Colin and his mom went to the library.
“What would like to read about?” his mother asked.
“Monsters!” cried Colin. Colin liked to be scared.
“This one looks perfect,” said his mother, taking a book about monsters off the shelf.
That night, Colin’s mother read him the book about monsters. It was very scary.
“Are you okay?” asked his mother when the book was finished.
“Yes,” replied Colin, but he wasn’t okay. He was very scared.
“Mom,” he called as his mother was turning out the light. “What should I do if the monsters come to get me?”
“Don’t let them!” his mother told him firmly. “You tell those monsters to get under the bed and leave you alone.”
Then she kissed him and turned out the light.
Once it was dark, the monsters came out. There were green ones and red ones and one with black and purple stripes. There was one with horns, and one that had only one eye. All of them had large teeth.
Colin started shaking and sweating. He was very afraid. Slowly the monsters crept closer to him.
“Stop!” he told them. They stopped.
“Get under the bed right now! My mom says you’re not allowed to bother me.”
The monsters all looked at each other. Then they went under his bed.
Colin, the bravest boy in the world, hopped under the covers and went to sleep.
The next day, Colin and his mom went to the library.
“What would you like to read about?” his mother asked.
“Spiders!” cried Colin. Colin liked to be scared.
“This one looks perfect,” said his mother, taking a book about spiders off the shelf.
That night, Colin’s mother read him the book about spiders. It was scarier than the monster book.
“You are very brave,” his mother told him when the book was finished.
Colin nodded, but he did not feel brave. He was scared.
“Mom,” he called as she was about to turn off the light. “What should I do if the spiders come to get me?”
“You’re the boss! You tell them to get under the bed,” she told him firmly.
“Will they fit? The monsters are already there.”
“Of course they’ll fit,” his mother told him. Then she kissed him and turned out the light.
Once it was dark, the spiders came. They were huge and hairy, and they each had eight eyes. They climbed on the curtains and into Colin’s underwear drawer. One of them started spinning a web very close to Colin’s bed.
“Stop!” Colin cried out. “No webs! Get under the bed, all of you!”
The spiders looked at each other. Then they crawled under the bed.
Colin, the bravest boy in the world, pulled up the covers and went to sleep.
The next day Colin and his mom went to the library.
“What would you like to read about?” his mother asked.
Colin thought for a moment. “I need someone to get rid of all of the creatures under my bed. It’s very crowded under there.”
“I understand exactly what you are talking about. You need a book about exterminators,” his mother responded.
“What are exterminators?” Colin asked.
“They are people who get rid of bad creatures.”
“That sounds perfect,” said Colin.
That night, Colin’s mother read him the book about exterminators. It wasn’t scary at all. It was interesting. Colin learned that exterminators get rid of bad creatures by poisoning them. That might work, he decided.
This time, when his mother turned out the lights, Colin wasn’t scared at all.
Once it was dark, the exterminators came. They had nets and traps and bottles of poison.
“All of the pests and bad creatures are under the bed,” Colin told them.
The exterminators got ready to spray their poison.
“Stop!” cried a voice from under the bed. It was the purple and black striped monster.
“Please, we don’t want to be exterminated,” said a large and hairy spider.
“We’re not pests. We’re good,” cried a red monster with horns.
Colin looked at the bad creatures. They didn’t look so very bad.
One of the spiders started to cry from all eight of his eyes. “Please don’t hurt us,” he said. “It’s bad enough being under here with these scary monsters.”
“Oh, alright!” said Colin. “I suppose you can stay.”
The monsters and spiders cheered. Hooray!
The exterminators looked very sad. They had been hoping to exterminate something. Colin looked at them. They couldn’t fit under the bed. “You!” he told them. “Go into the closet. Don’t bother us!”
The exterminators looked at each other. Then they went into the closet.
The monsters and spiders went back under the bed. Colin, the bravest boy in the world, climbed under the covers and closed his eyes. He decided it wasn’t too crowded in his room after all.
“What would like to read about?” his mother asked.
“Monsters!” cried Colin. Colin liked to be scared.
“This one looks perfect,” said his mother, taking a book about monsters off the shelf.
That night, Colin’s mother read him the book about monsters. It was very scary.
“Are you okay?” asked his mother when the book was finished.
“Yes,” replied Colin, but he wasn’t okay. He was very scared.
“Mom,” he called as his mother was turning out the light. “What should I do if the monsters come to get me?”
“Don’t let them!” his mother told him firmly. “You tell those monsters to get under the bed and leave you alone.”
Then she kissed him and turned out the light.
Once it was dark, the monsters came out. There were green ones and red ones and one with black and purple stripes. There was one with horns, and one that had only one eye. All of them had large teeth.
Colin started shaking and sweating. He was very afraid. Slowly the monsters crept closer to him.
“Stop!” he told them. They stopped.
“Get under the bed right now! My mom says you’re not allowed to bother me.”
The monsters all looked at each other. Then they went under his bed.
Colin, the bravest boy in the world, hopped under the covers and went to sleep.
The next day, Colin and his mom went to the library.
“What would you like to read about?” his mother asked.
“Spiders!” cried Colin. Colin liked to be scared.
“This one looks perfect,” said his mother, taking a book about spiders off the shelf.
That night, Colin’s mother read him the book about spiders. It was scarier than the monster book.
“You are very brave,” his mother told him when the book was finished.
Colin nodded, but he did not feel brave. He was scared.
“Mom,” he called as she was about to turn off the light. “What should I do if the spiders come to get me?”
“You’re the boss! You tell them to get under the bed,” she told him firmly.
“Will they fit? The monsters are already there.”
“Of course they’ll fit,” his mother told him. Then she kissed him and turned out the light.
Once it was dark, the spiders came. They were huge and hairy, and they each had eight eyes. They climbed on the curtains and into Colin’s underwear drawer. One of them started spinning a web very close to Colin’s bed.
“Stop!” Colin cried out. “No webs! Get under the bed, all of you!”
The spiders looked at each other. Then they crawled under the bed.
Colin, the bravest boy in the world, pulled up the covers and went to sleep.
The next day Colin and his mom went to the library.
“What would you like to read about?” his mother asked.
Colin thought for a moment. “I need someone to get rid of all of the creatures under my bed. It’s very crowded under there.”
“I understand exactly what you are talking about. You need a book about exterminators,” his mother responded.
“What are exterminators?” Colin asked.
“They are people who get rid of bad creatures.”
“That sounds perfect,” said Colin.
That night, Colin’s mother read him the book about exterminators. It wasn’t scary at all. It was interesting. Colin learned that exterminators get rid of bad creatures by poisoning them. That might work, he decided.
This time, when his mother turned out the lights, Colin wasn’t scared at all.
Once it was dark, the exterminators came. They had nets and traps and bottles of poison.
“All of the pests and bad creatures are under the bed,” Colin told them.
The exterminators got ready to spray their poison.
“Stop!” cried a voice from under the bed. It was the purple and black striped monster.
“Please, we don’t want to be exterminated,” said a large and hairy spider.
“We’re not pests. We’re good,” cried a red monster with horns.
Colin looked at the bad creatures. They didn’t look so very bad.
One of the spiders started to cry from all eight of his eyes. “Please don’t hurt us,” he said. “It’s bad enough being under here with these scary monsters.”
“Oh, alright!” said Colin. “I suppose you can stay.”
The monsters and spiders cheered. Hooray!
The exterminators looked very sad. They had been hoping to exterminate something. Colin looked at them. They couldn’t fit under the bed. “You!” he told them. “Go into the closet. Don’t bother us!”
The exterminators looked at each other. Then they went into the closet.
The monsters and spiders went back under the bed. Colin, the bravest boy in the world, climbed under the covers and closed his eyes. He decided it wasn’t too crowded in his room after all.
