M is for Mom, The Monster Hunter

Source: Off The Leash s.p.

It began as a slight tug at her feet.  Then a whisper in the darkness.  Finally she smelled the familiar scent and it made her open her eyes.

“Mom…?”

She sat up in bed, touched the lamp on her table and looked at her daughter.  “What’s wrong sweetie, did you have a nightmare?”

“I think there’s a monster under my bed- I saw its eyes…”

Shelly was visibly shaken, her purple bunny wrapped tight in her arms and tears in the corners of her eyes.  She hugged her, rubbing her back and said “Ok, sweetie, we’ll go take a look, ok?”

She glanced over at him as she pulled herself from the warmth of the covers.  A muffled snore let her know he’d be sleeping through another nocturnal adventure.  She pushed her feet into her slippers and shuffled after her daughter who was insistently tugging her by the hand.

She stifled a yawn as she was lead down the hallway.  Shelly doubled round behind her and was pushing her forward to the door.  The dim room looked disheveled in the pale glow from her nightlight and turning on the overhead let her know it was time for a real cleaning.  The fact that she’d pulled up all the sheets in her sleep made it look even worse.

“Well, sheesh- with all these toys and clothes on the floor it’s no wonder you’d be scared…”

“What?” Shelly asked, peering around her.

“Any one of these could look like a scary gary at night when you’re trying to sleep,” she teased as she kicked a small pile of clothes out of the way.

“Mo-om- that’s not it!  There was a real monster under there!  I saw it, I told you I saw it!”

“Ok, ok” she said as she braced herself on the bed.  She moaned as her knees settled onto the hard floor and she made a mental note to kneel on the clothing next time.  She bent over, and squinted into the darkness under her bed.  She saw the source of the monstrous eyes her daughter had reported and smiled.  “Yup, I see the problem.”

“What?!” Shelly asked behind her, holding her bunny up as a shield.

“These monster are very crafty,” she said, reaching for a shirt on the floor behind her.  “But they can be lured out pretty easily…” She threw a sleeve under the bed and started scooting it out again.  “Sphss, sphss, sphss…”

“What are you doing?” Shelly asked, then let out a loud yelp as a black furred arm popped out from under the bed.  She jumped back, then saw the beast the arm belonged to and laughed.  “Phantom!” she angrily yelled at the cat, laughing all the while.

“You evil beast you,” she cooed at the cat, scooting the sleeve along the bed, just out of reach of his claws.  “Maybe next time we’ll check to make sure he’s not in here before we close your door, huh?”

Shelly walked over and settled into her mother’s lap, watching the game with undisguised joy.  “No,” she said, giggling at the cat, “It’s ok.  Just don’t scare me anymore!”

Phantom let out a fiendish mew as he chased the proffered sleeve letting them know he had no such intention.