The Monster Under My Bed

Keegan couldn't sleep. It was already 10:00 at night, but the thunder rolling outside kept him alert and scared. Lightning flashed and he bolted under the covers yet again. The windows rattled and the groaning of his bed made him tremble with fear. He didn't dare wake up his parents, because they knew what he was most frightened of.

Keegan, although a smart and happy boy, knew that he had a monster under his bed. Every dark night when a thunderstorm came, the bed would rattle and clatter so harshly that Keegan would have to leap out of his bed and run into his parents' room. They would tell him it was stuff and nonsense, and then wait until he was asleep again. Then they would tuck him safely into his own bed.

But tonight was different. The thunder seemed to roll in a different manner, and the lightning flash in different shades of neon. Keegan was on the verge of tears, but then something strange happened.

A small blue hand was reaching out from under his bed. Keegan peered over the edge of the bed to get a better look. Then two hands appeared, then a torso, then a full monster was visible, brushing off stray dustbunnnies from his scaly skin. The creature was blue with green polkadots, with a large snout and yellow eyes. Keegan's mouth hung open wide.

The monster sat down on his bed promptly, then looked at him.

"Hello, Keegan. I'm Sarge, the monster under your bed," said the creature matter-of-factly, holding out a scaly hand.

Keegan shook hands. His monster seemed to nice, but Keegan was a little suspicious still.

"Why do you like to rattle and shake my bed? It scares me!" Keegan said grumpily.

"Oh, about that," said Sarge. "Well, it does get cramped under that bed, have you ever seen how small that space is? I have to rearrange myself every once in a while."

Now that he thought about it, Keegan's bed did have an extremely small space underneath, and it did make sense that it rattled when one moved.

Keegan said, "Do you ever get lonely under there?"

"Oh, sometimes. But I keep to myself most of the time. But I wish I had a friend," said Sarge sadly.

Keegan watched Sarge look uncomfortably out the window, then said quietly, "Do you-do you think we could be friends?"

"Really?" Sarge's face lit up. "Do you mean it?"

"Yeah!"

"Great! How about I come and visit you at bedtime each night?"

Keegan grinned. "That sounds great, Sarge."

"But, under one circumstance. You can't tell anyone about me, okay?" Sarge looked a little worried. "You see, monsters aren't supposed to be friends with humans. If a grown-up finds out, then I'll go away forever!"

"Okay, I promise," said Keegan. He liked Sarge a great deal, and after a nice little chat he waved goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow night!" said Sarge, and he disappeared under the bed.

"Okay, bye-bye!" said Keegan, and he snuggled down deep in his covers and fell asleep.
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The next day at school Keegan was in his lunchroom. When he opened his lunchbox, a small piece of paper fell out of it. Curious, Keegan picked it up and read it.

Dear Keegan,

Thank you so much for the nice little chat last night. You're really kind to me, and I'm so glad that we're friends! I'll talk to you tonight!

Your friend,

Sarge

P.S. Look out the window.


Keegan looked out of the cafeteria window. Something scaly and green and blue was slithering around the deserted playground. Keegan waved enthuisiastically, as did Sarge, and then Keegan watched him slither away.

For some reason, from that day on, Keegan always checked under his bed, even when he got to be a teenager, and an adult, for Sarge always came. Sarge even moved into Keegan's room in college.

But no matter what happened, no one could sever the wonderful friendship of Keegan and Sarge, a boy and his friendly monster.