Bedtime Stories That May Go Bump in the Night

By Margaret Bloom

The book I have written for your enjoyment, Bedtime Stories That May Go Bump in the Night is ten short stories that lend either a little scare or humor and are all a work of fiction.

“The Prize,” the first story in the collection, is about a troubled man whose problems overwhelm him. Is he a criminal? This story has lots of bumps.

“Mr. Marlo Monster Hunter” is about a six-year-old boy who learns special skills to deal with scary situations and teaches them to others. This story has a few bumps.

Marvin’s Adventures is about a purple bunny; his best friend, Betty; the fashionista dancing cow; and a few of his other friends and the adventures they find on and around the farm. More adventure than bumps.

“Extraordinary Pillow Guy” is a Texan pillow who tells tall tales. He stretches the truth to unbelievable lengths. This one has a few bumps. There are two stories in this title.

“Tastie Frees” is an action story that has a few bumps. The Frees family is being hunted, and eight-year-old Tastie has been left in a panic room.

“Desert Soldiers” is a poem about the unexpected. More excitement than bumps.

“Spots” is about twin leopards being returned to the wild and what happens. Expect a few bumps.

“The Three Somethings or Other” is my take on the three little pigs. Humor, recipes, and a few bumps.

“Hey, Jude” is an adventure story about a helpful ant. More adventure than bumps.

I hope you enjoy this collection. It will be followed soon by Bedtime Stories That May Go Bump in the Night 2.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984552235

Margaret Bloom

I am Margaret (call me Ann) Bloom. I am a wife, mother, aunt, sister grandmother and great grandmother. Nursing has been my career choice for over 30 years and I hold a Criminal Justice Degree. I am retired in beautiful Arizona. I am an avid reader and writer. The other loves in my life are muscle cars, kids, antique shops, traveling and action movies (not necessarily in that order).

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Margaret Bloom.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/07/2018

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Contents

The prize

Epilogue

Mr. Marlo monster hunter

Marvin’s adventures

Extraordinary pillow guy stories

Spots

The three somethings or other

Hey jude

THE PRIZE

S omething needed to be done and soon. The stigma attached to the property kept him from selling and he needed to sell it quickly! His embezzlement of

City funds would send him to prison if the money wasn’t replaced before the board of directors held its next meeting in three months.

The property in question was a derelict, ramshackle mansion in serious need of repair. The people of Chesterton Mississippi disliked the style of the old mansion and no one was buying. Phenious Kelly, the 3rd generation owner and Mayor of Chesterton, had redone the kitchen with high end finishes and shining new appliances. After completion of the kitchen and a showing, he still had no takers.

Phenious lived in a small house in town. He had grown up in the mansion but had moved out after high school, attended college out of state and never returned to his childhood home.

Phenious Kelly was a slickster. Full of pretend and promise. He would pretend to be everyone’s friend and promise anything to get and keep the votes which kept him in office. He was in his mid 40’s, handsome, tall and headed toward overweight. He still had great hair and piercing blue eyes, which had helped him get the female vote. Oh yes, he was also single and a thief.

His greed for the finer things in life, dubious speculations in stocks and unchecked spending had created a wealth of debt. He was now funneling City funds into that debt crater.

The mansion and the land was valued at about 10 million dollars. He needed to sell it to replace the City funds and have some spending money in his pockets. To do that, he had to create interest in the property. He decided to host a contest with a cash prize. You had to spend money to make money.

Phenious took out ads in the local newspapers and ads in four neighboring towns. He had housekeepers come in and clean the entire house and put fresh new linens and new bed spreads on all the beds. He held a lottery and conducted tours. The contest was for three lottery winners children, ages 16 to 19, to spend three nights in the mansion for a cash prize of 10 thousand dollars each. The lottery tickets were $10 each and had sold out. The Lottery drawing was set for the upcoming Sunday, after church in the Town Center.

The lottery drawing was set up in front of the fountain at the Town Center park. The park was packed with hopeful lottery winners and their families.

The weather was great! Picnics were being set up. Blankets, camping chairs, the sounds of children and conversation filled the park.

Speakers and a microphone stand were at the ready. The Mayor’s arrival was announced by the screeching tires of his limo and the slamming doors of the town cars in his security motorcade.

Chairs and blankets were vacated and the smiling crowds surrounded the fountain. The Mayor, with his security, hand shook his way to the drawing table.

Phenious eyed the crowd and picked out a pretty, long legged woman in tight jeans and a riot of hair and beckoned her to the table. She sauntered up to the table and he motioned for her to stand next to him in front of the box containing the lottery ticket stubs. He picked up the mic and asked her name. She replied Bobbie. and Phenious asked if she would mind drawing the winners and an alternate. She smiled her acceptance and without further ado, reached into the box and handed Phenious the first stub.

He looked into the sea of expectant smiles and read off the first numbers. There was a squeal and a woman made her way to the drawing table with her son in tow, waving her ticket. Phenious checked the numbers and announced that We have our first contestant!. He then motioned for Bobbie to draw the next stub, which she did. The next contestant, husband, wife and son, made their way to the table. Tickets were checked and the third stub was drawn as well as the alternate. The drawing was now complete.

The Mayor thanked everyone for coming and asked if any of the picnickers had an extra sandwich for him. There was laughter and lots of volunteering. Phenious made his circuit through the park and made Bobbies blanket his last stop to ask her for a date. She happily agreed and they made plans. Phenious left in his limo followed by the town cars which carried the contestants, the families and alternate, all headed for the Mayor’s office in the Town Hall.

After they were all seated in the boardroom, Phenious joined them to explain the process and the rules. Once in the house, the children were not to come outside until the contest was completed. The parents could not join them, nor could any of their friends or siblings and no deliveries of foods were allowed. Any deviation of or from these rules would eliminate the contestant. The parents were allowed to tour the house on the day of the contest and the children were instructed to arrive one hour before dusk dark. If