Something Under Edward's Bed

   While Edward lay in bed, not tired at all, he heard something under his bed.

   That morning he had promised to take out the trash, feed the dog, and rake the leaves in the front yard. His mother had said, "Just the front yard is ok. I'd love the back done too, but just promise me you'll do the front."

   And he had. Sincerely and with all of his heart. But then, right after school, he got sidetracked.

   "I'll need my strength to get all of these jobs done. I better have a snack." He said out loud to no one. When he put off doing what he was supposed to in favor of something he wanted to do, he often would talk to himself out loud to make it sound even more logical. He made a peanut butter and red raspberry jam sandwich on rye toast, and decided to watch just a little TV while he ate it. "And then, it's time to rake." He nodded as he took the first bite of his perfect peanut butter sandwich. The hot toasted rye bread had softened the peanut butter just a little. It was toasted just right and after an initial crunch, it melted in his mouth. He turned TCM on since they played so many of his favorite old scary movies this time of year. "Wow! Creature from the Black Lagoon! I haven't seen this since, well since...." He trailed off here because he realized he saw it last year on a day like this when his mother had asked him to rake the leaves, and he got sucked into watching old scary movies instead. Before he knew it, he had binge watched not only Creature from the Black Lagoon, but It Came from Outer Space, and 20 Million Miles to Earth too.

   His mother had walked in from work as he was on the verge of starting the classic giant ant thriller called Them! as well, but when he saw her, he remembered his promise. He looked desperately out the window and was crestfallen when he saw it was dark outside. Where had the day gone? He quickly reviewed, remembered the good intentions to get the chores done, but then what had happened? Oh yes, the snack. The sandwich. Why didn't I just eat it and get started? OH yes, Creature from the Black Lagoon. That suit was amazing. I still can't believe they could make a creature suit like that way back then that looks so scary, I mean the monster in 20 Million Miles to Earth is kinda cheesy, even though I like him still, but he's nothing compared to the Creature from....

   "Edward!" His mother said with her hands on her hips and it snapped him out of his mental review of the afternoon. "You only had a few chores to do and I get home and what do I see? Leaves all over the front yard. And what have you been doing instead? Like I even have to ask!.." she held her hand toward the screen of the enormous TV behind Edward now filled with the sight of giant ants in a sewer.

   Edward looked at her, hoping desperately that his brain could come up with something besides his impressions of the makeup special effects from the movies he had watched, but he was speechless. He suddenly remembered last year when this exact same thing happened. He hoped his mother didn't remember.

   But she did.

   She sent him to bed early. At 8pm instead of 9pm which he had just earned the right to do when he turned 10 two months before.

   He had thrown himself into the bed, angry, at his mother, he told himself, but he was really mad at himself. But he would never admit it.

   "Oh Edward, now that you're 10 you get to stay up till 9pm!" Edward said to himself in a voice that was meant to sound like his mother, but it didn't. "Yeah, for two months, then it's back to 8pm." He sighed and folded his arms across his chest.

   That's when Edward heard something under his bed.

   Not only did he hear a thump, but he felt it too.  

   He was suddenly terrified. What's under my bed? Or who's under my bed? I know there's no such thing as monsters. he thought and closed his eyes tight. I'm sure I imagined that.

   But, now that he had thought the word "MONSTERS", a list of the many monsters he was aware of came into his mind and he decided to consider the possibility of each one to put it out of his mind. He quickly dismissed the idea of zombies, ghosts, aliens, bigfoot, vampires, then got to the monsters he viewed earlier that day. Giant Ants, they'd never fit down there, 50 foot tall standing lizard from 20 Million Miles to Earth, no way, that cheesy monster was so fake, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon.

   Edward was suddenly sure the gilled man could most definitely fit under his bed. He also was unable to think of any other plausible explanation so he went back to thinking he had imagined it.

   When it happened again.

THUMP

   Edward's eyes got very wide and he pulled the covers up to cover his mouth which was hanging open.

THUMP, THUMP

   Oh yes, it was the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Edward could picture him under the bed, his fish-face and blank staring eyes, gills opening and closing, shiny slimy skin, and those fin-like hands that were less than a hand, and more like a fishy claw. He could picture the Creature down there. Getting tired of waiting, and now, about to make his move to come and get him. He could picture that shiny slimy clawed hand slowly reaching out and upwards toward the top of the bed where he was lying.

   If I'm just really quiet, he might not realize I'm here, He thought, and it seemed like his heart began to beat even harder than it had been. It was so loud in his ears, he feared the Creature would know for sure that he was here unless he could make it slow down. Deep breaths, maybe? he thought and tried to take deep breaths, but made an unfortunately loud inhaling sound his first breath and covered his mouth, looking nervously from side to side. Did it hear me?

THUMP THUMP THUMP

  It most definitely had.

   Well, I'm not just gonna lie here and let it get me. I'm gonna fight back! He decided, thinking of Jason in Jason and the Argonauts. He had a bowling ball on the other side of the bed. All I have to do is lean down there and grab it. It'll be the perfect weapon! But then he realized it was on the floor where ...the creature was. Then he remembered how many things they tried on the Creature in the movie that didn't have any affect at all. Why would my bowling ball be any better? He began to panic. What else do I have? He tried to think, but any item would require having to walk across the room or reach down to the floor where the Creature was lurking and waiting for him.

   His heart was beating even louder now, it seemed.

   Then he had it. My lamp! It was on his night stand and he could reach it from the bed. I'll throw my lamp at it! His heart now beat in excitement as well as fear.

THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP

   "Come and Get me Creature!!" He screamed as he threw back the covers, grabbed the lamp and prepared himself to throw it, when the door to his room began to open.  

   "Edward? What on Earth? What are you doing? Have you seen Winston?" His mother was saying as the hallway light spilled into his room. 

   "Winston?" he said, as he stood on his knees in bed, the small table lamp in his hand, and watched as their Golden Retriever crawled out from under his bed with his head hung very low. It was Winston's habit to hide under Edward's bed if he was afraid he was in trouble for something. He was good dog, but he was no angel either. He was prone to digging in the garden, chasing the neighbor's cat, and stealing socks. When he didn't get his dinner at 6pm, since Edward was watching the finale of 20 Million Miles to Earth at 6pm and forgot about Winston, the worried dog had been afraid that he had done something wrong that he forgot about and decided to hide. There had been quite a few Winston-incidents lately and he didn't always remember when he had misbehaved.

   "You thought Winston was a monster under your bed, didn't you?" His mother said folding her arms.

   "Uh, no, I was just, uh, not tired and was gonna read for awhile." He said as he carefully placed the lamp back on his night stand and grabbed his copy of Ray Bradbury's The Halloween Tree he had started the week before.

   "Oh great," his mother said, "More scary stories before bed. You're 10 now, so if you wake up from a nightmare, no crawling into mom and dad's bed."

   "Nightmare?" Edward said, shocked, as he settled back into bed, pulled out the bookmark, and began to look intensely at the book as if it was what he had in mind all along. "I won't have nightmares. Why would you think that?"

   His mother backed out of his room as she remembered last year. After her son had watched Poltergeist he was convinced a clown was under his bed. They found him curled up on the foot of their bed the next morning.

"OK then Edward, sweet dreams." She said as she closed the door.