No Monsters Under My Bed

Sandy Forbes

Mrs. Flowers tucked her daughter, Blossom, into bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Blossom."

" Goodnight, Mommy. I love you."

"I love you, too. Now, close your eyes and go to sleep."

Mrs. Flowers turned off the light and tiptoed out the door.

Blossom yawned and closed her eyes to sleep. But in the darkness she heard a noise in the room. Her eyes flew open as wide as bowling balls. She rushed out of the bed and turned on the light but didn't see a thing.

With a sigh of relief, Blossom turned the light back off and jumped back in to bed. As she closed her eyes again, another sound could be heard coming from under her bed.

"Yikes!" she exclaimed and jumped off the bed again to turn on the light.

Looking around the room, she didn't see a thing, but stood too afraid to look under the bed. She listened and listened, but the noise was gone. Maybe it was all in her imagination.

This time, Blossom kept the light on and went back under the covers. After two minutes passed by, she heard a scratching noise under her bed and knew that this time something was under her bed.

"Mom!" she cried, "Mom! Come quick! There's a monster under my bed!"

Mrs. Flowers rushed into the room and hugged her daughter.

"What? A monster under your bed? There are no monsters in here, Blossom."

"Yes, it is—under my bed."

Mrs. Flowers bent down on her knees, lifted the bed covers and with a giggle reached under the bed and pulled out patches, Blossom's fluffy white cat.

Blossom's eyes went down from being bowling balls back to the size of marbles as she heaved a sigh of relief. "Patches, you scared me!"

"meow!" Patches said, blinking from the bright light.

"You see, there are no monsters under your bed. It's just silly old patches trying to get comfortable."

Blossom smiled and held patches in her arms. "I'm so glad that it wasn't a monster."

"Blossom, Mommy and Daddy are right in the next room so you don't have to be afraid of monsters, okay? There are no such things! Now, say your prayers again and this time when you say God protect me from all harm, I want you to believe that he will, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy."

"Now, goodnight and sweet dreams. Remember, there are no such things are monsters."

"Goodnight, Mommy. I'll remember that."

Blossom kneeled down in her bed with patches beside her and began to pray. "Dear Lord God, I am so sorry that I didn't believe that you were protecting me. I am sorry for being afraid because I know now that you will not let monsters, which Mom says aren't real, to hurt me. Please keep protecting me. And this time I believe that you are protecting me, in Jesus name—Amen"

"Meow!" Patches added.

"And God, I'm so glad that it was Patches Mom pulled out and that there are no monsters under my bed!"

Blossom cuddled up with Patches and closed her eyes. She welcomed the sleep that took her to a peaceful dreamland.