Single mom Selina Sardi would do anything for her 6-year-old son. Eager to turn their new house into a real home for him, she's devastated when she discovers that the monster under his bed is not a figment of his imagination but the real deal.
Elia...
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Selina had slumbered into deep, satisfying sleep when Lowie yanked her out of it. With her eyes half closed, she propped herself up on her elbows. "Why are you crying?"
He stomped his foot to the floor. "I wanna go home."
"But this is home."
"No, it's not. There's a monster under my bed."
A lazy smile formed on Selina's lips. "No, there isn't. We've been through this before. There never is. Wanna climb in with me?" She held up her duvet invitingly. He wiped his eyes with his wrist and nodded.
"First, blow your nose!" She pointed at the tissue box on the floor. Lowie pulled one out and handed it to her. Selina sighed, clasped the tissue over his nose and said, "as loud as you possibly can." Raising children was fucking gross.
After that, Lowie snuggled against her, his tiny frame curling into hers. Selina's eyes drifted shut again.
"It's a real meanie, this one," Lowie murmured against her arm. "He has claws and icy blue eyes that don't fit."
"Lowie, please." She could feel how she was going to be ripped out of that sweet slumber if he wouldn't shut up soon.
"His breath is ash. Like ... volcano-ash."
She shouldn't listen.
None of it made sense anyway.
She needed her sleep.
"He asked me what I feared most."
The imagination of that kid, really.
How did he make these things up?
"Lowie!"
"I wanna sleep with you forever. Can I, mom? Please?"
She would settle for him sleeping just through this one night, dammit.
"I might consider it if you kept quiet."
The boy snuggled closer and minutes later, Selina lay awake listening to the sound of his deep snore. Unbelievable. She lay like that for a long time, but sleep refused to catch up with her. Lowie was too warm, too loud, too present. He looked vast asleep this time, and she could sneak out and swap beds. He wouldn't even know. Why wouldn't she indulge in the luxury of a real bed under a ceiling of stars? Lowie was fine here.
To reassure herself that he was sound asleep, she rested her head against the doorpost for a minute or two. Then, she tiptoed up the staircase to the attic room.
Apart from a soft gleam streaming through the skylight and the magical glow of plastic stars and planets on the make-believe milky way, the room bathed in darkness. A faint smell of Play-Doh and sharpened pencils lingered in the air and Selina held her breath to take in how perfectly dreamy this room was. She allowed her vision to adjust to the light. Every contour that lifted from the shadows stirred her soul. With love, she thought at first. The chest with toys, the cabinet with fresh jammies ... everything she had ever wanted for her baby was here. The distant rumble of thunder shouldn't worry her, nor should the twigs that swept against the skylight. It was but a beautiful, old linden tree.
