My son is 2 and scared of monsters behind the door; I reassure my baby that there is no such thing as monsters anymore. He doesn't believe me, so I try a new approach of telling stories about how we can cut off the monster encroach. Stories of a mama who tells her sweet child to kiss those fears goodbye. Stories of that sweet child deciding he might as well give it a try. The child puckers up and gives the monster a kiss on the cheek, and wouldn't you know it, that monster starts to weep. "Blech!" the monster cries. "Boohoo! This is my nightmare. This child is so disgusting! Not fair! Not fair!" And my son would giggle about how monsters hate kisses and would fall asleep knowing what to do if a monster hisses.

My son is 3 and scared of monsters under his bed; I reassure my baby the monsters are all in his head. He doesn't believe me, so I make up a tale about how to make the bad monsters wail. "The reason they are under your bed," I whisper to him super discreet, "is that they love the smell of your stinky feet! Oh, yes, monsters want to breathe in where that yucky stench grows — even more so if you've got something green and nasty growing between your toes." And my son would laugh and try to funk-ify his feet because a monster who relishes the stink seems like a cool guy to meet. But just before I would turn off the light, he'd run to the bathroom and wash his feet for the night — knowing full well that if his feet smell like soap instead, there's no reason for a monster to hide under his bed.

My son is 4 and scared of monsters in the closet; I reassure my baby that if there are, I'll get back our security deposit. "When we moved in to this home, they promised it monster-free," but my son isn't consoled, so we make up another ditty — about how monsters find nothing quite as boring as the earsplitting noise of a child snoring. And my son laughs as he throws his head down on the pillow, and then, forcefully breathing through his nose, he makes it billow. With his eyes shut tight, he loudly pretends to harass the monsters that creep, and it isn't too long before he's fast asleep.

I was 7 and scared of ghosts, not monsters, when I learned the power of telling yourself silly stories. At a slumber party with my best friend, I mentioned my fear of the camouflaged apparitions that creak in the night. Everyone knows that ghosts, like monsters, thrive in the darkness. It was then that my friend introduced me to her ghosts. "Oh, sure," she said, "my ceiling is covered in them." And she started pointing to what looked like nothingness and calling out their names. Francis. Marco. Mirabell. Horatio. Hazel. "Make friends with the ghosts," she instructed, and she let me take a handful home with me. I have used silly storytelling to conquer all that scares ever since.

But now... But now.

My son is nearly 5 and starting kindergarten in the fall, and I am scared to the core there will be monsters in the hall. And no matter how many times folks try to assure me monsters are in my head, no silly story or positive thinking can overcome this dread. Because in Manchester, there are 22 dead.

Monsters are real. In Syria. In Newtown. In Turkey. In Paris.

They are not in our home, but out in the world, they roam. And they prey on love and joy and dance and glee. They thrive in the darkness, but it's the light they seek. They're succubi fervidly consuming the light we exude. Our exuberance. Our effervescence. Our kindness. Our creativity.

Our ability to tell silly tales to see past the monsters. But maybe the point of the stories is not to ensure you're well-rested but rather to have the reminder that in every story ever told, the monsters are bested. Monsters have been around as long as the human race, but goodness marches on full of purpose and grace.

My friend told me to make friends with ghosts. It's easier now — and harder — that so many friends have become them.

Katiedid Langrock is author of the book "Stop Farting in the Pyramids," available at http://www.creators.com/books/stop-farting-in-the-pyramids. Like Katiedid Langrock on Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/katiedidhumor. To find out more about her and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.