You Should Have Seen What Was Under My Bedby Sarah Lindholm, Franklin, OHLouis (Louie for short) was six years of age and had an imagination far beyond his years.One Sunday night Louie stared at the ceiling, watching images in his mind project on the wall. He was scared and wanted to sleep in his parents' room, so he slowly crept down the stairs to find his mother in her favorite chair, rocking back and forth."What are you doing out of bed?" his mother questioned."Well, um," Louie started, "um, you should have seen what was under my bed!""What was under your bed?" his mother grinned as she remarked."It was a um ... a ghost!" Louie stated in a way to create a reaction."A ghost? Well, what did it look like?" asked his mother."It was white and it said Boo, and it was scary and um, Mommy, can I sleep in your bed? Please?""Well, all right, Louie. But make sure that you brush your teeth and that Fuzzy Bear doesn't have gravy from tonight's dinner," said his mother."Yes, Mommy," grumbled the unhappy Louie. "She's the meanest mom in the whole world," he pouted, as he trudged down the hall.Monday night was a windy, rainy night. About 12: 30 a.m., the storm finally approached and Louie awoke, startled by the loud bang. He was scared and wanted to sleep in his parents' room."Daddy?" he spoke softly. "Are you awake?"Yes, I'm awake. What are you doing here? Are you scared?" his father rumbled.Louie couldn't stand being called scared, so he said, "You should have seen what was under my bed.""What was under your bed, Louie?" his father asked suspiciously."It was a um ... a purple dinosaur!" said Louie, adding a little shake in his legs to show that he was scared."Did it have green spots on it and a pink belly?""Yes, I think it did. Yes, I know it did!" Louie said triumphantly."Well, then, it must have been Barney." said his father, acting like a detective."No, it wasn't Barney," Louie insisted, "he doesn't know where I live!" Louie knew he had been outsmarted. He continued,"Can I sleep in here tonight?"I guess it's okay, as long as Fuzzy Bear is clean.""Yes, he is," Louie said proudly."Oh, yeah, one more thing Louie," his father continued, "Make sure that Fuzzy B. Blanket doesn't have any mud from the mud pie you made today.""Yes, Dad," he muttered. "You know," he said to his bear, "he's the meanest dad in the whole world."Tuesday night was a foggy night. An owl hooted in the dark. This scared poor Louie, so he crawled into his parent's room again. This time, he decided to talk to his mom."Mommy?" he whispered."What, Louie?" his mother mumbled, half asleep."You should have seen what was under my bed!" said Louie."What was under your bed this time?" said his irritated mother."It was a monster and it had purple fangs, and, um, green spots and, um, yellow eyes, and a blue sock on his foot. So, can I sleep with you?""All right, but make sure that Fuzzy Bear doesn't have gravy on him, Fuzzy B. Blanket doesn't have mud on him, and Fuzzy B. Cape doesn't have ice cream from today," said his mother.She is the meanest mommy in the whole world, Louie thought as he went to wash Fuzzy B. Cape.Wednesday he wasn't scared, but he still wanted to sleep with his parents. He went down the stairs to talk to his father."Go!" his father cried."But I don't want to go anywhere," whimpered Louie."No, not you, the football players," said his father."You mean you're talking to the TV? I didn't know the TV could move. I didn't even know it had legs!" Louie giggled."Well, march those legs straight to your room," demanded his father."But, you should have seen what was under my bed," Louie warned."What was under your bed today?" inquired his father.Louie was ready for this one. "It was a dragon with green skin, pink claws, a yellow and a blue head (it had two heads) and a purple sock on his back right foot," Louie finished proudly. "Can I sleep with you tonight?""Well, I guess, but make sure ..." Louie interrupted his father, "Yes, I know what you're going to say and they're all clean," Louie stated happily. "Well, then I don't have to worry about Fuzzy, your new stuffed rabbit, having your mother's lipstick on it?" he asked, knowing the answer.Louie trudged up the stairs, muttering, "He is the meanest daddy in the whole world."Thursday he visited his Grandma. She gave him oatmeal cookies with M&M's in them and he was delighted. After spending a couple of hours with Grandma, his parents took him home for dinner. That night, Louie wanted to sleep in his parent's room, but he couldn't think of anything new to tell his parents, so he decided to look and see if there really was anything under his bed. After letting Fuzzy Bear check first, he collected his courage and leaned over the edge of the bed with Fuzzy Bear under his arm and took a peek. There, to his surprise, was a glass of milk, a plate of Grandma's special cookies, a flashlight with Big Bird on it and a stuffed Doberman Pinscher. He ate the cookies, drank the milk, and then went straight to sleep, knowing that nothing existed under his bed except his own imagination. 1