The Sneaky Monster

"Mommy!  Mommy!" I screamed.

The light from the hallway fell over me as Mommy opened the bedroom door.

"Can't get to sleep Maria?" she asked.

"No Mommy," I replied, holding back sniffles.  "There's a monster hiding behind the chair."

"We can't allow a monster to hide there," she said, crossing to the chair.

"Get out of there," she said, pulling the chair from the corner.  "Nothing honey."

"Maybe he snuck into the closet," I whispered.

"I'll just make sure," Mommy said, popping open the door.

"Doesn't look like he made it," she said.  "You'll be OK Maria.  Just try to drift off to the land of Oz, like in the movie we watched."

"OK," I said.  What I remembered was the witch chasing Dorothy.  And her army of winged monkeys.  One of them in the closet would be a really bad monster.

I couldn't see anything when Mommy closed the door.  It was so quiet I could hear breathing.  Was it mine?

"Mommy!  Mommy!"

She hadn't gone far, opening the door immediately.

"I could hear the monster breathing Mommy," I said.

"Sneaking in at night, and a heavy breather," said Mommy.  "Sounds like your father."

"Oh Mommy.  I wouldn't be scared of Daddy," I said.  "I miss him."

"You must have missed him for a long time," she snapped.  "He was never here."

Mommy was right, but I still missed him.  I don't know why she didn't.

"Be brave," she said, tucking me in.  "You don't need a medal like the Cowardly Lion to be brave, you're a big girl."

Out she went, closing the door again.

Gradually, I could make out some of the room from the small amount of light coming in around the window curtains.

The medal helped the Lion.  I could have used one too.