Real Monsters Don't Take Time Off
by Eric J. Krause
"Daddy, the monster under my bed says he gets Sunday afternoons off."
Jim nodded as if this was common knowledge. What he was really doing was trying hard not to bust up laughing.
"Good. That'll give you plenty of time to play Barbies or read a book."
Cara smiled, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and scampered up to her room. Only then did he allow himself a chuckle as he walked in to grab a beer.
He'd only just popped the top when a grunt, thud, and scream erupted from upstairs. He managed to set the can down without spilling any before rushing up the stairs. She'd probably just scared herself with the monster under the bed talk, but that'd been a pretty loud thump. Life never slowed down when living with a child with an overactive imagination.
At the top of the stairs, a cold breeze brushed by him, though he knew all of the windows in the house were closed. Cara didn't yet have the strength to open any of them.
He burst into her room, his heart racing so fast it hurt his chest. "What? What happened?"
She lounged on her bed, the picture of the teenager she'd become in a few years: a book lay open in front of her, and a Princess Dream slipper hung from her toes. She gave him a sweet smile.
"I told him that the monsters above the bed don't take any time off."
Monsters under the bed? Scary.
ReplyDeleteThis story? Very funny.
Loved how the dad made SURE not to spill his beer before he ran to see what happened!
I think that all monsters should take a break, preferably at the same time. Funny, Eric!
ReplyDeleteYou can kind of tell the person she is going to become.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff
Super funny! I know my monsters certainly don't take time off. This captured that "kidness" perfectly.
ReplyDeleteVery cool. Love this monster.
ReplyDeleteAwww, that was sweet. And I loved how nonchalant she was. Cool.
ReplyDeleteThe question here is who's the monster? This was really funny. I could just picture Cara lounging there like a mini-teen. Thanks for sharing. ~Olivia
ReplyDeleteI love the description of the girl, and really like the concision of this piece.
ReplyDeleteIt'd help if the monsters would move their breaks to bedtime. Perhaps grant them unlimited daytime roaming in exchange for buzzing off to dinner at dusk.
ReplyDeleteVery endearing :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Cara doesn't take crap from a monster under her bed!
Cara rocks! Great description.
ReplyDeleteLoved the beer part - kids are always going to be bumping their knees on things, no need to waste beer over it!
Excellent capturing the little girl - her personality (with just a few scant lines) comes through perfectly.
ReplyDeleteVery cool!
Nice take on the "monster under the bed" theme. I enjoyed your painting of the final picture!
ReplyDeleteNice work! I've got two monsters myself, and anything that tried to live under their beds would soon be sorry (either by gym socks or girl power). Clever!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I like the care the dad took with his beer too. He's gonna need more of that when she does grow into that teenager!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great comments everyone! I appreciate it! I'm thrilled you enjoyed my story.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great and fun read, enjoyed it immensely!
ReplyDelete