail quivering, Monty leapt from his bed and scampered down the hallway.

“Daddy! Daddy!” he cried, rushing to his parents’ room.
“There’s a monster in my room! I heard it! I know it’s real!”

Daddy Mouse yawned and lifted Monty into his warm arms.
“A monster, huh?” he said gently.

Monty nodded. “It was tapping! Scratching! It’s either under my bed or in the closet… or maybe both!”

Daddy sat up slowly and said, “Let’s go investigate. Together.”

Monty’s eyes grew wide. “Right now?!”

“Yes, sir,” Daddy replied with a confident nod. “It’s time we meet this monster face-to-face.”

Together, paw in paw, they walked back to Monty’s room.
The moonlight poured through the tiny round window,
casting long shadows across the floor.
Monty’s bed looked like a mountain of mystery.
The closet loomed like a silent giant.
And the noises? They came again.

Tap. Tap. Scratch.

Monty froze. “There! Did you hear it?”

Daddy Mouse chuckled softly. “That sounds like the wind brushing the side of our burrow.”
He opened a small flap in the wall, and sure enough—a branch was tapping gently against the outside.

Monty blinked. “It’s… just a stick?”

“Yep,” Daddy smiled. “And sticks don’t eat mice.”

Monty giggled, just a little.

Next, Daddy kneeled beside the bed and peeked under.

“Let’s see what we’ve got under here,” he said, pulling out a toy car, a sock,
a bent spoon, and a squished marshmallow.

“No monsters here,” Daddy said. “Just leftovers from snack time.”

Monty peeked too. “That marshmallow does look scary,” he whispered.

“Agreed,” Daddy chuckled.

Then came the closet.

Daddy opened the door slowly and turned on the tiny bulb overhead.
Inside were Monty’s raincoat, his jump rope, and his cardboard robot suit.

“All I see is the stuff of a very imaginative little mouse,” Daddy said proudly.

Monty tiptoed inside the closet, then laughed. “It’s just my stuff.”

“You see, Monty,” Daddy said, sitting beside him,
“Our imagination can sometimes play tricks on us—especially at night.
The dark makes familiar things look strange and turns little sounds into big ones.”

“But what if monsters do come?” Monty asked.

“Well,” Daddy said, “you have a brave heart, a clever mind, and a Daddy who will always check the closet for you.”

Monty smiled. The shadows didn’t look so spooky now.
The noises weren’t so loud.
And with Daddy by his side, the fear that felt so big… was suddenly so small.

“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” Monty asked, climbing into bed.

“I wouldn’t dream of leaving,” Daddy whispered, tucking him in.

He sat beside Monty and sang a soft lullaby.
Monty’s eyes grew heavy.
His breathing slowed.

And just before drifting off, he whispered,
“Thanks for helping me fight the monster that wasn’t there.”

Daddy smiled and kissed his forehead.
“You were brave enough to face it, Monty. That’s what matters most.”

Poem to Remember:
Sometimes we see things that aren’t really there,
Like monsters lurking in the closet air.
But love and truth will chase them away,
And calm your fears 'til the light of day.
So when you feel scared, don’t hide or flee—
Just call someone who loves you and me.

Questions to Talk About:

1.     Why do you think Monty was afraid of things that weren’t really there?

2.     Have you ever felt scared at night? What helped you feel better?

3.     How does talking to someone about your fear make you feel stronger?