Don’t Let The Bed Behemoth Bite

“Thus ends the story of child-meets-monster, and so begins the adventure of the most unlikely friendship,” Mom closes the book she was reading.

“That’s my favorite story,” Lottie yawns while tucked into bed.

“Is that why you want me to read it to you every night?” Mom teases from a bedside chair.

Lottie smiles, “Yeah.”

“Even though we have plenty of other books to read?” Mom points to the bookshelf.

“Yeah.”

“Most of which you’ve never even given a chance?” says Mom through her teeth, pretending to be angry.

“Yeah,” Lottie giggles.

Mom pivots to playful, “It must really be your favorite then.”

“It is!”

Mom feigns reluctant annoyance, “Then, I guess I’ll keep reading it to you.”

“Thanks Mom. I love you.”

Mom basks in the words of her daughter for a few moments before professing, “I love you too. Goodnight, baby girl.”

With a twist and a couple clicks, Mom turns off Lottie’s bedside lamp. A kiss on the forehead, and Mom turns to leave but is stopped by a “Momma.”

Mom turns around, “Yeah sweetie?”

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

Mom returns to Lottie’s bedside. “Lottie, we talked about this. You promised to at least try to sleep alone tonight.”

Lottie protests, “I know, but…”

“I read your story, you have your warm pineapple-house night light plugged in, and your unicorn to keep you company.”

“Lady Rainicorn,” Lottie corrects Mom.

Mom apologizes to the plushie, “Sorry, Lady Rainicorn.”

Mom redirects her attention back to Lottie, “What is it? What else could you need?”

“I miss Buster,” whines Lottie softly.

Mom tears up, “I’m sorry. I miss Buster too. He was the best. But cars are the worst, and Buster’s in heaven now.”

“I know,” whimpers Lottie, disappointed.

“We could get a new dog,” Mom suggests softly.

“I don’t want a new dog.”

“You know what. You’re right. I don’t want a new dog either. What about a cat though?”

“Do cats keep monsters away?” queries Lottie as seriously as her little voice could allow.

“Honey, there’s no such thing as monsters, only animals that are scared or hungry. Some animals may look really scary, but they’re more afraid of you than you are of them.”

“Like Lions and Tigers and Bears?” proposes Lottie.

“Oh my, you’re smart! Exactly like that and a bunch more. There are a lot of critters out there. I haven’t even seen half of them!” exclaims a proud Mom.

“Is our house haunted?”

“Why would you think that?”

“I just heard something bad haunts our house, and that’s why we need crosses. Silver crosses.”

“Who told you that?”

Lottie thinks about telling Mom the truth but decides against it, “I can’t remember.”

“You know you can tell me anything right?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. You don’t have to worry about anything bad in our house. Our house is safe. The only thing that can truly be bad is a person, and it’s just you and me baby girl. So, there’s no reason to fret.”

“Is Rick a bad person?”

“You don’t have to worry about Rick. He’s not coming over anymore.”

“Because he’s bad?”

“Because I told him so.”

“You’re tough, Mom.”

“You’re tough too, Lottie. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

“Now close your eyes, relax, and before you know it tomorrow will be today. Then we can talk more about that kitty.”

Mom kisses Lottie on her forehead and before moving away whispers, “Sweet dreams baby girl.”

Mom’s kiss causes Lottie to shut her eyes. Lottie leaves them shut.

Growls coming from underneath Lottie's bed wake her in the middle of the night. Two sets of vocal cords are gnarring in perfect unison. One is lower pitched than the other, but both are eerie. At first, Lottie worried about what was under her bed. Then, Lottie remembers what Mom told her about animals. Now, she’s curious.

Carefully and slowly, Lottie dangles her head off the side of her bed. She grips her tucked sheets so she doesn’t fall off. Like a spy, Lottie lowers herself to get an upside-down peek of what’s under the bed. A small, breathing silhouette is all Lottie can make out. The shadow notices Lottie and backs away swiftly, causing Lottie a scare. With all of her tiny strength, she’s barely able to pull herself back on top of her bed. Lottie lays on her back breathing deeply as her little heart beats a mile a minute.

Slight vibrations are felt and heard by Lottie; the source clearly being from under her bed. This gives Lottie an idea.

Silently as possible, Lottie tip-toes out of her bedroom and closes the door behind her. Within a couple of minutes, Lottie returns to her room with a bowl of dog food. Lottie softly sets the bowl on the floor next to her bed. She quickly jumps back into the comfort of her covers to observe what happens next. She doesn’t have to wait long.

Lottie whispers, “Go ahead you two. It’s all yours. Sorry I only have one bo-”

A pair of vantablack tentacles grab the doggy dish and reels the food back to the creatures. Before Lottie knows it, the bowl is back where she placed it- only this time it’s empty. Again, Lottie feels the thrum of the beasts below her.

Lottie marvels, “Wow. You two are really hungry.”

The beings from beneath confirm this with a harmonious deep vibration that speaks, “Thoo Loo.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Two bowls later…

Lottie sat criss-cross-applesauce on the floor across the room from her bed. Waiting. Clicking her tongue on the top of her mouth with her hands out. Hoping whatever is in the shadows would finally reveal themselves. They don't.

The next morning Mom finds Lottie curled up with her blankie on her bedroom floor.

“Why did you get dog food last night?” Mom wonders aloud.

Lottie ponders what Mom would or wouldn’t believe. So Lottie fibs, “A cat meowed at my window last night. It was hungry, so I let it in and fed it.”

“Well, where is it now?”

“It wanted back out.”

Night two, the beings eat one less dish of food and one shows his butt. After eating, one of them pushed out the back half of his body to show off his baby butt cheeks. He has a tail with a dark red stinger on the end, porcupine-like spikes on his spine, and four spider-like legs. From what Lottie could tell, the night creatures were vantablack everywhere except for their merlot colored stripe running from their spine to their stinger, butthole, and genitals. The things laugh and vibrate as one of them shakes their booty.

On night three, only a dish of food is eaten. Then, one of the beings reveals itself to Lottie. The warm pineapple-house night light highlights his hairless skin, four spider-like legs beneath a human-like torso, and head. Luckily, Lottie finds spiders cute. What Lottie doesn’t find cute are the creature’s four arms, the top arms have red tipped claws, and the bottom set have red pincers. Nothing Lottie couldn’t get used to, though; she found scorpions fascinating. Lottie smiles at him. He smiles wide at Lottie in return, revealing a mouth full of sharp carnivore teeth with tentacle mandibles. Lottie whispers, “Nice teeth. How do you keep them so white?” He approaches Lottie with his pink, fleshy, appendage-covered nose leading the way. Lottie holds out her hand for him to sniff. Their first physical contact is Lottie’s hand being examined by the twenty-two dangling sensors hanging around its snoot. 

“Your nose is so.. different,” remarks Lottie, still somehow enamored with this creature with reptile-like holes for ears. She feels an exhilarating connection when Lottie finally gets the chance to look into the creature’s black eyes held within sunken sockets and no eyelids,  a bond unlike she’s ever experienced or ever will.

He thrums with two sets of vocal cords, “Thoo Loo.” He spins around once for Lottie.

There’s only one creature, and it turns out he has six eyes. Two eyes in the front, two in the back, and one on each side.

He sounds scary. However, Lottie finds him very endearing. Even though petting him isn’t fun with his skin being so clammy. He likes playing with balls, scratching stuff, vibrates when he sees Lottie, has a floppy dog tongue, and still prefers sleeping under the bed instead of on top of it. Lottie names the night creature Kitty.

Lottie sleeps soundly with her new pet Kitty under her bed on night four- until a man yelling and banging on the front door rattles her awake. Shaking and scared, Lottie runs to find Mom.

Mom is standing behind the front door when Lottie enters the living room.

Through a window, Lottie spots the disturbance: a drunk-off-his-ass, cross-wearing Rick. The same old Rick. The bandages covering his left forearm were new though.

“Just let me come home already! Fuck! How many times do I have to say sorry, baby? God damn. It was only an accident anyways. In those situations you’ve gotta show who’s boss, and I’m boss baby. I’m boss!” enthusiastically slurs Rick.

“This is why I got the restraining order!” Mom snaps back.

“What restraining order? I haven’t seen any restraining order!” lies Rick.

“Please, I only want you to leave us alone!” begs Mom.

“Persistence is the key to love. I love you. I’ll follow you to the end of the earth!” so declares Rick, a bad person.

Lottie shudders, “What’s happening Mom?”

Mom acknowledges little Lottie, “Everything is going to be fine, baby. Let’s go to my room until the police get here.”

“Until the what get here?! Are you serious! Answer me, bitch!” squawks Rick.

Mom picks up Lottie.

Rick blames Mom, “Alright. You made me do this!”

Mom carries Lottie to her bedroom.

BOOM.

Rick kicks the front door open.

Mom locks the door behind her after making it to her room. She sits Lottie on her bed, freeing herself to lean against the door. Trying desperately, while crying, to keep this door shut and her daughter safe.

Rick bangs on the bedroom door.

Mom begs, “Please get out! You’re scaring Lottie!”

“Please stop, Rick!” begs Lottie.

Rick apologizes, “Oh, I’m sorry babe. I didn’t realize you had Lottie with you. That’s my bad. I’m sorry. You hear me Lottie? I’m sorry, okay. I would never hurt you or your mother. Babe, just let me in so I can see you. Please. That’s all I want and then I’ll go.” Lottie’s plea fails to get through to Rick. Good thing he’s not the only one listening.

Mom confesses through tears, “I can’t.”

“Yeah, you can and you will.” Rick spits.

*SHICK*

Rick feels a sharp stabbing pain on the back of his neck. Immediately, he reaches back to feel the stab wound with his hand.

Rick exclaims, “Aw, what the hell was that?”

Rick looks around perplexed to see nothing but the hallway covered by shadows.

Rick is shook.

“Babe? Did you get a scorpion or something?”

Kitty bellows down at Rick from the ceiling, shaking the house with fathomless reverberations. The entire neighborhood would recall, for years to come, that thunderous ominous horn that woke them.

Rick looks up to see what could do such a thing. The ceiling is empty.

Multiple legs crawl up Rick’s left leg. Kitty’s claws and pincers rip the dressings off of Rick’s wounds to reveal punctures from a bite.

Rick uses his left hand to grasp the skin-lacerating Kitty by his torso. Rick cocks back his right fist. Instantly, Kitty suctions onto Rick’s face with his tentacle mandibles. Rick uses all of his strength and limbs to pry Kitty off. Unfortunately, the suction cups took some of his face and neck tissues with it.

Kitty falls to the ground with the spikes on his back sticking up. Rick attempts to kick Kitty while it runs through a shadow on the wall, but a few of Rick’s toes break instead. He collapses to the ground, holding his foot in pain.

“God damn it!” Rick yells.

Rick remembers the silver cross on his chest. He rips it off and plans to shove it down Kitty’s throat.

Kitty growls with both vocal cord sets to get Rick’s attention. Rick whips around to see Kitty next to a giant man, who had to crouch to fit into the house. Rick drops his silver cross.

“Dad?” cries Rick.

“Son,” Rick’s Dad replies and reaches out with his palm open.

“How did you get so big? You’re a behemoth.”

“I didn’t get big. You’re just small.”

“What?” Rick looks around the house confused. He’s shrunk down to the size of an action figure.

Rick’s Dad picks his son up using only an index finger and a thumb.

Tiny Rick screams as his father carries him through a shadow.

“Thus ends the story of child-meets-monster, and so begins the adventure of the most unlikely friendship,” Mom closes the book she was reading from.

“I love you, Mom. Sweet dreams.”

“I love you too, baby girl. Good night,” Mom whispers lovingly.

Lottie clears her throat, “Forgetting someone.”

“No. I was getting to him. Good night Kitty.”

“Thoo Loo,” says Kitty, vibrating at the foot of Lottie’s bed.

Mom shuts off the lights and leaves the room.

Lottie closes her eyes and falls asleep gently.

Kitty has no eyelids, so he has to roll all six of his eyes into the back of his head in order to sleep.