Tara Taylor – Monster Under the Bed

Tara+Taylor+-+Monster+Under+the+Bed

I glance up from my homework when I hear a knocking on my bedroom door. I grudgingly ask, “What do you want?” It’s ten o’clock at night, and I just want to get this work done, but someone has the nerve to interrupt me. The door creaks open, and I can see my brother, who tells me he can’t sleep. Keith hasn’t had trouble with sleeping for a while now, but we were watching a show that was kinda creepy. Creepy enough that we made it a rule to never watch it when it is dark out. Needless to say, we just saw it after the sky changed into an unforgiving blackness. I found it interesting that he chose to talk to me about it instead of our mom, but I knew he wouldn’t leave me alone if I turned him away. So I remind him that it was just a show and that no, there wasn’t a creature of the night coming to take him away.

“But Tara, what about under my bed?” Keith asks me. Oh, the classic ‘monster under the bed’ fear. I’m surprised he hasn’t experienced this sooner. I ask him in return, “What? The Pteroguanacrion?” He narrows his eyes slightly, skeptical of the odd name I just casually mentioned. I continue by describing the creature, “It is about medium in size, and has leathery pterodactyl wings, spikes along its back like an iguana, and a scorpion’s stinger. It moves around with crab-like legs and body, and observes its surroundings with its beady eyes. What makes it worse is that it has the ability to blend in with its surroundings.” Keith widens his eyes in horror of the picture I conjured up for him, “Camouflage?” I nod to confirm his fear, “Exactly. You can’t see where it’s coming from. Don’t worry, you’ve got that handy-dandy flashlight with the black light, right?” He hurries off to get if for me. “Ok, I should be able to locate them with this. I’ll look under your bed for you. Stay back in case I scare them.” Terrified, he does as I say, and I get down on the floor to peer under his bed.

“I’ve got good news, and bad news for you. Bad news first: there is, in fact, a monster under your bed.” Keith gasps, and asks what the good news is. I tell him, “The good news is that it is actually a Starwhal. I have no idea how it’s surviving here, considering they are normally aquatic creatures. You see, they are essentially narwhals, but their bellies have jellyfish tentacles that could shock anything they think is hostile. The horn on their forehead is spiraled, and slightly curvy, and they have two bigger horns growing out the back of their head that match it. Their tail looks like a starfish and has suction cups on the bottom of it that helps them latch onto rock so strong currents can’t move them. You have one of these peaceful creatures under your bed.” Keith, reassured that there will not be a Pteroguanacrion jumping out at him, then asked, “Why is it under my bed then?” I hold up my index finger signaling for him to wait a moment. I angle my ear toward the space under the bed as if I was listening to what the creature had to say, and then explain to my brother, “It wants to protect you from the mean monsters.”

My brother finally managed to fall asleep, leaving me to complete my homework undisturbed.