monsters

I believed when I was going to bed that dinosaurs roamed the streets, peeking in the windows with one huge eye to check everyone was sleeping. I don't know what would happen if you weren't sleeping, I was always sure to at least feign sleep.

Jeska

When I was about 10 I stayed up late one night to watch the TV premier of American Werewolf In London. By the time it got to the dream sequence of him chasing through the forest I was so terrified I turned off the TV and legged it to cower under the covers. To this day I am unable to walk through a wood on my own without getting the screaming heebies, even though it's 25 years later and it's one of my favourite films.

Angus

My granny had a garage made out of compressed wood chips and one looked like a really angry owl monster and I use to think if I stared at it too long it would come off the wall and peck my back.

AkiHisuiQON

I use to believe that dinosaurs were real because of Barney

SquareHead

My little brother couldn't sleep for awhile, and I asked him why and he said he was afraid of the "tutors coming out of the little holes in the wall"

My sister had a tutor for math that year...

Julianne

When I was home alone my protection from monsters and ghosts was to stay on my couch or bed with no part of me touching the floor or walls...and my bed had to be in a position where I could see all of my room...it seems to have worked ;)

Usagi Ohkami

I used to believe that if you closed a door on a dark room, then all of these monsters in the room would come out of their hiding places and start partying. I even remember one time when I was closing the door to my parents room, and I said something like, "I hope the monster's have fun." I was one screwed up kid.

Jess

My mom told me that if you were out past 9 pm Frankenstein would get you. He roamed the streets looking for children out so he could kill them.

theresa

In the 80s there was a game on the Commodore 64 called 'Shamus' - if you stayed in a room too long a character called 'The Shadow' would appear from nowhere and rush at you; if he touched you he'd kill you. For many years I would apply this theory to certain rooms and would hurry to get out of them as quick as I could... mostly those rooms where I was alone such as the bathroom or the stairs.

Of course I don't believe it anymore, but I believed it for long enough to develop habit that I still have now I'm 27; I nearly always run up stairs...

Jen

THis is a story my mate Tracy told me: When she was little and wouldn't eat up or tidy her room, her older brother would tell her that the GIBLETS would come after her if she didnt do as told. It took many years before she realised that GIBLETS were the insides of Poultry.She thought they were huge monsters!! Bless

Ren/Celle/Germany

I convinced my 4 year old cousin of an exsistece of something called a walking around troll. I said if you stay in a room in the dark when your not sleeping it will eat you. It got very creepy when the power in my room only went off. Thats when I told him I made it up.

Anon

When me and my siblings were younger our parents always used to tell us that we would turn into gremlins if we went to bed after midnight. We later found out it was only to get us to bed early. We still joke about it.

Christina

when i was younger, my mom used to tell me that if i didn't go to sleep when she told me to the boogeyman would come and eat me. Then she'd say a boy would be trying to kiss me and i hated boys then.

Chakeva MO.

I used to believe that if you walk under a tree at night there was a chance that a warewolf would jump on you and attack you. For about four years I did not walk under a tree at night.

Anon

When I was 5, my Dad told me that if i go out at night, I'll see the "Night Troll" He told me that he had a long, pointy nose and ate kids. I used to believe him. I used to think I seen him peeking in my bedroom window.

Stimpy9337 (Kelsey)

I used to believe that if you fall asleep with your hands on the outside of the covers, monsters would come and eat your fingernails.

Jackie

When I was five or six years old, I believed that 6 meter (20 feet) tall human giants really existed. I was scared that giants could walk upto me anytime and attack me. I probably got the thought from hearing the story of Jack and the Beanstalk where there was a giant that lived in a castle up in the clouds. I now know that giants are just imaginary creatures from Norse mythology that were also known as Jotuns.

Anon