Every night, when Mikey climbed under his dinosaur blanket, he heard something underneath his bed.
Scritch.
Scratch.
BUMP.
Mikey pulled his blanket up to his nose.
"Mom?"
"Yes, Mikey?"
"There's something under my bed."
Mom peeked underneath.
"Only three socks, one sneaker, and a very dusty dinosaur."
She kissed his forehead and turned out the light.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The door clicked shut.
Mikey waited.
Scritch.
Scratch.
BUMP.
This time, Mikey sat straight up.
"I KNOW YOU'RE DOWN THERE!"
Everything went quiet.
Then a tiny voice whispered,
"Please... don't eat me."
Mikey blinked.
"Eat you?"
"Children eat monsters. Everybody knows that."
Mikey leaned over the side of the bed.
Two enormous yellow eyes stared back at him.
"AAAAAH!" yelled Mikey.
"AAAAAAAH!" yelled the monster.
Mikey jumped backward.
The monster dove behind a pile of socks.
After a minute, Mikey peeked again.
The creature was small and fuzzy, with two crooked horns, purple feet, and one fang that stuck out when his mouth was closed.
"What are you?" Mikey asked.
The monster gulped.
"My name is Boogle."
"Are you a monster?"
Boogle nodded.
"A very frightening one."
Mikey looked at him.
Boogle tried to growl.
"Grrrrrrr—hic!"
He hiccupped so hard one horn wobbled.
Mikey giggled.
Boogle frowned.
"I'm supposed to be scary."
"You're not very good at it."
"I know."
Boogle crawled away from under the bed.
"My family sent me for my First Big Scare."
"To scare me?"
Boogle nodded.
"But you... just made me..." He sniffed. "Too frightened."
"What's scary about me?"
Boogle stared at him.
"You have TEN fingers."
Mikey held up his hands.
"These?"
Boogle squeaked and covered his eyes.
"And teeth!"
Mikey smiled.
Boogle screamed.
"STOP SHOWING THEM!"
Mikey laughed.
"Kids aren't scary."
"That's what kids WANT monsters to think."
Mikey climbed onto the floor.
"I'll prove it."
He held out his teddy bear.
"This is Mr. Buttons."
Boogle jumped backward.
"You keep wild animals in your BEDROOM?"
"He's stuffed."
Boogle gasped.
"You STUFFED him?"
"No!"
Mikey tried something else.
"Want a snack?"
"What kind?"
"Broccoli?"
Boogle's eyes widened.
"You EAT TREES?"
"It's a vegetable."
"Monster."
Mikey laughed so hard he fell over.
For the next few nights, Boogle stayed under Mikey's bed.
And every night,
Mikey tried to teach him that children weren't scary.
But somehow,
Mikey brushing his teeth was terrifying.
Bubble baths were suspicious.
Sneezing was horrifying.
And when Mikey cleaned his room without being asked,
Boogle hid for twenty minutes.
Then Halloween came.
Mikey put on his pirate costume and grabbed his candy bucket.
"Ready to go trick-or-treating?" Mom called.
Mikey looked out the window.
Ghosts walked down the sidewalk.
Skeletons rattled past.
A giant werewolf stood across the street.
Mikey swallowed.
Suddenly, Halloween didn't seem quite so fun.
From underneath the bed came a whisper.
"Mikey?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you scared?"
Mikey looked down.
"A little."
Boogle crawled out.
"But you're a kid."
"Kids get scared too."
Boogle thought about that.
Then he puffed out his fuzzy chest.
"I'll come with you."
"You?"
Boogle nodded.
"I am a monster, you know."
Outside, Mikey held Mom's hand.
Boogle sneaked beside him, hiding behind bushes and mailboxes.
When the werewolf came closer, Mikey froze.
Boogle stepped in front of him.
He planted his purple feet.
Raised his crooked horns.
And gave his biggest, fiercest monster roar.
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
The werewolf stopped.
Then lifted off his mask.
It was Mikey's neighbor, Mr. Jenkins.
"Well, hello there."
Boogle fainted.
Mikey laughed so hard his pirate hat fell off.
By the end of the night, Mikey wasn't afraid anymore.
And Boogle wasn't either.
Well...
mostly.
That night, Mikey climbed into bed.
Boogle curled up underneath with one of Mikey's spare pillows.
"Mikey?"
"Yeah?"
"Kids aren't so scary."
"I told you."
There was a long silence.
Then Mikey grinned.
"Hey, Boogle?"
"Yeah?"
"Is there... anything under your bed?"
Boogle froze. "...Don't even joke about that."
The End