Maggie and the Night Shapes

Maggie was a little green monster. She had fuzzy ears and a long tail.

Every night, Maggie went to her bed. She pulled up her soft blue blanket.

But tonight, the room was very dark. Maggie looked around her room.

She saw a tall, thin ghost by the door. It had long arms.

"Oh no!" Maggie whispered. She hid under her blanket.

The ghost did not move. It just stood there in the dark.

Then Maggie saw a big, bumpy shadow on the floor. It looked like a giant rock with many teeth.

Maggie felt her heart go thump, thump, thump. She was a monster, but she was still scared of the dark.

"Go away, scary shapes," Maggie said quietly. The shapes did not leave.

They stayed very still. Maggie reached out her hand.

She found her small lamp. Click! The light filled the room.

The tall, thin ghost was not a ghost at all. It was her purple coat hanging on the door.

The big, bumpy shadow was not a giant rock. It was her big pile of soft blocks.

Maggie saw her red ball under the chair. She saw her yellow duck on the rug.

"You are not scary," Maggie laughed. "You are just my toys!"

The toys looked like they wanted to play. Maggie picked up her robot.

"I am not afraid now," Maggie said. The light made the room feel warm.

Maggie gave her teddy bear a big hug. She felt very happy and safe.

Now Maggie knew the truth about the dark. The shadows were just her friends waiting for morning.

She turned off the light and went to sleep. She had very sweet dreams all night long.