Spaghetti and Garlic Bread

It was 11:00 pm, on a Halloween night, and I had just come home from a successful night of trick-or-treating. My best friend's mom had offered to give me a ride home, because she didn't want me to be walking home in the dark on Halloween. When she pulled into my driveway, I noticed that all the lights were out in my house. I thought nothing of it. I figured everyone was already asleep. Waving good-bye to my friends, I walked into the house. I walked very quietly, so I wouldn't wake anyone.

As I tiptoed through the kitchen, I saw a plate of leftover garlic bread and spaghetti, my little brother’s favorite meal. It looked really good, but I wasn't all that hungry. I had eaten plenty of candy already. So, I started walking down the hallway toward my room, but then stopped. I was very startled by the noise I heard. It was dead silence. My house was never this quiet. Both my mom and my dad snored, and my little brother was always falling off the bed, kicking the wall, or talking in his sleep. No, this was not normal. I continued down the hallway very cautiously and quietly.

When I reached my bedroom at the end of the hall, I smelled something very familiar. Spaghetti and garlic bread! That was strange. How could spaghetti and garlic bread get all the way down to my room? Something very weird was going on. I stepped lightly across the room and crawled into my bed. The smell of spaghetti and garlic bread was even stronger here. I buried my head under the covers, hoping that this was all a joke and my parents would jump out, and we would all have a good laugh. But something told me it wasn't.

I laid awake, not moving or making a sound for ten minutes, desperately trying to think of an explanation for all this. Suddenly, I heard a strange noise. I carefully came out from underneath the covers and listened very closely. It sounded a lot like someone who was enjoying a plate of spaghetti and garlic bread! And there was only one person that someone could be. My brother! Mad that he scared me like that, but relieved it was only him, I jumped off my bed and looked under. Little did I know, I was in for a big surprise.

What I saw under my bed was not my brother at all, but a big, hairy, green figure eating a plate of spaghetti and garlic bread. He looked over at me, and almost dropped his plate. His bright, shining lime green eyes held a look of fright and confusion. For all I know, he might have been as scared as I was, but I didn't care. I jumped up and ran. I ran across the house and into the storage closet. The smell of cleaners, and old candles that were never used smelled horrible, but I knew I would have to deal with it. It was too late to leave my hiding spot. I quickly shut the closet door, and hoped the monster thing wouldn't find me.

I could hear its lumbering steps coming closer and closer. I tried to stay calm, but I remembered his bright green eyes, and how the spaghetti had hung sloppily out of his mouth, the red sauce staining his green hair. It scared me to think about it. Suddenly, I could smell spaghetti and garlic bread. This smell mixed with the cleaner/old candle smell was almost too overpowering for me. I started to feel lightheaded and nauseous. My vision began to blur just as the closet door started to open, and a crack of light, followed by a whole lot of green hair appeared. I was extremely frightened, as there was no possible means of escape.

"Shoobah like spaghetti. Shoobah want more." the thing said, in a deep and terrifying voice. "Make Shoobah more spaghetti for eating, or Shoobah use you for eating instead." I slowly nodded my head, too scared to say anything.

The thing, Shoobah, moved out of the way and let me through. I could feel its green eyes watching me as a slowly walked into the kitchen. I didn't have to look over my shoulder to know he was following me; I could hear his lumbering steps, and smell the spaghetti and garlic bread on his breath.

When I reached the kitchen, I took the plate of spaghetti and garlic bread that I had seen earlier, and heated it up in our old microwave. I waited for the slow microwave to finish, and Shoobah stared at me impatiently. Finally, the timer beeped. I took the plate out and handed it to Shoobah. He held the plate close to him, as if protecting it, and walked out the door. I watched as he disappeared into the darkness. I stood there silently in the kitchen until my mom, dad, and brother came in the door ten minutes later.

"Oh hi," my mom said. "You're already home. We didn't think you would be home until at least midnight, so we went out to get some more candy. Those trick-or-treaters were coming to the door like crazy. We were plum out of candy. Honey, are you okay?" she said as she noticed the blank expression on my face. Suddenly, I turned toward her and spilled the whole story. But of course, she didn't believe me. No one did. But every time we have spaghetti and garlic bread, I always leave the leftovers outside on the doorstep, so Shoobah won't come in the house. And every morning, it is gone, with only a few green hairs left behind.