The Horror

An upset stomach woke Jack. Even at his tender age he knew if he went to his mom she would scold him for not listening when she said not to eat all his candy. So he lay in bed toughening it out until morning, like the cowboy he had been.

Some time later, his stomach had settled and he was drifting back to sleep when he heard a sharp thump. At first his sleepy mind didn’t notice, but then it repeated. After it repeated a few times, Jack thought, _It sounds like someone’s knocking on the side of the house_.

Jack sat up in bed, his mind filled with images of giant monsters bashing their tentacles on the side of the house. He was about to hide under his covers when he remembered his mom. _I should warn her_.

The knocking grew louder while Jack worked up his courage. He then heard a muffled cry of, “Oh God,” coming from her room. The knocking stopped. _She must have seen the monster_, Jack thought. What courage he had built up melted away as he dove under his blankets, unsure what he would find in the morning.