00:00There are monsters everywhere!
00:29By Mercer Mayer
00:35There were monsters everywhere in my house.
00:43They would hide when my mom was around.
00:50But when I was alone, the room would get very quiet.
00:54I just knew the monsters were going to jump out.
01:01Dad said there weren't any monsters, but he was wrong.
01:09I knew there were monsters in the basement, but since I never had to go down there, they
01:14didn't bother me.
01:19There were monsters outside by the garbage cans, too.
01:23I just knew it.
01:29Dad had to watch me when I took out the trash.
01:32Otherwise, I might not ever return.
01:36He never seemed too worried, but I sure was.
01:43There was a monster somewhere in the bathroom.
01:51I just knew he was there whenever I shampooed my hair.
01:59Sometimes I thought I heard him breathing, but he vanished whenever I looked.
02:09There were monsters hiding in my room.
02:12Mom had to come with me to get my pajamas.
02:20But they couldn't get me because I made a really good fort on the top of my bunk bed.
02:26Dad said monsters hate the top bunk because they're scared of ladders.
02:30I wondered if that was true.
02:38I was really getting tired of being pushed around by a bunch of monsters.
02:43Then I saw a sign for karate classes, all ages.
02:48That means me, I thought.
02:53At dinner, I told Mom and Dad that I needed karate class so the monsters wouldn't get
02:58me.
02:59They agreed that it was a good idea.
03:07Karate was fun.
03:08I learned all sorts of great-looking scary moves.
03:18I even learned how to break a board with my bare hand.
03:22I was hoping a monster was watching when I did that.
03:30The real test came one night after dinner.
03:33I took out the garbage and didn't ask Dad to watch me.
03:42I could tell they were out there waiting.
03:44I gave a loud karate yell and kicked a garbage can.
03:48I think I made my point.
03:55In the shower, I practiced my karate punches on the shower curtain, just hoping a monster
04:01was standing too close.
04:05Later, I jumped into my room and took the most ferocious karate position I knew.
04:14Not one monster poked his head out, ha!
04:21I even slept on the bottom bunk.
04:29The next day, I went down to the basement.
04:32I didn't want the monsters down there to think I was letting them off the hook.
04:41I still go to karate class.
04:43I decided to get my black belt.
04:46I might even become a professional monster hunter when I grow up.
04:50So, even though there are monsters everywhere,
04:58I don't care.
