“I am afraid of the dark, and this fear is gaining power over me with every moment I spend in the cellar. My stepmother is perfectly aware of this fear; I even used a nightlight to go to sleep when I lived upstairs. If she wanted to punish me, click, off it would go, leaving me to cry in the dark. Fear is not always rational, it is powered by your imagination, or an accumulation of past experiences that teaches you to be afraid. In this cellar I have an abundance of fears to choose from, be it the creations of my own mind or the reality of where I am.”

It began with the purchase of an old house – an historic colonial in a rural New England town where David’s father and stepmother set out to create the perfect home for their family. But for young David and his sister Lisa, life would soon become anything but idyllic.

Used as slave labor to renovate the property, David and Lisa would live a brutal existence. David endured violence, beatings, and food deprivation, and would end each day locked in the dark, foreboding cellar. He would find no relief at school either. Because of his foul-smelling clothes and strange behaviors, he became a favorite target of bullies.

There were many who noticed the abuse: family, neighbors, teachers, and even the police. Yet, with every ray of hope that someone might intercede, David would see another opportunity at rescue fade away. And each day, his stepmother would make every effort to keep up appearances and bury this terrible “family secret” out of everyone’s sight.

Was there any hope David could be rescued from his hell before he surrendered to his fears and growing rage?

Here There Be Monsters is a compelling, heartfelt memoir written to bring awareness to the plight of children in danger with the sincere hope that this will never happen to anyone ever again.