I am the one hiding under your bed. I make the bumps in the night. When you’re sleeping, I wake you up when you hear a creek or a bang. I steal your homework, and I eat your socks. I make the shadows on your walls, which cause your hair to stand up and your heart to drop. I make you scream and cry for your mommy. I am Goblogna.
“Mommy! Mommy!,” Johnny screamed when he saw me standing in front of him. As he was sleeping there like a spent little baby, I growled at him. He was sucking his thumb and sleeping so soundly, I had to wake him. He didn’t hear my first growl. He didn’t hear my second growl, which was a little louder than the first. I stuck my teeth out, opened my mouth, and growled right in his face. Bits of chicken, from my last feast, along with spit flew into his face. It splattered across his nose and eyes. Damn, he woke up quick. The stupid kid stared at me, half asleep. When his eyes adjusted he was so scared, he froze. Suddenly, he screamed. He called for his mom. I smiled and ran back under his bed.
I could hear him talking and crying to his mom. “Mom, there was a monster in my room!” he told her. That pissed me off a little bit. I’m not a monster, I’m a Goblin. Kids always think you’re a monster. Then he continued insulting me between sobs, “He was tiny and dark green. He had big, pointy teeth. They were yellow and slimy!” First of all, I am not that tiny. I’m 4’3” and I’m the tallest damn Goblin in the clan. My teeth are kinda’ yellow, but what do you expect? I’m nearly 1,000 years old!
“He had big, huge eyes that sagged and warts all over his face. His ears were big and pointy! He was drooling all over the place!” he babbled.
“Honey, there’s nothing in your room. It was just a bad dream.” His mother told him, looking tired and growing impatient.
“No Mom, it was here. He had crunchy skin and long, dirty fingernails! He went under my bed!” he yelled at her.
His mother rolled her tired eyed and sleepily bent down to check under the bed. I saw her nimble hand start to reach for the checked blanket that was draped over the side of Johnny’s bed. I crept back into the darkness, and hid in a dark shadow. Johnny’s mother unfocusedly looked into the darkness, saw nothing, and stood back up. She told Johnny there was nothing there and wished him goodnight. She left the room and closed the door. I crept out of the darkness and onto the floor of Johnny’s bedroom. I inched up to the edge of his bed and began to breathe in his face. He slowly opened his eyes.
