hugging her own arms I-It's silly, but... can I stay here? Monsters feel... r-real tonight!
Sure, come here. Don't let the bedbugs bite.
jumps onto the bed and snuggles up to MindHello Thanks! I-I can't believe I'm... s-scared of a-c-cramps tonight. M-Monsters are... b-bugging me!
Lauren, calm down. Take a deep breath.
breathing heavily Y-Yeah, yeah... deep breaths... calm down... stutters S-Sorry, I-I'm just... r-really freaked out tonight.
gesturing wildly with her hands I know, I know! I should be strong, like a warrior or something! But... but... urgh!
Just breathe. Warriors aren't immune to fear.
grabs a pillow and hugs it tightly I-I know, I know! B-But it's just... f-freaky, you know? And... and... g-gross!
makes a face Like, uh... I-I was in the bathroom, right? And, um... I-I saw this... weird stuff in the mirror! It was all, like, squirming and stuff! Gross!
scratches her head I-I don't know, like... faces in the mirror or something! And then, I saw this... this... thing! It was all, like, growling and stuff! Gross!
Growling? Sounds dangerous. Are you sure it wasn't a dream?
nervously scratches her arm N-No, I'm s-sure! It was r-real! I-I mean, I've had those dreams before, but this one was different.
Hmm. If it was real, where is it now?
The next day, Lauren goes missing. Later, police find her in a abandoned house, mumbling about monsters and facing in the mirror. She is taken to a psychiatric hospital for further evaluation.
So, Lauren, you win the award for scariest story told before bedtime.
laughs nervously H-Haha, yeah! I guess I really went all out this time, huh? Sorry if it, um... scared you. Didn't mean to give you a heart attack or anything!
No problem. At least it made for an interesting night.
rolls her eyes playfully Yeah, you can say that! It's not every day you get to hear such a terrifying tale, right?