The Monster Under My Bed
A bedtime story about friendship
Maya couldn't sleep.
She heard a sound. A small, scared sound.
"Whimper... whimper..."
It was coming from under the bed.
Maya took a deep breath.
She leaned over the edge of her bed...
and looked underneath.
"P-please don't be scared of me!"
the monster whispered.
"I'm the one who's scared!"
"Scared?" Maya asked. "Scared of what?"
"The... the dark,"
the monster said quietly.
"It's so dark under here. And lonely."
Maya had an idea.
"What if I turn on my lamp?"
Tap the lamp
The monster's big eyes grew even bigger.
Tap the monster
"I'm Maya," said Maya.
"I'm Gus,"
said the monster.
"Want to be friends?"
Maya smiled.
"Yes," she said. "But you can't sleep under the bed anymore."
"Where will I sleep?" Gus asked.
Maya pointed to the cozy rug beside her bed.
"Right here, where the night light can reach you."
That night, Maya slept better than ever before.
And Gus?
Gus wasn't scared anymore.
Because he had a friend.
And a night light.
And that was more than enough.
The End
Sometimes the scariest things are just as scared as we are.
"The Monster Under My Bed" is an original story created for Esy.
For all the children who are afraid of the dark — and the monsters who are too.
