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Dust Bunnies |
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| It was the night before Tim’s first day in the fifth grade, and he couldn’t sleep at all. He got out of bed and went to the open window, stumbling over the pile of Nintendo games he had left on the floor. Tim pulled back the white curtains and opened the window. He loved the feel of the cool breeze on his warm skin. Suddenly a gust of wind blew across his room, billowing out his white curtains until they looked like twin ghosts. Another rush of air scattered some race car drawings he had done all over the floor. It hardly mattered. His room was such a mess, one more piece of litter wouldn’t make a difference. His mother always nagged him to clean his room, but what did she know? It just wasn’t important. Besides, after you cleaned, it always got dirty again. Tim kicked aside his baseball bat and glove and jumped back into bed. He felt better because he was cooler, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the ghostly white curtains. It looked like people were standing in back of them and pounding their fists on the material to make them move. Also, the moonlight coming in the window cast creepy shadows over all the junk in his room. His pile of dirty clothes in the corner took on the menacing shape of an evil alien dwarf. And his baseball glove became a vampire bat ready to suck his blood. It’s all in your imagination. Go to sleep, Tim told himself as he pulled the covers up around his chin. Then he heard a soft thump, thump, thump under his bed. Tim yanked the blanket up over his head. His heart pounded, and he didn’t dare breathe. When it became quiet for a second, Tim cautiously pulled the covers down just past his eyes so he could see. Thump, thump, a little louder this time. Tim was sticky with sweat now, wondering what he could do to save his life. Maybe if he was just quiet the thing, whatever it was, would go away. Maybe if he was just quiet. |
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