“Mommy! Mommy!”

For the umpteenth night in a row, Celeste woke up calling for her mother, Sarah. They had just moved into a new house and Celeste was having a hard time adjusting to the new environment.

Begrudgingly, Sarah got out of bed and walked to her daughter’s room. Although she was tired and annoyed, Sarah changed the look on her face from that of malice to one of concern as she opened Celeste’s door.

“What’s wrong sweetie?” She asks in a lovingly strained voice.

“There’s a monster under my bed and it’s trying to get me.” It had been either a monster under her bed or in the closet each time Celeste woke up.

If you don’t stop waking up in the middle of the night, I’m going to feed you to the monster myself.

“Mommy, did you say something?”

“What? Uh, nothing. Look honey, we’ve talked about this before. There is no such thing as monsters. It’s just your imagination.”

“But mommy, I’m scared. Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“I’m sorry Celeste, but not tonight.” It’s not that Sarah didn’t want her daughter to sleep in her bed, but Celeste was such a loud snorer, she would never get any sleep.

“Do you want me to bring Fickle in here to sleep with you?” Fickle was their loyal cat. Sarah got him when Celeste was born, and they were inseparable.

“No, because he farts a lot at night.”

Exhausted and ready to go back to bed, an idea pops into Sarah’s head. “I’ll be right back.” Sarah leaves the room and returns a few minutes later with a doll baby in tow.

“This is Jessie Baby. My parents gave her to me when I was around your age. She is yours now and she will watch over you while you sleep and make sure you have good dreams.

“I love her, mommy. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome baby. Go back to sleep now. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

At Celeste’s request, Sarah leaves the door open a little and goes back to bed. A blood-curdling scream wakes Sarah her from her slumber and she runs to Celeste’s room.

Laying there in a pool of black liquid was, what Sarah could only describe as, a monster. Its body was bent and broken and torn apart.

“Mommy, mommy, look a monster,” Celeste says through sobs.

“Sweetie, that’s not a monster. It’s just some type of dead animal. Maybe Fickle brought it in,” Sarah said, withholding the horrifying truth from Celeste’s fragile mind. “It’s okay now. Let’s go sleep in my room.”

Sarah picks up her daughter and turns to leave when Celeste cries out, “we can’t leave Jessie Baby,” and points to the “animal’s” remains. There, covered in black liquid and sinew was Jessie Baby, sitting upright and smiling, flesh dangling from her mouth. “Oh honey, Jessie Baby will need to have a bath first before you can have her again. Let’s go to sleep now.”