Paola Martinez was a huge fan of the Everything Monsters series and had posters lining her bedroom walls. She hoped to one day bring the monsters to life through her drawings.

When she drew, it was as if the compartmentalized world of books and reality merged into one. The monsters she sketched seemed almost alive.

But everything changed when her family decided to move to Minnesota due to her stepmom, Gloria Brooks' work. Paola was devastated and had to leave her monster world behind.

The move was rough on Paola. The new house was cold and unfamiliar, but the creepiest part was the old tub in her bathroom.

It had claw-foot legs and a grimy porcelain surface. An unsettling aura emanated from it. She soon found out why; it was haunted.

No one believed Paola when she first mentioned the strange sounds she heard at night. They brushed it off saying it must be the pipes.

But Paola knew better. The sound wasn't that of pipes creaking. It was a low, mournful moan, echoing from within the tub.

One night, out of sheer curiosity and a little daring, she decided to confront this ghost. As she approached the tub, a chill wind swept through.

She drew a deep breath and peered into the tub. Simultaneously, a tortured face flashed in the porcelain surface and then vanished.

She screamed and ran back to her room, locking the door behind her. That night she barely slept, haunted by the terrifying face in the bathtub.

Despite her fear, she knew she had to confront this ghost, not only for her sanity but also for the peace of the house.

She decided to reach out to the ghost through a séance. As a fan of monsters, she knew a bit about ghost-hunting and the supernatural world.

With courage in her heart, she placed candles around the bathtub, turned off the lights and began the séance.

As she started chanting, the wind picked up. The ghostly face appeared again in the tub, looking more solemn this time.

She asked it what it wanted, and the face started morphing, showing what looked like scenes from its life.

Through these scenes, she learned that the ghost was once a little boy who drowned in the bathtub, hence it was haunted.

The boy was just looking for someone to listen to his story, and by understanding that, Paola could help him find peace.

The next day, Paola narrated the tragic story to her family. Though skeptical, they agreed to hold a proper sending-off ceremony for the ghost boy.

They gathered around the tub, lit candles, and recited prayers, hoping to ease the boy's spirit into the afterlife. Suddenly, the house felt lighter.

The haunting ended. The bathtub lost its ominous aura and the creepy sounds ceased, replaced by serene, ordinary silence.

Paola felt a sense of accomplishment. Not only had she faced her fear but she had also helped a trapped soul find peace.

It also led her to a realization; monsters weren't always scary. Sometimes, they were simply misunderstood souls seeking solace, just like the boy in her bathtub.

She began drawing again, this time her monsters were different. They were soulful, kind, and beautiful, much like the boy she had helped.

Paola's life in Minnesota wasn't so bad after all. She learned valuable lessons about courage, understanding, and compassion from her haunted bathtub.

Fear was just an illusion, and the only real monsters were those borne from misunderstanding. It was a lesson Paola would carry with her for the rest of her life.