Short Stories

Round Thirteen - The Monster Under the Bed

One windy night, as the moon's light broke blindingly through the cover of the clouds, there was a princess standing at her bedroom window. She watched the sway of the trees against the strong wind, listening to the calming sound of the rustle of leaves. Princess Maria let her mind wander, drinking in the sounds of the serene night. Watching as the last fires from the lamps were finally blown out for the night. Out of nowhere, a low and dull thud sounded from behind her. The sound snatched Maria's mind away from her thoughts. She turned around, struggling to look at the dark shadows of her room. As her eyes adjusted to the light, nothing seemed to be amiss. A light knock came from the other side of her bedroom door and Maria instantly sprinted for her bed, covering herself with the sheets. 

"Maria, darling, I heard a noise up here. You had better not be awake... ." Maria's mother chuckled at the sight of her daughter, who tried ineffectively to act as if she was asleep. "Well, goodnight, sweetheart." She whispered and closed the door behind her. Maria threw the sheets off of her. 

"Okay, the coast is clear, Drooler." Maria whispered, leaning over her bed to peer under it. Two bright, ice-blue eyes stared back at her. A series of grumbles came from the creature's mouth as he struggled to crawl out from under Maria's bed. 

"You should clean your room instead of shoving everything under your bed, Maria." Drooler whined, finally escaping the cluttered space. He sat himself up and wrapped his furry, black tail around his toes. "What does the beautiful princess plan for us tonight?" He asked, scratching behind his ear with one of his back-paws. 

"I was thinking that we could go outside the castle tonight. Maybe we could go to the courtyard?" Maria asked him. "I can't keep you inside forever."

"But, I'm a monster. People don't trust monsters." Drooler cried. "I can't go outside when people don't like me." His ears drooped, covering his eyes. 

Maria felt a tinge of guilt for having mentioned going outside. She knew that Drooler did not want to risk people seeing him. "Oh, Drooler." Sighing, she tried to comfort him. "Everyone's gone to bed by now and the courtyard is surrounded by a ten-foot stone wall. No one will see you if we go outside. We could stay out for a few moments and be back in here before you know it."

"Do you promise?" Drooler asked, lifting his ears from his eyes to look at her. Maria gave him a huge smile and nodded. Together, they snuck through the castle until they made their way to the back door that led to the courtyard. Not a single soul seemed to be awake that night, except for Maria and Drooler. 

Upon entering the courtyard, they both felt free, especially Drooler. 

"We're outside!" Drooler yelled excitedly, standing up on his hind legs to see the all of the courtyard. He went this way and that, chasing after grasshoppers and sniffing the sweet as honey smells from the flowers. Finally, he jumped into a flowerbed, playfully rolling around on his back. 

"Drooler!" Maria called, trying to quiet him. "You can't get too loud, people will hear us." She warned and sat down beside him. Drooler panted from his exertion of energy. Suddenly, his ears perked at the sound of a door opening and closing. 

"Maria!" Her father, the king, yelled from the door. 

"Oh, no. Father must've heard us." Maria's eyes lit up with worry. "You've gotta hide, Drooler." She pushed him up. "He can't see you."

"Alright, I'm going..." Drooler murmured, running off into an abandoned fox hole. 

"Maria. You mustn't be outside at night. Many monsters come out at this time and they're not friendly." The king called out to her from the door. Suddenly, a large snap sounded from behind her. 

"Drooler?" Maria questioned, trying to see the monster through the shadows. However, it wasn't Drooler that stepped out into the moonlight. 

"Maria! Where are you?" Her father called, but no sound escaped her as she looked at the monster that she had never seen before. It's hulking, green figure towered over her. The monster glared at her in an unfriendly way. 

"Drooler!" Maria yelled, running in the direction of her father's voice. At that instant, Drooler came out of the fox hole and sprinted towards Maria. He jumped on the back of the green monster, giving Maria time to run. Her father, seeing the two monsters brawling, scooped Maria in his arms and ran back for the castle. Closing the door behind them, the king waited until the noises of the fight died down.

"That black monster saved you." The king huffed in disbelief and Maria nodded. 

"He's the bravest and most fearsome monster. And he's my best friend." Maria sat herself by the door. "I'm not leaving this spot until I know he is okay."

"What is his name?" He asked her, grateful of the monster's actions to protect Maria. 

"Drooler." She answered, jumping up immediately as there was a scratching at the door. Maria swung it open, drawing Drooler into a hug. "You are so brave. Thank you for saving me, Drooler."

"Anything for a friend." Drooler purred.

"Perhaps..." Maria's father interrupted, "Monsters aren't as bad we make them out to be." 

Smiling, Drooler said, "No, we aren't. We are much more than a scary face."