Nitey Nite Story

Nitey Nite Story

Nine o’clock is time for Nitey Nite in Fuzzy Quail Hollow. My singing Glow Worm watch jingled, “Five minutes to Nitey Nite!”  I had just finished my planet-shaped ginger snaps and , chocolatey milk, and the empty mug and plate were in the kitchen sink awaiting Morning Cleanup. They weren’t alone; the chili macaroni plate and almost emptied orange juice glass were keeping them company.

Slip slap, slip slap… My socks half on, half off, I plodded to my nightstand. Sparky, my pet gecko was already snoring softly in his little shoebox bed. Humming to myself, “Freezy Pop… good to the last glop,” I set my alarm for Happy Wake Up Hour, and did a somersault and a half into my blanket nest, sending stuffed animals and monsters everywhere. Burrowing deep, I snuggled myself beneath my checkered quilt to sleep. 17 minutes after that, and 3 minutes before I fell asleep, I heard a funny noise. Thumpa bump bumpa thump thumpity bump — BONK!

It sounded like something had rolled across the wood floor in the hallway outside, and bounced off my door! I was quite snug in my bed, and didn’t wish to get up, as my socks had now come completely off, and I had misplaced my furry rabbit slippers. Sparky was still snoring. “ It was nobody,”  I said to myself.

I had almost forgotten about the mysterious sound, when I heard 5 sharp raps on the door– Knock knock knock KNOCK knock! I told myself again, “There’s nobody there,” but still, just in case, I called out, “WHO’S THERE?”

“NOBODY,” came the answer. See, I was right! Hey, wait a minute. “NOBODY wouldn’t have answered,” I called out, with the bravest voice I could muster. “Well, SOMEBODY DID,” the voice answered again. “SO!” I replied, “There IS somebody!”

“Somebody what?”

“Somebody talking, what else?”

“Of course there is!”

“Is what?”

“Is somebody talking!” the voice finished patiently.

“And this someone has a name, hasn’t he?”

“I am sure that he does!”

“Well, what might it be?”

“What might WHAT be?”

“The name!” I hollered. “The name of who is talking!”

The voice then asked, “What is YOUR name?”

I thought I might be getting somewhere, so I answered, “Georgie.”

“That’s it!”

“That’s WHAT?”

“That’s the name of somebody talking!”

He was right, of course.

“And just who is Georgie talking to?” Georgie, that is to say, I asked.

“NOBODY.”

I was going to get to the bottom of this.

“So if I get up, and open my door, I will find….”

“Nobody.”

That was it! I threw back my quilt, slapped my feet to the floor, and stubbed my way across the room by the dim glow of my firefly night light and my Glow Worm watch.

I could see Sparky’s little beady eyes watching me.

I flipped the switch to the hallway light, looked through the peephole, and saw…

Nobody.

I threw open the door suddenly, shouting “AHA!”  I looked out and saw…

Nobody.

How could this be? Had I been dreaming? Just then, I heard a throat clear. “Ahem!”

I looked down at the floor and there it was, there HE was.

A head of lettuce!

No body! No body at all! Just a head!

“Well, of course!” said I. “ Why didn’t you just say so?”

“I did!” he said, as I knew he would.

“Well, WHAT is your name, Mr. No Body?” I asked.

“Why it’s Lee, young man. Lee Fee.”

“May I asked why you’ve come calling, Mr. Fee? It IS bedtime.” I said as politely as I could.

Mr. Fee answered, “ Of course it is bedtime! I am here to tell bedtime stories!”

I started to tell him that I was now too old for bedtime stories, but instead I said, “Come on in.”

So he rolled his way across the floor, nodded at Sparky, and hopped up onto my nightstand, right alongside my Happy Morning Trumpeters alarm clock. He cleared his throat again. “Ahem.”

“Tuck yourself in, and I’ll begin.”

So, I retucked myself beneath my quilt with the checkers, hot air balloons, and sheep,and said “Okay! I’m ready!”

“Would you like to hear about the good old days?” Lee Fee Lettuce asked.

“Um hmm..” I murmured, already drowsy.

“Well,” he began, “ Back when I was salad….”

Nitey Nite!

The End