Monster Under the Bed

Mommy! Daddy! Mommy! Daddy! The screams are getting louder There is gulping now; this is sob-crying. “I can’t take much more of this!” Daddy says, shoving his head under a pillow. As if I can! I get up and go in there, knowing I will probably be staying. So, I grab my pillow on the way out. She is four, my youngest, and terrified. “He is….he said…he ……” She cannot gulp quickly enough. I sit with her and begin to pat her back. You are okay, I say. She begins to settle down. Suddenly she sits up and says “Wait!” I am listening. “He says his name is Poindexter!” I am stunned. I had a monster under my bed once upon a time. His name was Poindexter. After she gets to sleep I take a peek under there. Poindexter grins at me. “I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!” he says. I roll my eyes.