"I won't tell you again, Joseph,” his mother said, rising from the kitchen table. “Go to your room."

"It's not my bedtime yet, and I didn't do nuthin'." His eyes were downcast and defiant. His arms were crossed. He scowled.

"Joseph, look at me."

"No!"

"I have had a long hard day. You are not helping me. It's bad enough you're acting up to me. Mrs. Tanner tells me you gave her nothing but trouble today. She's threatening to quit. I had to promise her a raise. I don't know what's gotten into you and I'm at the point of not really caring, so you have two choices; go to bed on your own or have me drag you there. You decide, but make it quick."

"It wasn't me that gave her trouble. It was Nigel. He caught her snoopin' in your jew'ry box."

"Now you know that Nigel's just a stuffed--my jewelry box? Just a minute."

His mom hurried out of the kitchen, and returned a few moments later carrying the box in question. Its lid was open and she stirred through the various compartments. "There are a few pieces missing! Tell me the truth, young man. Did you take them?"

Joseph's face flushed with rage. Now he did meet her eyes. “I told you who dun it. She put them in her coat pocket, in the closet. She wuz goin' to just walk out with them when you got here. Nigel and me got them out of her pocket and hid them for you so they'd be safe. That's why she was so mad."

"Where are they then?"

"In the can'tlope. Nigel did the work but it was my idea."

"The cantaloupe in the refrigerator?"

Delighted by his own cleverness, Joseph's face was stretched by a wide grin. His chest swelled with prideful breath as his mother pulled the fruit from the fridge. It was uncut. "There's no way something can be in here," she said.

"You gotta cut it open."

"Fine, if that will move things along..." She went to the knife drawer, found a blade, and cut into the fruit rind. It fell open atop the table, cut in half. With the seeds in the hollow core, were earrings, a bracelet, and several rings. She scooped them out, shoved the cantaloupe halves into the refrigerator. She turned almost frightened eyes onto her son. She started to ask a question but thought better of it, changing the subject intirely. "Joseph, I'm sorry. Have a cookie from the jar. I will attend to Mrs. Tanner tomorrow."

"It's all right, Mom. Nigel said he would take care of her."

"Now you know Nigel's just a stuffed toy. There's not a lot he can do about a pilfering nanny. Please leave it to me."

Joseph didn't argue. He knew that adults were blind to certain things. They tended to believe only what was comfortable. Everything else, they ignored.

He went to the cookie jar, lifted the lid, and helped himself to a gingerbread man. He looked closer at it. It wore a dress, had gray icing hair, and an expression of terrible surprise on its face. His eyes lit with surprised recognition. "Mrs. Tanner!" He whispered.

"Did you say something?" his mom asked.

"Uh, I'm goin' to my room."

"I'll be along to tuck you in soon."

"Okay." Joseph carried his cookie from the room, through the hall to his bedroom. The room was dark as he opened the door. The hall light threw a shaft of illumination across the wooden floorboards, to his bed. Sitting in the middle of his bed was a small furry figure, an African lion with black fur and mane. Its eyes were glittering obsidian marbles. The toy sat on its haunches, smiling with extreme satisfaction.

Joseph walked the bridge of light to the bed, casting his shadow ahead of him. He stopped short of the bed, wary of the monster underneath. It would like nothing better than to grab his feet and pull him under the bed to the dark world.

"Nigel,” he held the cookie out. “Did you do this to Mrs. Tanner?"

"Sure did. Neat, huh?"

"And what am I supposed to do with it? I can't eat sumtin' that once wuz a person."

The lion shrugged, "Not my problem, but if you want a suggestion..."

"Yeah?"

"Try the monster under the bed. It's always hungry."

As if on cue, a green ooze-coated tentacle slithered out from under the bed and coiled up into the air, hanging there like a question mark. Joseph extended the cookie and the tentacle wrapped around both it and the boy's hand. Nigel growled a warning and the monster let the hand go, keeping the cookie. As the tentacle withdrew, the cookie's face changed to a look of utter terror. A moment later, there was a crunching from beneath the bed.

While the beast was distracted, Joseph jumped up on the bed. He gathered Nigel into his arms and pulled the blanket down. They wormed between the cool crisp sheets. "Good night, Nigel. Dream good dreams."

"You know I don't sleep, but thanks for the thought, kid."

"Why don't you sleep?" Joseph asked yawning.

"One day I will, when you have conquered all your fears and every demon. Then I will be just another stuffed animal a child once loved. But until that day, I have a sacred trust--to keep you safe. Now close your eyes, and dream good dreams. And if the shadows follow you into sleep, and the night-fears gather, call my name. I will come."

Joseph drifted into sleep and didn't notice when his mother came and kissed him, tucking the blanket in around his angelic face. Her eyes shifted to the lion's head poking up out of the bedding under Joseph's chin. Nigel's eyes were dark and bright, hinting at a myriad of wonders and realities.

"Keep watch, little friend. You guard my heart." She turned and walked to the door.

Standing in the doorway, she paused in closing the door. For a moment, she seemed to hear an echo from her childhood; a small gruff voice saying, "Yes, milady." She laughed at herself, shook her head in disbelief, and closed the door.