Midnight Snack

One night while Jason Jenkins peacefully slept, a monster came. It was definitely midnight around his neighborhood and everyone was asleep. His neighbor’s dog was the first awaken, alerted by the stench. The little hound barked and barked at the monster, thinking it was a human intruder, but suddenly yelped after the big red eye peered down close at him. The monster was hungry and spared the dog’s life on account that the little dog was too little of a morsel to satisfy his appetite. Traveling around the world can do that to a being.

He strolled down the street. Most of the houses were one or two stories tall. It was a newer development, so most of the trees were still yearlings and not yet as high as the first story houses. Some of the houses looked the same with their uniform design and uniform colors. They were all made of wood. The monster sniffed the air. Then he turned and found what he was looking for.

It was the house next to the barking dog. It was a two-story home, stained brown with green trim. The lawn had no trees and allowed the monster to come and go without too much of a trace. Sniffing the air once more, the monster double-checked to make sure his prey was still unaware of his presence. Licking his chops, he then bent down and peered into every window of the house searching for his snack.

No one inside or outside sees the giant bending down peering into the home with a giant red eye. The first floor was empty. There was no one in the living room where the papasan chairs and soft were white, complete with matching black pillows. The kitchen, spotless and empty, was large enough to double as a dining area. In one window, the monster saw huge shelves filled with books. A fire was dying in the fireplace suggesting that someone inside was recently awake. But not now, all was quiet in the house.

The second level was just as quiet. Two girls sleeping in their bunk bed, dreaming perhaps of boys they wanted to date. The monster spots Jason Jenkins in his bed, the third window from the left. Still asleep, his body breathing rhythmically. Completely unaware of what is about to happen to him. His wife, luckily for her, is away visiting relatives.

Sizing up the roof, the monster traces its molding, looking for a weak spot. And he finds it near the room Jason sleeps in. Grabbing under the roof with his left hand he
gets a good hold onto the roof. Placing his other hand on the backside of the roof, straight across, he straddles the right side of the building. Taking a deep breath and summoning all of his strength, the monster peels back the roof like a tuna can.

This startles Jason. A green arm reaches in for him, stealing him away from his family like a child reaching in a box of corn flakes to remove the prize decoder ring. He is only given a few seconds to react. Not fully awake or comprehending the reality of his situation, a muffled meep is all that escapes his mouth.

His children awake now, find their father gone and the roof torn off the house. Miraculously they escaped unharmed.

The police arrive later, aroused by a call from a hysterical neighbor, finding the roof of the house laying in the street.

Scratching his head, the detective in charge whistles, ìNever seen anything like it in my entire life.î

Another cop nods in agreement and says, ìYep. Looks like a freak tornado ripped through and tore the roof clear off. Took it and Mr. Jenkins with it.î

A strong gust of wind comes in from the west, blowing the caps off a few of the policemenís heads. High up in the atmosphere, a satisfied monster walks away trying to figure out the way back home.