A sleepy child, young and small
Crouched in the bed, against the wall
With fright-wide eyes, and lips pressed thin
He sees the closet...what's within?

The lights are out, the curtains closed
But still, from somewhere, faint light glows
He hears a noise under the bed
He tells himself it's just his head

But, terrified, he has to wonder
Is there something scary under?
He falls asleep, the little boy
And starts awake with some strange noise

He looks toward the closet there
As something ghastly stands and stares
"You cannot run, you cannot hide
And when I get you, you will die!"

The ghastly ghost steps forward then
The child thinks that it's the end
His heart is pounding in his throat
He cannot breathe, he starts to choke

He pulls the covers o're his head
And hears a growl under the bed
He tries to scream, but hears no sound
He feels the evil all around

He pulls the covers down to look
The ghost is reaching for his foot
He crouches down atop the bed
And, looking down, he sees a head

Slowly, now, it's creeping out
The boy, so scared, lets out a shout
He screams and screams, but no one hears
His vision, now, distorts with tears

The ghost backs up against the wall
Then disappears with an evil call
"If you live throughout the night
Tomorrow you will die of fright!"

The monster makes a horrid roar
And walks over to block the door
Then, hungrily, with eyes of red
Looks at his meal upon the bed

The boy moves over to the side
Too scared now to stay inside
Thinking, "If it comes toward me
The passage to the door is free!"

It moves toward him with a squeel
Thinking, "What an easy meal!"
But as it moves across the floor
The boy jumps past it, out the door

He runs inside the bathroom door
And shuts it, crouching on the floor
"Safe at last, at least for now."
He hears the monster's furious growl

Seeing that it won't get fed
The creature crawls under the bed
The boy now falls asleep in fright
But...will he die tomorrow night?

 

February 24, 1987