As 2024 said its goodbyes, nature made sure to send a message: four iconic U.S. structures—the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol—were struck by lightning, all on the same evening of December 31st. Just when we thought the year was going to quietly wrap up, nature decided to crash the party.

Ashley Massis Class's tale of her daughter's monster "fears led to a startling discovery that reminds us never to dismiss a child's “vivid imagination” too quickly. The saga, shared by Ashley on TikTok under her handle @classashley, began innocuously enough with her eldest child began insisting there were monsters in her room.