Emma heard a noise under her bed.
SCRATCH, SCRATCH, SCRATCH.
Most kids would hide under the covers. But Emma was curious. She hung upside down over the edge of her bed and looked underneath.
Two huge yellow eyes stared back at her.
"AAAAH!" screamed the eyes.
"AAAAH!" screamed Emma.
They both scrambled away from each other.
"Wait," said Emma. "Did YOU just scream?"
"You scared me!" said a tiny, trembling voice. A fuzzy purple monster crept out from under the bed. He was shaking.
"I'm Gorp," he said. "I'm supposed to be scary. But honestly? I'm terrified of everything. Especially humans."
Emma had never thought about it that way.
"What scares you?" Emma asked.
"Everything!" said Gorp. "The closet is dark. The window is too bright. The ceiling fan sounds like a helicopter. And you humans are HUGE."
Emma thought about her own fears. The dark. Strange noises. Being alone.
"I get scared too," she said softly.
From that night on, Emma and Gorp were friends.
When Emma felt scared, Gorp would hold her hand with his fuzzy paw.
When Gorp felt scared, Emma would tell him jokes until he laughed.
They figured out that fear is much smaller when you share it with someone.
And under Emma's bed? It wasn't scary anymore. It was just where her friend Gorp lived.
THE END