“And the monster is back. Every now and then he can hear it move under the bed. It sighs. It licks its paws. Sometimes it turns over. It never does anything, but it lies there.”
“There it is again. Suddenly he understands. There’s a monster under the bed, a huge, wild monster. He’s afraid to look. But he doesn’t have to. Alfie knows it’s there.”
“Finally he decides that he’ll give the little boy his yellow car. Tomorrow he’ll be nice to the little boy. Then Alfie falls asleep without paying any more attention to the monster.”
“Alfie makes a couple of trips - to the swings, the sandbox, the tree to the swings, the sandbox, the tree. There’s no little boy. Alfie takes the car home.”
″ ‘That was a great shot’, says the little boy. ‘The best and longest anyone has kicked on our street.’ ‘Do you really think so?’ says Alfie? Now he is happy, too.”
“Here is daddy. He is mostly nice. Almost too nice. Like tonight; although it’s late he reads a good, long story about a horse. Then he gives Alfie a hug and turns off the light when he leaves.”
″ ‘Daddy!’ calls Alfie. ‘We forgot to brush my teeth.’ Daddy comes. He has brought a toothbrush and a glass of water. Alfie brushes his teeth. Tonight he brushes them extra carefully. Every tooth gets clean.”