My (well-meaning) auntie thought it would be a treat for me to stay up and watch the late night movie with her whilst she was babysitting. It happened to be Dracula, and I was only 6. My parents were surprised to find me in bed the next morning with crusifixes drawn all over my neck in biro......

Hannah

When I was little I thought that there was a hand that lived under my bed. I refused to walk on the floor of my bedroom for over a year. I would jump from the door to a chair and onto my bed.

I shared a room with my older sister. She had our brother hide under the bed one night. I had to go to the bathroom, the chair was too far away and she refused to pick me up and put me outside the door. I finally worked up the courage to step on the floor and my brother reached out and grabbed me. I peed all over him. But after that I wasn't afraid of the hand because I thought it had been my brother down there the whole time.

Raku

There was a time in my young, impressionable life that I watched an inordinate amount of television. During one evening's sojourn into the Idiot Box, I happened to peruse a commercial for a lovely chocolate confection called a Chunky due to its large and solidly square shape. The advertisement then showed a Chunky growing larger and larger, accompanied by loud thudding sounds. This somehow horrified my prepubescent synapses, and was thereby transposed by my naivete into an under-the-bed monster which lasted throughout not only my horrified childhood, but also the childhood of my sisters offspring, as she told them the story of the hideous Chunky that awaits the appearance of tiny toes over the side of the bed should they try to get out of it during the night.

A candy bar that eats children.

To this day, I have never eaten a Chunky.

Blyght

I used to believe that Gene Simmons (from the band KISS) lived under my bed. He was really nice to me as long as I laid on my stomach and held my hands a certain way underneath my pillow! Bizarre.

Anon

When I was five or six years old, my mom noticed that I was very fidgety before I went to sleep. In reality, I moved my feet around as much as possible because I was afraid miniature leprechauns were going to steal my toes. I think this was the result of an unnatural fear of the "This Little Piggy" game, too many Lucky Charms, and a highly overactive imagination.

Leslie

I convinced my little brother that Michael Jackson is under his bed. Now, the poor kid freaks out if he even sees Michael on TV. Well, Michael Jackson IS pretty creepy!

Miss Mustard

As a child I'd go to sleep cuddled in a ball because I thought there were Lions and Tigers and Bears at the end of my bed, waiting to eat my feet. I grew up in South Africa, so it seemed a possible situation. One night I woke up at about 3am SCREAMING. My parents ran in to see what was wrong and I told them the Lions were trying to get me. It turned out to be our 4 new kittens who were playing under my covers!!

singer

I thought that bullets might shoot out of the shower head when first starting the shower. Being in the shower when it was turned on was a bit like playing Russian Roulette.

Jason

I used to believe that under the whirlpool that the drain would create in the bath, there was an eerie world of pigmy people who dressed in suits and played accordian music. The place was adorned with crystal chandeliers, red shag carpeting and flowing red drapes everywhere.... Very odd.

Mikey

When I was little, my Mum told me that when the Queen went to the toilet, a lttle brush came up and scrubbed her bum when she had finished.

However, my Mum also convinced me that she and Elvis were very good friends. After no reply to my many letters to The King, I began to doubt this..

Kim