Each stair creaked as Ella placed her feet on them.  She tried to be as quiet as she could, but halfway through the long staircase she lost hope.  Ella kept looking behind her to see if someone was following her. There never was but she was still cautious.  Once she had accomplished the staircase, the next obstacle was the hallway.  She looked down it and her eyes got lost; it looked like it went on for miles.  Ella’s room was the last one on the right.  She had asked many times to move closer to the stairs, but her requests were always denied. 

She summoned all the courage she had and started into a jog.  She would rather run or even sprint, but if Madame Wick were to catch her, that would be the end of Ella Scott. She started counting down the numbers of the doors, 1001, 1003, and finally after what seemed like hours she reached it 1053.  She slid her key into the lock, twisted it and with a resounding click she was in, but the terrors didn’t stop there.

Her room may have seemed safe with all the stuffed animal frogs scattered around the room, the nature photos taped to the blue walls, and the books covering every inch of the floor.  But Ella had heard the rumors about room 1053 that it was haunted by the girl who had lived in it before.  She didn’t believe them not one bit she thought those stories were baloney and that the other kids made them up to scare her.  Nonetheless some part of her still held onto them with fear.  Every night she went through a checklist to make sure it was safe to turn of her lights.  First, the closet, is anyone or anything hiding in there?  Second, the curtains, was something behind them?  Then lastly under the bed, the place where all monsters live, the place where every child’s worst nightmare begins.  Everything was good, no one hiding, no monsters.  Ella was safe once more. 

She had one last thing on her checklist, he prayers.  She always prayed that one day, maybe someday soon she could have a place to call home and a family to love.  Once she had finished she turned off her lamp, hopped into bed, pulled over the covers, and snuggled with Mr.Frog. 

But when all the children in Madame Wick’s orphanage were also safely tucked in their beds, that is when the monsters really come out to play.  Sweet Dreams ...