Monster Files Collection: The Complete Series

By A.E. Stanfill

All four books in 'Monster Files', a series of children's mystery books by A.E. Stanfill, now in one volume!

It Lives Under My Bed: Imagine being the new kid in town, with no friends and just moved into a creepy house. Strange things are happening, and you don’t know why. This is what's happening to Bryan Sanders, and that’s where Miller and Smith come in. They’re the founders of Monster Files; the only ones willing to listen and help Bryan out. Miller believes the whole town of Manila, Arkansas, is surrounded by the supernatural. And it only happens to the kids, not the adults: that's why not a single adult will listen, and that's why Monster Files was started. This is their first real case, and Miller will do everything he can to help Bryan figure out what is under his bed. But is one of them hiding something?

My Neighbor Is A Werewolf: Miller and Smith are helping a girl named Amber, who believes her neighbor is a werewolf. After Miller goes on a stakeout with Amber, they find out the man has plenty of secrets. For one, he seems to have a taste for cats. And possibly the neighborhood kids as well. The full moon is shining bright, and something strange is afoot in their small town. But can The Monster Files stop the werewolf before he takes another into the darkness?

Ghostly Park: Miller is on his way to Summer Camp and he is leaving Smith in charge. On top of that, Smith has done something she swore she would never do: joining the track team. Smith's summer takes a turn to the strange side, as she meets a young boy named Charlie. He warns her to stay far away from the park before she ends up like the others. Things keep getting weirder every time Smith goes to the park so she decides to investigate it, and Charlie. But is there some lost secret in the park? Is the place haunted, or is it all just a big prank?

Big Ben The Mean Guinea Pig: Justin has always wanted a pet. A dog a cat even a turtle would work. His parents would always tell him no; he wasn’t responsible enough for that yet. Until one day his Mom and Dad agreed to take him to the pet store. That’s when Justin saw him: a guinea pig that was different from all the others. Colors, fur, looks and all. That was the one Justin wanted, and that was the day his life would change forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Next Chapter
• Release date: Jul 8, 2022

Book preview

1

MOVING IS ROUGH

Being fourteen and being forced to move away from the only friends he had ever known didn’t help all the things Bryan was feeling. The only thing that kept his mind off things was the new house. It was a two-story, what some would call a plantation house. He didn’t understand what that meant, but he was sure it was something cool.

When they settled in, Bryan wanted to explore every inch of the home.

Bryan! You need to pick a room and start unpacking! his mom shouted.

I know, Mom! he shouted back.

Dinner’s at six; don’t be late or the food will get cold!

Again, I know! Bryan wasn’t hungry and didn’t really care if he ate or not. He had spent the last couple of hours trying to pick out a room. And after careful consideration he found the room that suited him most.

To him it was perfect. The color of the room was hunter green. It was very spacious and had two overly large windows. He spent the rest of the night getting his room ready, putting the bed together and unpacking boxes until his mother made him get ready for bed.

The young man did his normal routine. He took his shower, brushed his teeth, got his clothes ready for the next day. And even though he was angry, he still told both his parents and his little sister goodnight.

Bryan then changed into his PJs and jumped into bed. He tried his best to fall asleep, but all he could think of was his friends back home that he had left behind. They were all he had ever known. And now he was forced to start all over.

He understood why they’d had to move. His dad had been offered a great job just thirty minutes away. And if he was going to better himself and his family, he couldn’t say no.

It still didn’t make it any easier on Bryan, and at times he didn’t want to accept the fact. Anger had still found its way back to him when he thought of everything he was forced to give up. Though no matter how he felt, it didn’t change the outcome.

Bryan had to learn to accept things the way they were and just move on from there. Perhaps this little town wouldn’t be so bad if he gave it a chance.

Sleep was starting to take over his thoughts, and his mind began to calm.

As the night went on and midnight approached, something strange began to happen. Bryan woke up to the sound of voices filling his room. They were very faint, but he could tell someone or something was in his room.

Who’s there? Bryan nervously whispered. The whispers had stopped, and he chalked it up to nerves. When he tried to fall back to sleep, the whispers started again. Yet this time it felt like his bed was being moved or shaken.

Bryan jumped out of bed wide awake. This time he was sure it wasn’t a bad dream or nerves. He rushed over and flipped the light switch. Bryan searched high and low thinking his sister was maybe hiding in his room.

There was still one place in the room that he had yet to search, and that was underneath his bed. He was a little scared but managed to suck it up and inch closer towards the bed. Then he suddenly stopped in his tracks after the bed shook slightly.

Bryan cleared his throat. Who’s there? he asked again. If that’s you, Matty, it’s not funny. He stayed about a foot away and found the courage to kneel down. He took a quick glance under the bed, but nothing was there.

He stood back up and scratched his head in confusion. What in the world was going on? He just couldn’t figure it out. Perhaps he would just go back to bed and tell his parents what had happened in the morning.

The rest of the night went by fairly quietly; the only thing he heard was his dad snoring. And his bed didn’t move again, which allowed the young man to fall asleep for the second time.

Morning came quicker than he hoped it would. Rays of light shone through his window, beating down on his face and waking him up. Bryan pulled the covers over his head, refusing to get out of bed.

Moments later he could hear his mom marching up the steps muttering words of disapproval under her breath. She stopped at his door and started knocking loud and hard.

Get out of bed this instance, Bryan Sanders, she said angrily. Breakfast is downstairs, and you know the rules of the house. We eat together as a family before everyone’s day starts.

Yes, Mother, he replied. His mom went back downstairs the same way she came up—angry at him. Bryan rose and stretched his arms into the air, letting out a long yawn before getting out of bed.

He threw on his clothes that he had picked out for the day. He brushed his teeth then went running downstairs to join his family at the table. Look who finally decided to join us, his dad grunted.

Sorry, Dad, Bryan responded.

You don’t look so good either. Long night?

The young man put his face in his hands. A very long night, he mumbled.

Look, I get it, his dad said. New home, a different environment. It hasn’t been easy on any of us.

He looked over at his dad through his fingers. It’s not that, he grumbled.

His mom insisted he put his hands down and have a conversation like a normal person as she was placing the meal on the table. When they were halfway through breakfast, his mom decided to break the silence. Well?

Well what? he asked.

Are you going to tell us about last night? she asked. It was clear she wasn’t going to let this go; the look on her face gave that away.

Not with Matty at the table.

Why not? his father questioned.

I don’t want to scare her.

After breakfast was over and his little sister went off to play, Bryan explained the odd events that had plagued him last night. Both his mom and dad sat there trying to keep a straight face. To him this was no joking matter, and he was starting to get upset.

Why are you trying not to laugh? Bryan grunted. This isn’t funny. His mom began clearing off the table, and his dad grabbed the morning paper without saying a word. Am I being ignored now?

Nope, his dad responded with his face hidden on the other side of the newspaper.

Why don’t you go play outside, make some new friends! his mom shouted from the kitchen.

You heard your mom, his dad said. Go play outside.

Bryan stood from the table, turned and stomped out the front door. He was upset and a little hurt that his parents hadn’t listened to him yet again.

2

MAKING NEW FRIENDS

The young man walked the streets of the small town of Manila. There wasn’t really much to the town. He managed to find a couple of small grocery stores and a candy store combined with a small arcade with pool tables.

It looked like the arcade was packed full of kids about his age and older, though at that moment he didn’t feel like it was the right time to walk in there as the new kid. And on top of that, he didn’t have any money to spend.

So he walked on past the arcade and towards the park area. The park seemed like a very cool place to hang out. There were two basketball courts, a tennis court and two baseball fields. And to top it off there was a large swimming pool smack in the middle of it all.

With how hot it was outside, he would have loved to go swimming. Unfortunately, it was closed this summer due to repairs. Just his luck—his first year dealing with hundred-degree temps and the best place to cool off was closed down.

Hey, do you play basketball? a voice called out. Bryan turned to see three young teen boys standing there looking at him. Well?

Bryan shrugged. Yeah, I play, he replied.

Great, we need a fourth player. The boy smiled. I’m Brandon, by the way. He pointed over towards a skinny blond-headed kid. That’s Jason. Then over towards a heavyset kid who seemed to have a bit of an attitude. Last but not least is Jimmy.

Nice to meet you guys. My name is Bryan.

Jimmy threw the basketball at him. Doesn’t matter what your name is as long as you can play.

Bryan proved to be better than all three of them. And when the first game was over, the three teens argued over who would be on his team next. The young men played basketball for hours on end. It looked as though Bryan had made his first friends, and that felt great.

When they were done playing, the four young men took a seat on a picnic table. Bryan asked them questions about their town. And they asked him questions about where he had moved from and what it was like there.

What house did you move into? Brandon questioned.

A very old two-story house. I believe it was called the Hillside Estate, Bryan answered. The three teens looked at one another. Their eyes were wide, and their facial expressions changed as well. Is something wrong? he asked.

You live there? Jason gasped.

Bryan looked confused. Yeah. Why? he asked.

That place is haunted, Jimmy belted out.

Bryan chuckled. You guys are pulling my leg, he replied.

Brandon looked the most serious of the three. They’re not joking, he said. Everyone in town knows that house is haunted.

What proof do you have?

Jason sighed. With all the stories we’ve heard and the way the adults don’t want to talk about the place, what more proof do we need?

I want to hear these stories. Bryan smirked.

All three boys told Bryan of the stories they had heard about the old house. About how other families moved out quickly because of what the house did to their kids. And all the stories revolved around the kids talking about something underneath their beds.

They talked about hearing voices and their beds being moved or bumped. And that was just the start of things. From what they had heard, it only got worse. Some of the kids claimed that their beds would fly across the room. Others said they had been pulled underneath.

Nobody really knew what it was. Some said it was a monster while others claimed it was a ghost. But it all ended the same; the kids were so scared