A
ndy was at a friend's house for a sleepover, so the toys had the whole night to themselves. “What do you feel like doing?” Woody the cowboy asked the other toys.
“How about a spelling bee?” suggested Mr. Spell.
“Nah, you always win,” Hamm the piggy bank replied.
“What about a game of hide-and-seek?” asked Slinky Dog.
“I'd rather not,” Rex the dinosaur said nervously. He didn't like small, dark places.
Suddenly, rain began pelting the windows. A streak of lightning lit up the sky.
Rex shuddered. “Oh, no!” he cried.
“Reminds me of the newest Buzz Lightyear video game,” the space ranger said. “It starts with a storm forcing me to crash-land on a hostile planet. You don't even want to know what happens next.”
“Yes, we do,” said Bo Peep. “Telling scary stories is the perfect thing to do on a stormy night.”
“Okay, then,” said Woody, “scary stories it is. Gather around, everybody.”
“There I am, trapped on a planet filled with six-headed aliens,” continued Buzz. “The creatures close in on me. They are ready to blast me with their laser guns. But at the last minute, I activate my jet pack and blast straight up into the sky. Instead of hitting me, the rays from the aliens' guns bounce back off the rocks and stun my attackers while I make a clean getaway.”
“Ohhhh!” said the Little Green Aliens.
“Sorry, fellas,” said Buzz. “Besides, the aliens in the video game are evil, not nice guys like you three.”
“May I go next?” asked Rex.
Rex's story was about the most ferocious dinosaur on Earth. “He had enormous pointy teeth and a fierce roar,” Rex said. Then he roared himself. No one jumped or screamed.
“Did I scare you?” Rex asked his friends.
“Sure,” Woody replied. He winked at the other toys. All the toys knew Rex was the
least
ferocious dinosaur around. But they didn't want to hurt his feelings.
Rex told the other toys about the creature's bad breath, big eyes, and supersharp claws. “His jaws were like a steel trap!” Rex exclaimed. “He could crush dinosaurs twice his size!” Then Rex shivered with fright.
Woody volunteered to tell the next scary story.
“Did I ever tell you guys about the time Andy and I went to a haunted house?” he asked.
The toys all shook their heads. “Well, there we were, walking by a house that was all decorated. Suddenly, these ghosts rose up out of the lawn! Andy ran for the front porch and rang the bell. But a vampire answered the door and he was holding a black cat that had bright yellow eyes.”
“W-w-w-what happened next?” Rex asked.
“Then a monster chased us back down to the sidewalk,” Woody answered.
He noticed that the other toys looked afraid. Bo had clutched Woody's arm and Hamm was shaking so much that his coins were clinking.
“Don't worry, guys. Andy's brave. And I'm here to tell the tale!” Woody said. “It was all fake!”
“I knew that,” said Rex. But Woody could see that his arms were still trembling.
“The people who owned the house set everything up to scare the trick-or-treaters,” Woody said. He rubbed his chin. “Maybe that one was a little too scary.”
“All right, gang,” Woody continued, “I think we've had enough stories for tonight. Let's get some sleep. Andy will be home bright and early tomorrow morning.”
Woody had just fallen asleep when he felt a nudge. He moved over a little, but then he felt another small shove.
“Woody! Woody!” Rex whispered.
“Huh?” Woody said groggily. “What is it?”
“I heard something,” said Rex. “It's coming from under Andy's bed.”
“You must have been dreaming,” Woody replied.
“I know I wasn't dreaming, because I haven't gone to sleep yet,” Rex explained.
“Maybe it was a noise from the storm,” Woody said.
“The storm is over,” said Rex.
“You're going to make me get up, aren't you?” asked Woody.
“If it wouldn't be too much trouble,” Rex answered.
“All right,” said Woody. “Let's go have a look under the bed. You'll see there's nothing to worry about.”
When they reached the side of the bed, Woody lifted the bedspread. “It's too dark to see anything under there,” he said. “But everything seems okay to me.”
GRRRRRR!
“Good job, Rex,” Woody added. “If there was anything around here, I'm sure you just scared it off.”
“That wasn't me,” Rex said, his voice shaky.
“It wasn't?” asked Woody.
Something went
BUMP
underneath the bed.
“Looks like you did hear something, after all,” Woody admitted. He was starting to feel a little nervous, too. “Let's go get Buzz before we do any more investigating.”
“This had better be an emergency,” Buzz declared when Woody woke him.
“I think we have an intruder,” Woody whispered.
“What's going on?” asked Hamm.
“It's nothing to worry about,” said Woody as calmly as he could. “There appears to be somethingâor someoneâunder Andy's bed.”
At that moment, a rumbling came from under the bed.
“It sounds hungry!” Rex wailed and then fainted in fright.
The toys crept out of their places in drawers, behind furniture,
and in the toy box. They gathered in the center of the room while Woody woke Rex.
Buzz strode confidently up to the bed. “This is Buzz Lightyear, space ranger. You are in violation of Intergalactic Code 36920-Q, which clearly prohibits concealing oneself under another life-form's sleeping unit without prior clearance. It's bad manners. Not to mention creepy. Reveal yourself.”