With little warning, Emily began to imagine all things sinister. Swaying tree branches became skeletons. Dark shadows of light appeared to be restless ghosts dancing in the moonlight. The howling wind brought to mind, images of ravenous werewolves. Suddenly a bolt of lightning crackled outside Emily�s window, eliciting a scream.
�Mommy,� cried Emily.
Her bedroom flooded with light from the hallway as her mother appeared in the doorway. �What�s wrong baby asked her mother,� approaching her bedside.
�I�m scared,� said Emily.
�Now what do you have to be scared of?� Her mother asked..
�Um the g-ghost and the b-b-boney men,� said Emily, wide eyed with excitement.
�The boney men?� Questioned her mom?
�Like at Halloween mommy, the men with skulls.
�Oh skeletons,� said her mom.
�Yeah, that�s it, Skeletons.� Said Emily.
�Now we have this talk every time there�s a thunder storm� said her mom.
�I know mom, but I really saw them this time�. Said Emily.
Her mom sat on the bed stroking Emily�s cheek when lightning once again lit up the sky. Emily pointed toward the window. �Look mom, it�s the boney men�.
Her mom giggled. �Don�t be silly, those are just tree limbs blowing in the storm,� said her mother.
�G-g-ghost screeched Emily, pointing to the corner where a dark shadow loomed large.
�Honey, it�s not a ghost. The shadows are just playing with you. I�ll prove it,� she said turning on Emily�s bedside light.
�See baby, you�re just a little scared by the storm. Now you get to sleep. I�ll leave your bedroom door cracked so you get some light. Remember, there is nothing in your room to be frightened about,�said her mother.
�Thanks mommy,� whispered Emily.
Her mother kissed her gently and headed towards the door.
�Wait, check the closet,� cried Emily.
�What on earth for?� Questioned her mother.
�Monsters,� said Emily, seriously.
�Oh for crying out loud. There are no such thing as monsters,� Said her mom, heading for the closet door.
�Prove it, said Emily, defiantly.
�Get ready Emily, one monster coming up,� said her smiling, as she yanked open the door. �Do dust bunnies count? Asked her mom.
�Don�t be silly mom. Of course dust bunnies don�t count. Um, unless they got fangs, giggled Emily.
�Nope no fangs, said mom.
�Um, now check under the bed, said Emily.
Her mom leaned down, lifted the covers, and screamed suddenly.
�What is it? asked Emily warily.
�I caught your monster,� she said, yanking the cat from beneath the bed.
�She�s not a monster, that�s Cookie,� said Emily giggling.
�Can I go to bed now?� Asked her mother.
�Ok, night mom,� said Emily watching as she turned out the lamp and head for the hallway.
Her mom wasn�t out of the room more then five minutes until the seeds of doubt began creeping into her mind. Emily pulled the covers up to her nose, squealing when the thunder and lightning came again. When she peeked out her bedroom window, she noticed a pair of sinister red eyes staring back at her.
�Cookie, is that you? she asked softly.
As if in reply, Emily heard a soft purr beneath her. She smiled to herself in the darkness and relaxed slightly, as her eyes became drowsy with sleep.
Suddenly the bed shook violently, as Emily heard Cookie�s screeching MEOW come to an abrupt stop, followed by the sound of crunching bones, and what appeared to be a large disgusting burp.
�EW, what on earth was that? Questioned Emily, mimicking her mother�s speech patterns.
Emily glanced cautiously out her bedroom window. What she saw there sent shockwaves though her small frame. The red eyes reflecting in the glass were now three times larger then before.
�Whatever that thing was, it�s not Cookie,�she thought to herself. Emily held her breath, listening closely, as the sound of razor sharp claws scraped across the hardwood floors of bedroom. Suddenly, a large object lunged at her from the shadows. Emily�s blood curdling scream, like Cookies was cut short. But instead of a disgusting belch, she heard her mother�s soothing voice.
�It�s ok baby, you were having a nightmare said her mother.
�B-but it got C-c-cookie,� cried Emily.
�Nonsense,� said her mother.
�Look under the bed mommy� said Emily nervously.
�There�s nothing there Baby�. She said nervously, sweeping Emily into her arms.
�Lets go get some breakfast, she said, exiting the room. The fearsome glow of two large red eyes emanated from beneath what would cease to be Emily�s bed. For shortly after breakfast Emily and her mother made alternate living arrangements.