Total Drama: There's a Monster in my Closet

Total Drama: There’s a Monster in my Closet

A Short Total Drama Halloween Tale

Written by Sabreleopard (that’s me, of course)

(It was eight o’clock at night at Emma and Kitty’s house. Kitty is watching a horror movie involving scarecrows that come to life as they have shock and horror written on their faces. They’re now watching a scene where a desperate man stumbles near a set of scarecrows and is now trying to bride his pursuers, with one of them contacting him through a walkie-talkie.)

 Man: “Look! I, I’m not even carrying a weapon!”

Pursuer: (Voice through the walkie-talkie) “Start praying, Bert.”

Bert: “Well, you want the money? Well, you can’t have it, because I’ve hid it!” (Turns to a scarecrow) “So let’s make a deal!”

(Suddenly, a roar comes out as a scarecrow-like monster appears from behind the non-moving scarecrow and attacks the shocked and screaming Bert. Kitty still watches in shock and horror, too still to grab another handful of popcorn or touch her cellphone. Just then, Emma appears up behind her sister as she investigates the scene. Emma then snapped Kitty out of the shocked trance.)

Emma: (Gently tapping Kitty’s shoulder) “Kit…”

(Kitty screams and flinches, accidentally spilling her popcorn. But when she turns to see it was just Emma, she then calms down.)

Emma: “Gee, Kit! Relax, it’s me, Emma!”

Kitty: (Chuckles with relief) “Oh Emma, it’s just you! I was afraid it was someone, or something, else. You’ve almost gave me a heart attack!”

Emma: (To Kitty, serious) “Kit, what did I tell you about watching horror movies at night? I don’t want you watching those awful scary movies at night. You’ll have nightmares!”

Kitty: “Ah, come on, Emma! I’m not scared of some silly ol’ scarecrows! Besides, it’s not entirely a scary movie, it’s more of a…uh… a documentary. It tells us the consequences of war criminals stealing money from the military and trespassing into new territory with beings that they don’t understand.”

Emma: (Raising an eyebrow) “A pack of walking scarecrows with the desire for murder?!”

Kitty: “It can happen.”

Emma: (Sighing with disbelief) “Ugh! Come on, Kit. It’s past your bedtime anyway.”

Kitty: “Ah, come on, Emma! I want to finish watching the movie and see how they defeat the scarecrows.”

Emma: “Not in this night, you don’t. Besides, we’ve got a trip to the mall tomorrow.”

Kitty: (Sighs) “Okay.” (Gets up, but looks at the TV for a moment as the announcer speaks.)

Announcer: (Voice in the TV) “And now, back to the Scream Factory Theatre.”

Emma: (Turns the TV off.) “Come on, up to bed.”

Kitty: “Right Sorry.” (Follows Emma upstairs and into her own room.) “Seriously, Emma. I could totally watch that movie without covering my eyes. Besides, I’m older and more mature now. So I can handle a lot of things.”

Emma: “I know, but I still haven’t forgotten that time when you were awake all night after watching that episode of Lost Tapes. Remember that?”

Kitty: “That was five years ago.”

Emma: “And that was why Mom and Dad didn’t want you to watch scary movies or TV shows. Now let’s go to sleep.” (Picks up a cat that was in her sister’s room) “You want Smokey with you?”

Kitty: “Yes, please.” (Emma puts Smokey in Kitty’s bed and Kitty laid her arm over him, stroking him gently as he purred. To Emma) “Thanks, Emma.”

Emma: “No problem.” (Hugs Kitty) “Goodnight, Kit.”

Kitty: “Goodnight, Emma!”

(Emma leaves the room, turns the light off, closes Kitty’s door, leaving her alone in the dark room. Kitty’s expression suddenly turns to fear, though she tries to tough it out.)

Kitty: (Nervous) “Heh, right! I’m a big girl, I can do this! Older and mature, that’s what I am.” (To her cat) “It’s okay, Smokes. We can handle it, no need for that night light. We’re not scared…” (Looks around her room in the darkness as the wind blew and some squeaks are heard. Kitty thought she heard an owl outside. Suddenly, she hears a door opening, only at the slightest, and other noises. Smokey then starts to get antsy and shaky. Starts getting scared) “Uh, Mister Walking Scarecrow? Is that you?” (Only hearing the wind blow and more noises that almost sound like knocking. Tucks Smokey and the bottom half of her face in the covers.) “You better come out or… or I’ll smack and pepper spray you! M…M…Mister Walking Scarecrow?” (Hears a creak and looks to where her closet is. Eyes wide with fright, she stares at her closet, shaking with suspense.)

(The closet door then opened, then closed. Kitty gasps with shock at what she’s seeing. Again, the closet door opened, then closed. Smokey jumps and runs to a safe spot, meowing with fright.)

Kitty: (Scared) “EMMAAAAAAAAAAA!”

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(Meanwhile, Emma reads a book with a smile on her face.)

Emma: (Relaxed) “Ah, can’t wait to enjoy this vacation week, a break away from school, more time with Noah, and Mom and Dad are out for the week.” (Puts the book aside and turns off the light, ready to sleep.) “Yep, a good sleep with a lot of dreaming of me and Noah together, with only the sound of the wind.”

Kitty: (Voice, scared) “HELP! MONSTER!”

Emma: (Startled) “Was that Kit?”

Kitty: “EMMA, HELP!”

Emma; “Yeah, just trying to get attention or playing a prank on me.” (Kitty calls for her name, causing her to turn on the light) “Nope, that doesn’t sound like a joke. She's real serious, isn’t she?” (Gets up and sighs) “I knew I shouldn’t have let Kitty watch that stupid scarecrow movie! Now look where it’s got her. Well, that’ll teach her a lesson for watching scary movies.” (Kitty calls for her name again.) “But she needs me. Well, let’s see what I can do.” (Gets up and heads for Kitty’s room. Opens Kitty’s door as Kitty shouts for her name with terror. Turns on the light.)

Kitty: (Frantic) “Emma! Help! There’s a monster that’s going to eat me!”

Emma: “Kit, no need to worry. There are no monsters here and nothing’s here to eat you.” (Walks over to Kitty, with sympathy in her thoughts) “But see what happens when you watch scary movies late at night?”

Kitty: “But Emma, this wasn’t a nightmare, I really did see something behind my closet door. I swear!”

Emma: “That’s probably the shadows from the trees outside.”

Kitty: “No! It was really something in my closet. Please don’t leave me alone! I could use some company.”

Emma: (Sighs) “Well, we do need sleep for tomorrow, especially me. But family comes first. So if I have to stay up with you all night, so be it! I’ll be with you until you fall asleep, because that's what sisters do.”

Kitty: “Okay, thank you.”

Emma: “Sure thing. Besides, by the time you know it, you’ll be falling asleep in ten minutes.”

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(Morning arrives just to show Kitty falling asleep before jolting up, alert for any danger, before feeling sleepy again. This time, she’s fallen asleep peacefully while Emma lies extremely tired on the bed, very exhausted. The sisters had stayed up all night, just to feel tried and falling asleep in the morning.)

Emma: (Exhausted) “See you in the morning, Kit.” (Her head falls on the blanket as she too falls asleep as Smokey climbs up and snuggles up to Kitty.)

(Emma’s phone suddenly rings and vibrates, alerting her, despite her condition. Emma picks up and sees it’s Noah doing facetime, answering.)

Emma: (Tired) “Hello, Noah?”

Noah: “Hey Emma! Reading for our date of shopping…?”

Emma: (Gives an alert gasp, tries to remain awake) “Hi, Noah!”

 Noah: (Sees Emma’s face and becomes concerned) “Whoa! Babe, are you okay? What happened?”

Emma: “No, Sorry Noah. I don’t look or feel good. I had to stay up all night with Kitty because she seen some monster in her closet or whatever.”

Noah: “Oh gee! I hope you and Kitty are okay. How is Kitty?”

Emma: “Sleeping like a rock. Sorry, Noah. I’m afraid I can’t come to the mall today. I just had no sleep last night, so I need to get some while I can.”

Noah: “I understand, Emma. You do what you gotta do. We can wait if you want.”

Emma: “Thanks, Noah. Don’t worry; it’s only for one night.”

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(A day later, in the morning with a rooster crowing, Emma was on the phone with Noah and was stressed out while, Kitty was peacefully fast asleep.)

Emma: (Stressed) “I can’t live like this, Noah! It’s just isn’t fair! Kit’s awake all night, and then she sleeps all day! It’s this stupid monster in the closet excuse she’s using! It’s not going away!”

Noah: “It’s okay, Emma. We’ll think of something, there has to be something we can do to help Kitty forget about the monster in the closet thing.”

Emma: “You’re right! If I’m gonna get any sleep, I’m going to have to take bold and decisive action!”

Noah: “I’m with you all the way. What plan do you have in mind?”

Emma; “I know this one thing…”

(Hours later and it was turning night again. Emma is next to the door with her bags ready and Noah at her side. Owen and Carrie were there, as Kitty was upstairs, in her room.)

Emma: (To the trio, slightly exhausted) “Noah and I will be spending the night at a motel. I just need to get one goodnight sleep and then we’ll be back, most likely in mid-day. Meanwhile, I need you guys to stay here to keep Kitty company until Noah and I get back, that way she feels safe.”

Owen: (Excited) “Sure thing, Emma! You’ve just called the right party animal! Besides, you and Noah deserve some time together and we understand.”

Noah: “Thanks, Owen. You and Kitty can do lots of stuff together, along with Carrie. It’ll be like a slumber party.”

Owen: (Smiles) “Sweet! I love slumber parties! This will be fun!”

Emma: “Good, glad to hear.” (To Carrie) “Carrie, I’m sorry if I’m having you watching my sister. It’s just that she’s not herself anymore and I’ve tried all I can. I just need to sleep and help with her. I figured she could use some friends.”

Carrie: “Don’t worry, Emma. You’ve just called the right person. After all, I am her best friend, so I figured we could spend time together, till the time she falls asleep. Don’t worry about Devin; he’s on vacation with his family, so I can stay with Kitty for a while. Owen and I’ll take great care of her. You won’t even hear a call from us.”

Emma: “Good, because there’s no number on the fridge. I need my rest as much as it takes, so you guys are on your own.”

Noah: “Shall we?”

Emma: “Yes, let’s! Come on, Noah.”

Carrie: “Don’t worry, we’ll be alright and Kitty will be back to her old self and scared no more.”

Emma: “Hopefully, she will.”

(Carrie and Owen waved and said bye to Emma and Noah as the two exited the door and drove to the motel.)

Carrie: (To Owen) “Alright, time we might Kitty’s night a slumber party!”

Owen: “Yeah! I’ve brought some games, with nachos and cheese. Time to party!”

Carrie: “Yeah, this’ll be the best slumber party Kitty’s ever had.”

Kitty: (Voice, in distress) “HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE COME AND HELP ME! THE MONSTER’S BACK! PLEASE COME QUICK! HELP ME!”

Carrie: “Oh no! Poor Kitty. I’ll go check on her while you guys set up the party.” (Heads for Kitty’s room.) “After I calmed Kitty down, I’ll order some pizzas, okay?”

Owen: “You’ve got it! I’ll pick out what games we should play.”

Carrie: (Opens the door to Kitty’s room and turns on the light as the frantic selfie queen cries for her sister. To Kitty) “Hey, Kitty! Don’t worry, it’s me Carrie. Thought we can have a sleepover together, with you, me, Devin, and Owen. We thought you could use some friends over since we heard you had trouble sleeping. So, what seems to be the problem?”

Kitty: “Carrie? Oh boy, I’m glad to see you! It’s the monster! He’s here!”

Carrie: (sympathetic) “Right, Emma told me about that. Well, no need to be alone. I’m here by your side. So, anywhere this monster could be? Maybe I can teach him a lesson or two.”

Kitty: “The monster’s in my closet!” (Points towards her closet) “Over there!”

Carrie: “In there?” (Kitty fearfully nods.) “You know what? Normally I’d think this is made up just to get attention. But I know you and I don’t think you’re making this up. I could tell by your face that you really mean something’s in there, right?”

Kitty: “NO! I’d never do that! I really mean it, there is something in there! Please don’t leave me alone!”

Carrie: “I will never do that! You’re my best friend and best friends stick together and help one another out.”

Kitty: (Relieved) “Oh thanks, Carrie.”

Carrie: “Yeah. In fact, I’m going to check over there and see if I can find the culprit inside. Nobody scares and messes with my friend and gets away with it!” (Marches over to the closet.)

Kitty: (Urgent) “Wait, what?! No, Carrie don’t! You can’t go in there! He’ll catch you and drag you in! Carrie, please don’t! It’s bad enough that he’s trying to get me; I don’t want him to get you too! Please be careful!”

Carrie: “Don’t worry, I’m ready for him!” (Turns to the closet, confronting whatever might be hiding there.) “Alright, jerk! Come on out here or I’ll come after you!” (Waits for a few minutes as nothing happened.) “You really want it this way. Alright, you’ve brought this on yourself! Time you leave my friend alone!” (Slams open the closet only to be surprised that she couldn’t see anything in the closet.) “Hello, Mr. Monster? Are you in there? Hmm, well Kitty, there’s no monster in this closet for now…”

(Suddenly something growled and grabbed Carrie by surprise, dragging the screaming blonde inside the closet.)

Carrie: “Whoa, hey! AHH! Kitty, HELP ME!”

Kitty: (Scared) “Carrie, no! Carrie! No, no! No!” (Could only watch in horror as her best friend disappear inside the closet while still kicking and struggling.) “CARRIIIIIIIEEEE!”

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(Meanwhile, Owen had already had the snacks and drinks ready.)

Owen: “Alright, the snacks and drinks are ready, games are set, and Carrie will order some pizza. Now we just need a movie.”

Owen: “Oh, can it be this one?” (Points to a movie on TV.)

Announcer: (Voice in the TV) “We now return to the Scream Factory Theatre.”

(The TV then shows a scene where two men were running for their lives out of the woods and towards a building with a fenced wall, as Owen gets himself a bottle of soda, gazing at the screen with intense and excitement.)

Man 1: “Open the gate! Open it!” (Shoots at what seems to be a shaggy rodent with razor sharp teeth. Shoots again before beating at the gate frantically.) “Open the gate! Hurry up! Open the gate!” (The gate was opened, allowing the frantic gunman to run inside before closing.)

Owen: (Snaps out of it) “Wait. What am I doing?! For a second right now, I don’t think the girls would approve of a scary movie for the night. How about something like a Disney movie?” (Takes the remote and changes the channel to a movie, with a scene where a fox and a rabbit were entering a DMV building with lots of animals in line.) “Oh, I’ve seen this one and I love that scene! It’s hilarious! Now that’s more like it! The ladies wouldn’t mind this!”

Kitty: (Voice, urgent) “Owen! Help! I need you quick! Something bad has happened to Carrie!”

Owen: (Concerned) “Something bad? Oh no! If something bad is happening that means both Carrie and Kitty are in trouble. That doesn’t sound too good! The TV can wait!” (Turns off the TV and heads upstairs.) “Hang on, Kitty! Help is coming!” (Busts into Kitty’s room.) “Don’t worry, girls! Help is here!” (Looks around.) “Wait, where’s Carrie?”

Kitty” “It’s the monster! He’s got her!”

Owen: “You saw that happen, Kitty?” (Kitty nods her head.) “Where did she go?”

Kitty: (Slowly points a scared finger at the closet) “In there.”

Owen: (Walks over to the closet.) “Are you sure? It’s a little old closet. I’m sure Carrie’s just playing a little…” (As he opens the closet door, it reveals a big, dark hole with purple lighting, shocking everyone) “Game. Boy, that is one big hole! A very big cavernous, scary hole leading into a netherworld.”

Kitty: “Carrie’s in there, we’ve got to save her!”

(Suddenly, a big roar-like shout came from the hole, scaring the two. There followed what sounds like Carrie’s.)

Carrie: (Voice) “Hello? Kitty? Owen? Help me! Please! Can anyone hear me? Help!”

Owen: (To Kitty) “Wow, you weren’t kidding, were you?” (Kitty shook her head.) “All this time, there was a monster in your closet, with this hole!” (Kitty nodded.) “Well, we can’t just stay and leave Carrie like this. We'll have to go in and down there to save her!”

Kitty: “I’m with you! Carrie’s my friend and was here for me. Time I be there for her.”

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(Minutes later, Owen and Kitty had ventured into the hole and are now looking for Carrie to free and save her. They’ve grabbed a torch to look and follow any tracks that would lead to Carrie.)

Owen: “Gee, this place looks awesome and a little creepy.”

Kitty: “Yeah, kind of creepy down here. This is definitely where the monster lives. Now to see where it took…” (Looks ahead, then gasps with surprise.) “Carrie!”

(As Owen looks to where Kitty was looking at, they follow his gaze and gasp at the sight of Carrie locked up in a large bird cage, hanging above the ground.)

Owen and Kitty: “Carrie!”

Carrie: (Looks up and sees that her friends came for her. Relieved, but whispers with urgency.) “Owen, Kitty! Thank goodness you guys are here! But be careful, you guys! He’ll see you!” (Points in front of her cage).

Kitty: (Whispers back) “Who? Who’s done this to you?!”

Carrie: (Whispers) “The monster!” (Horrified) “Oh, he’s got these long claws and a horrid face, with huge eyes and lots of sharp teeth! He’s also big and mean! You were right!”

Kitty: (Gasps with horror, covering her mouth in fright.) “This is terrible! I can’t believe this is real!”

Carrie: “Me neither and now I know what you’ve been through those past nights! I’m also sorry I was slightly skeptical about your situation. I just didn’t know how real this is!”

Kitty: “That’s okay, it’s not your fault. I knew I was right, but I didn’t want to believe myself. I wanted to think it was all a bad dream! But right now, we gotta help you and get you out of there!”

Carrie: “Yeah, I could use all the help I can get right now. He’s going to cook me for dinner!”

Owen: (Walks towards Carrie, determined) “He won’t! Not when we’re here! We’ll get you out in the jiffy! Where did he go?”

Carrie: (Points to a huge, dark tunnel with blue light and spider webs clustered about.) “That way! We gotta hurry though; he could be back here any minute! I may not know what he’s doing, but I’m sure something absolutely diabolical!”

(The friends suddenly hear what seems to sound like a flush, causing them to cringe with disgust.)

Owen: “Well, that’s something we might know what he’s doing.” (Carrie then gasps. Confused) “What? What is it?” (Hears a humming voice and turns to see the monster coming out from the tunnel. Gasps with shock.)

(The monster in question happens to be indeed large, but hunchbacked. He also did have long, bony arms and legs, each set with long claws. He also had warts over his body and was what seemed to be old cloth, as if it was made centuries ago. He also had big eyes that matched the size ratio of those of a great horned owl and also had small, elf-like ears. His skin was greyish-purple. He was entering the room from the tunnel, with a newspaper in his clawed hand and humming to himself when he discovers the friends.)

Carrie: (Points at the monster) “There! That’s him!”

Monster: (Confronts Owen and Kitty, annoyed and indignant) “Hey! What are you two doing here, you stinking, meddling kids?!” (As he talked, the friends could see that he did have pointed teeth, but they were very small and quite a few. The sight of him was still enough to scare Kitty into cowering behind Owen.)

Owen: (To Kitty and Carrie, surprised) “This is your monster over there?” (The girls both nodded.) “Wow, he looks kind of odd, almost weird. He almost looks like a large, mutant toad.”

Monster: (To Owen, Offended) “Hey! Who are you calling a large, mutant toad?! Do I look like a toad to you?! You better watch it, I’m warning you!”

Owen: (Giggles) “Aww, he looks kind of cute, for a toad that is. Oh gee, I’m shaking, with joy!”

Carrie: “No, Owen! Don’t! Stop, please! You’re just getting him mad!”

Owen: (To Carrie, chuckling) “Nah, of course not! We don’t want to get him mad. Maybe he wants to be our friend.” (Heads over to the monster, pulling out a chocolate bar and points it to the monster, as if to offer it to him. To the monster) “Who’s a good toad. Nice toady. Wanna have a choco…”

Carrie: “No, Owen! No, don’t!”

(As Owen gets too close, the monster suddenly starts to beat him up, taking the screaming Owen by surprise as he roars. Minutes later shows that Owen and Kitty are now in big, hanging bird-cages, joining Carrie as prisoners. Owen had a black eye and some bruises.)

Owen: “Never underestimate a dude with a low center gravity. I think I’ve pushed him a little bit too far.”

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(Meanwhile, Emma and Noah just came back from the motel as something really concerned Emma…)

Emma: “I know, I’m so sorry, Noah, but I called Carrie and then Kitty three times and none of them answered. Kitty always answers her phone. Something’s wrong, I can feel it!”

Noah: “I’m pretty sure they’re having fun and they’re probably playing loud music inside.” (The two enter the house.) “Funny, no music playing. I wonder where everyone is.”

(The two found games stacked up, snacks and drinks set out, and a variety of movies piled up, all out and ready for the party, but never touched.)

Emma: (To Noah, worried) “Noah, if my gut is right, there’s a reason why we came back here. There are four snack bags and three soda bottles out and they haven’t been touched. Those games, they haven’t been opened. As for those DVD’s, none have been taken out and played; the TV’s not even on!”

Noah: “Wow, that is weird. You’re right, Emma. There is something weird going on. I’ll check down here.”

Emma: “Okay, I’ll check Kitty’s room to see if she’s okay.” (Heads upstairs while Noah looks around. Enters Kitty’s room.) “Carrie? Owen? Kitty? Is everyone alright? Where have you all gone?” (Hears a meow and sees Kitty’s cat, Smokey, curled up fearfully against a corner. Walks to the cat.) “Smokey? What are you doing over there and not on Kitty’s bed? Where is Kitty and the others? Where have they gone?” (The cat stares at something behind Emma, humming tensely. Follows Smokey’s stare, turning around to see Kitty’s closet door opened, revealing the a big, dark hole with purple lighting. Screams with shock and fright.) “AAAAAH! Noah, come up, quick! They’re gone! We gotta call my parents! Wait, no, We can’t! They’ll be mad and blame me. They won’t trust us in the house on our own again. We have to call the police!”

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(Meanwhile, back in the monster’s lair, the beast was preparing his stew for dinner while his captives could only hang in their cages, talking among themselves, trying to bring hope to each other.)

Owen: (To Carrie) “Sorry if our attempt to rescue you didn’t go well. Who knew this guy was strong, for his age that is?”

Carrie: “That’s okay. You guys did your best.”

Kitty: (Feeling guilty) “It’s my fault, all my fault! I’m the one to blame and I’m so sorry about getting you all into this! I should’ve faced him on my own.”

Carrie: (To Kitty, comforting her) “No, don’t say that, Kitty. None of this is your fault.” (Glares at the monster, angry.) “It’s actually that monster’s fault for scaring and harassing you. This guy is nothing more than a creep and a bully! I mean who, in their right mind, would go and try to harass a teenage girl who had nothing to do with him?! Who does that?! Only a pervert would do something like that!” (The monster just kept preparing the vegetables, as if trying to ignore his captives.)

Owen: “Yeah, he maybe a meanie, but he still looks like a cute toad…”

Monster: (Shaking irritably, for he couldn’t take it anymore, and then suddenly turns and yells at his captives, having lost his temper, Aggravated) “Shut up! SHUT UP!" (To Owen) "And you, stop calling me cute! I’m not cute!" (Turns back to his pot, frustrated) "Ugh! It’s better enough living under this noise! Now, I gotta be listening to this non-stop yap fest!”

Carrie: (Annoyed) “Well, if you hate us being here so much, then you should never have been bothering Kitty, nor should you have kidnapped me! I mean, who do you think you are, the Bogeyman?!”

Monster: “Well, you could say that. In fact, I get called a lot of names, but Bogeyman is the most common, except they refer to me as Boogie-Man.”

Owen: “Why they call you Boogie-Man?”

Monster: “Uhh…” (Thinks about it, just to have a flashback of his younger self dancing at a night club while the crowd chants ‘Go, Boogie-Man!’ and cheers him on as he busts some moves. Then shrugs) “No reason.”

Owen: “Funny, I wonder why they could give a big, purple toad a famous monster name…”

Monster: (Angrily confronts Owen) “That’s ogre to you! I am an ogre!”

Owen: “Wait, you’re an ogre?” (Excited) “Oh cool! Just like Shr…”

Ogre: (Silences Owen, irate) “NO! Don’t you dare mention his name! I hate that guy; he was a disgrace and an insult to us real ogres! All he did was save and marry a princess, dance, sing, and smile! Sure, he roared and burped, but that’s not enough! Real ogres are better than that! Now I’ll end up like him, having some young whipper-snappers yapping here! Just what I need!”

Kitty: (Trying to muster courage, confronting the ogre.) “You were the one who was stalking me and scaring me, were you? That wasn’t nice! Just what are you even doing down here?! Why are you living under my family’s house, only to come into my room and scare me at night?!”

Ogre: (To Kitty) “I’m living under your house?!” (Smirks and chuckles a bit) “Oh, ho-ho, that’s rich! Here’s the kicker, missy! I’m not living under your house; you’re living on top of MY house!”

Kitty: “What?! But how could that be? When my family had our house built, there was nothing there but a smelly old swamp, with a rotting, overgrown old stump.”

Ogre: (Indignant) “Well that smelly old swamp was my home! ”

The Friends: (Gasping with shock, chorusing) “What?!”

Ogre: “That’s right, you’ve heard me! And that rotting, overgrown old stump was my house, which you and your kin had destroyed, chopped into firewood, and yet tossed away into the dump, like as if it were a pile of garbage! One minute, I was sitting in the sun, fishing for my lunch and doing my crosswords. And then someone was pouring concrete on my head and bulldozing my stump to the ground! Then someone had drained out my swamp, scaring all the fish, frogs, and other critters away!”

Kitty: “So you were here when we’ve moved?! But that was ten years ago. What had you been doing all this time?”

Ogre: (Chucks carrots and potatoes into the pot) “Tunneling, through ten feet of concrete!”

Carrie: (Shocked) “Ten years of doing that?!”

Ogre: (Annoyed) “It took me eight years just to get the permits!” (Irritably throws a pumpkin into the pot.)

Kitty: (Sympathetic) “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. Ogre, sir. We didn’t know you lived here.”

Ogre: “You’re sorry, huh? Aww, that’s nice, because you should be! I couldn’t get much sleep or peace and quiet without you and your folks running and yapping around. Well, time I pay you back for all those years of torment you and your family have inflicted onto me!”

Kitty: “Look, I know. We all know you’re mad, but you don’t have to kill us. If you were displaced from your land, then you have rights. We can negotiate reasonably.”

Ogre: “Oh, you want to negotiate?” (The friends replied with ‘yeah’ and nod their heads with hope in their faces. Shrugs and sighs) “Fine! I’ll negotiate. I’ll negotiate after I eat you lot!” (Laughs diabolically as the friends then gasp and scream with despair. Then turns to Owen.) “Well, except you, fat boy.”

Owen: (Confused) “Huh? Except me? Why’s that? I’m big and fat, lot of meat, right. You know what, take me instead! You wouldn’t want them, they’re too lean! I’d feed you for a month!”

Ogre: (To Owen) “Yeah, very noble of you to sacrifice yourself and all. You are quite tempting, but look at you, you’re too fat to eat! You're a sack full of fat! As for me, I am old! That means, I have to watch my cholesterol, otherwise eating a lot of fatty food would kill me, giving me a heart attack! Instead, I’ll just skin you and make you into the world’s biggest throw rug, use your fat to make my candles, and feed what’s left of you to the buzzards out there!” (Goes back to preparing his stew as he continued laughing diabolically as the friends continuing gasping and screaming with fright.)

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(Meanwhile, Emma and Noah had called the police, who showed up at the house and are now investigating the scene of the crime. The news media also showed up, as they somehow got a hold of the incident. Macarthur and Sanders were there, comforting Emma and Noah as best as they can.)

Macarthur: “You were right to call the authorities, Emma. We take cases like abductions very seriously. But when citizens take the law into their own hands, there’s little what we, the police, could do.”

Sanders: (To Macarthur) “Macarthur, we’ve started the investigation in one of the sisters’ room and it looks like we’ve got something unusual, yet serious.”

Macarthur: (Talks to her walkie-talkie) “Excellent, Sanders! Make the report!”

Sanders: “Uh, I’m over here.”

Macarthur: (Turns to Sanders) “I knew that, I was just testing you. Anyway, what have we got here?”

Sanders: “Well, telling by the discovery we’ve made, it is a monster we’re dealing with.” (Emma and Noah gasp with shock.)

Macarthur: (Interested) “Really, eh? You sure about that?”

Sanders: “Yep, there is a huge hole inside the closet, with spider webs all over the place, dripping sounds, torches on the walls. As some call it, it’s definitely a 3-18.”

Emma: “3-18? What does that mean?”

Macarthur: “A monster in the closet. We get those all the time.”

Sanders: (Hisses in Macarthur’s ear, annoyed) “No, we don’t!”

Noah: “Really? What kind of a monster is it?”

Sanders: “Well, telling from the physical evidence taken in our spy cam, the subject’s a male, long claws, about three hundred pounds, stubby but sharp teeth, a pair of huge, spooky-looking eyes, and lots of warts over his body.” (Emma and Noah gasp with shock. Continues) “Telling by those features and to be specific, we’re dealing with an ogre. But, from what I heard, ogres prefer to live near swamps or dirty wetlands, right?”

Macarthur: “I don’t know about that, but I know what we are going to do about that.” (To Emma) “Now, try to stay calm, Emma. The situation is under control. Your sister and your friends are in the coveted hands of trained law-enforcement professionals!”

Cop: “Everyone, the news is about to start!”

Macarthur: (Excited) “Ah, sweet!” (To Sanders) “Call my mom! Tell her to take this!” (Rushes along with the other cops to the TV to watch the news.)

Sanders: (Follows Macarthur, rolling her eyes. To herself, under her breath) “Well, some of us are.” (Dials the phone as she joins the others to watch the news.)

TV Announcer: “We interrupt this program to bring you a special report.” (The title on the screen flashes as ‘TNN Special Report: Monster in the Closet, Day One.’) “Here is TNN correspondent, Josh.”

Josh: “Good Afternoon! Today, we have a stand-off between the police and a scary monster in the closet, who happens to be an ogre, and it continues at this hour, after which it has started, as negotiators look for ways to communicate with the beast.” (To Macarthur and Sanders) “Police cadets, Sanders and Macarthur, any luck on making contact with the creature?”

Macarthur: “No, I’m afraid we’re pretty much out of ideas at this point.”

Sanders: “But that’s because we’re just getting started after the investigation and are looking for a way to negotiate with him.”

Josh: “Gee, if only it was as easy as picking up a phone and calling the creature itself, but hey, what do we expect from a monster, huh?” (Chuckles) “Still, no one said police work was easy.”

Sanders: “Wait a minute. I think we have an idea! Thanks, Josh!” (To Macarthur) “Come on!” (The two cadets run over to find a phone.)

Josh: (Confused) “Uh, you’re welcome, I guess…”

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(Meanwhile, back in the ogre’s lair, the ogre was still preparing his stew, this time, stirring the water inside the pot, when a phone rang, interrupting his dinner preparation.)

Ogre: (Annoyed) “Ah nuts!” (Picks up the phone and answers it) “Hello? It’s the Ogre in the Closet.” (Listens to response) “Uh, can I call ya back? I’m right in the middle of dinner.” (Listens to another response) “Oh alright! But make it quick, I’m famished!” (Walks towards his prisoners, handing the phone over to Owen) “Here, it’s for you.”

Owen: (Takes the phone) “Thanks!” (Answers the phone) “Hello?”

Noah: “Owen, big guy? Can you hear me? It’s Noah. Are you and the others okay?”

Owen: “Oh yeah, we’re just held captive against our will” (Panics) “And he’s gonna eat us! Well, he’s actually gonna cook the girls in a big pot with lots of rotten veggies, then he’s gonna skin me into a rug, use my fat as candles, and then feed the rest of me to the buzzards! I don’t wanna be a rug! I’ll be eating dust and I don’t like eating dust! It’s disgusting!”

Kitty: “Yeah, but that’s because we did something wrong to him.”

Emma: (Takes the phone as Noah quickly handed it to her. To Kitty, anxious) “Kitty, is that you? Are you and the others alright?”

Josh: “And now we hear from Kitty, one of the sisters.”

Kitty: (To Emma) “Yeah, we’re alright so far. What happened is that our family had our house built on top of this guy’s house. You know, the smelly old swamp and that rotting, overgrown old stump. Well, it turns out that it was his home and not only that, but we also changed his land against his will and drained his swamp, plus destroying a natural ecosystem, all of which was probably the wrong thing to do. But he’s not much of a bad guy as I thought he was. He’s actually pretty reasonable.”

Ogre: (Interrupts the conversation, annoyed) “Alright, enough chit chat! Time to eat!”

Emma: (To the Ogre, suddenly angry) “You! You were the one who was scaring and harassing my sister every night, weren’t you?! We couldn’t get enough sleep because of you! I'm warning you, you better not hurt my sister or our friends or else I’ll be coming for you! You hear me?! You’ll be sorry when I get a hold of you! No one terrorizes my sister, holds her and our friends hostage, and gets away with it!”

Ogre: “Ha! That’s too bad and I’d love to see you try, sister! Seriously, I would, because when I'm done with her, I'm coming for you next!”

Emma: (Enraged) “Why you…!”

Sanders: (Takes the phone away, trying to calm Emma down) “Whoa, hold on! Look, I understand you’re angry and concerned for your sister’s safety, but this monster we’re dealing with won’t cooperate with us if you threaten him.”

Emma: (Sighs and calms down) “You’re right. I’m sorry; I’m just worried about my sister and our friends.”

Sanders: “Don’t worry, we’ll get them out of there safe.” (Emma smiles hopefully.)

Macarthur: (Takes the phone) “Yeah, just leave it up to the professionals. We know how to handle this.”

Sanders: (Groans) “Oh no! She’s gonna do it, is she?”

Macarthur: (To Sanders) “Relax, partner. I’ve got this covered.” (Winks as Sanders rolls her eyes with doubt. To Emma and Noah) “We calm him down and establish a rapport.” (Clears her throat. To the Ogre) “Hey there, Mr. Ogre. Can I ask you a random but sweet question? Did you ever have a brother? Have you ever shared a laugh, played, or even split a pizza with him?”

Ogre: (Suddenly gasps with genuine joy) “Well yeah! Yeah I did My brother always had my back and he was my best friend! We did share some laughs whenever we watched the TV, read comics, cracked jokes, and even scared dumb humans passing by our yard. We even played our favorite games together. Heck, we were even called the Dunkin' Bros! And yeah, I do recalled sharing slices with him whenever we get pizza, with our favorite toppings being pineapple, mushroom, onions, olives, and, best of all, anchovies, with an occasional cheese-covered rat added to it. Best of all, we'd get away with having it for free, with a prank we'd come up with doing the trick! Boy, those really bring back great memories with my dear bro. Sounds like you really understand.”

Macarthur: (Chuckles and winks at Noah, Emma, and Sanders, who again rolled her eyes, while the two lovebirds smiled at each other with hope in their eyes. To the ogre.) “Well, it’s just because I care so darn much…” (Then turns her tone into sudden aggression, causing Noah and Emma to gasp with shock) “Now release those teens, dirtbag, or else we’ll turn you off like a light switch!”

Sanders: (Sighs with disappointment) “And there she goes. That’s what I was afraid she would do.”

Ogre: (Defiant) “If I go, they go with me!”

Macarthur: “You don’t have the guts! I dare you! Go ahead, scaredy-cat! Do it! Do it! Do it!” (The ogre roars with fury as he grabs handfuls of vegetables and plops them into the pot. Hangs up. To Sanders and a cop.) “He’s clearly unstable! We’d better move in!”

Sanders: “Yeah. That’s because, to be fair, you had him reasoning fairly, then you’ve provoked him. You knew we were this close, right? So, why, may I ask, would you do that?”

Macarthur: (Whispers to Sanders) “I thought I would catch him off guard. Monsters usually submit to sudden aggression.” (Sanders palms her face.) “Besides, how often do we get a chance to take on a monster? This is a gold moment for us! Oh, if we do take him down, I get the head!” (The cop hands Macarthur and Sanders each a rifle and the three prepare their rifles, scaring Emma.)

Sanders: (Whispers to Emma and Noah, embarrassed and with remorse) “I’m so sorry about this!”

Josh: “And so it appears we’ve reached a boiling point as cops and ogre inch ever closer to an almost inevitable firestorm.” (Someone from the left side, off screen, whispers to his ear. Nods.) “Yes? Hmm, sounds interesting. Thanks!” (To the whoever is watching the TV) “Ladies and gents, I’ve just been informed that the technical team is about to make its move in the cavern.”

Macarthur: (To her fellow cops and Sanders) “Everyone, ready?” (The cops answered ‘yes,’ even Sanders, though reluctant.) "Count of three! One… Two…”

(Emma and Noah watch in horror as the team prepares to invade the ogre’s cavern. Meanwhile, in the ogre’s lair, Kitty, Carrie, and Owen are also horrified of either the cops making it worse, or they’ll be too late as the ogre is making the final touch to his soup before choosing one of them to be the first course.)

Kitty: “No, no, no!” (To her friends) “Guys, it’s bad enough that our family built our house over this ogre’s home, now the cops are going to make it worse and they will just kill him! We can’t let this happen!”

Carrie: “What about us?! You and I are about to be part of this guy’s special soup and Owen is about to be a new rug for him! If only we can move the house and not have to worry about being this jerk’s dinner!”

Kitty: (Eyes wide, to herself) “Move the house?” (Gasps with delight) "That's it!"

Ogre: (Heads over to the trapped trio, having had his soup prepared.) “Alright, that’s enough chit chat! My soup is done and I’m ready to add the final ingredient: You! So, who shall I cook first?” (Owen cringes in fear while Carrie just glares at him defiantly.)

Kitty: (Smiles) “Well, since it was my family that destroyed your home and built our house on top of yours, I’ll go first. Take me!”

Ogre: “You first?” (Grins with malice) “Good! How kind of you to volunteer.” (Unlocks and opens Kitty’s cage) “Alright, come on out!”

Kitty: “Wait, before you take me out, can I use my cell phone one last time? It’s really important. Don’t worry; you can still cook me while I make my call.”

Ogre: (Sighs, annoyed) “Alright, fine! But make it quick! I’m already starving and I don’t like my food talking while I’m eating it! Now come on, already!”

Kitty: “Sure thing, thank you!”

Owen: (Shocked) “What?! No, Kitty! You mustn’t! Don’t go!”

Carrie: “Kitty, what are you doing?! We won’t let him cook you first! If he wants you, he has to go through us first!”

Kitty: “It’s okay, you guys. I’ve got an idea. We’ll be out soon, trust me. Besides,” (Winks at them, confident) “I’m not afraid of him, not anymore.” (Carrie and Owen looked confused and exchanged their worried glances with each other. To the ogre) “Coming!” (Follows the ogre to his pot as the monster gladly lifts her and puts her right in. As the ogre stirs the soup with Kitty in it, she is quickly dialing the number to make her quick call.)

Macarthur: (To her team) “Three! Let’s go! Time we get that slime-ball and have his head on our wall!” (Whispers to Sanders) “And what I mean is that I'll have his head on my wall.” (Snickers as Sanders just gives her a disapproving look while the rest of the team prepare to march into the ogre’s lair.)

Emma: (To Noah) “I know what I said to that monster, but now I feel horrible about this. Noah, we’ve gotta stop them!”

(Suddenly, the radio, connected to the news media, suddenly stops everyone on their tracks.)

???: “Wait a minute! Hold everything, just for one second!” (It was Kitty’s voice, as she is using her cell phone to contact the news media.)

Sanders: (Halts the team) “Hold it, everyone! Hold your fire!”

Macarthur: (Baffled) “What the-?!”

Kitty: “I’ve got an idea!”

Josh: “Out of the chaos, comes the lone, sweet voice of a selfie queen. What idea could this sweet, but naïve chick provide that could possibly change the terrible destiny that now unfolds before us?”

Kitty: (To Josh, Annoyed) “You want to hear my idea or not?!”

Josh: (To Kitty) “Okay, okay! You have a point. What’s your plan?”

Kitty: (Smiles) “Just move the house and restore the swamp.”

Josh: “Move the house and restore the swamp? Well, restoring the swamp is understandably one thing, but moving a house? In other words, ridiculous and almost entirely impossible! But let’s throw it to our experts, Ellody and Mary.” (The camera now has the two geniuses on the spot as Josh asks them.) “Ladies, is it all possible? Could they just move the house and restore the swamp?”

(Mary has a replica of the house and two crane truck replicas. She ties two strings to the house, one side each, connects the strings together, and hooks them to the hook of the crane trucks, while moving the trucks from one side to the other, and lands the house on the alternate spot.)

Ellody: (Places a bowl on where the house used to be, pours water in, adds dirt, and then places plants around it. To Josh) “Sure! That can happen.” (Mary nods in agreement.)

Josh: “Interesting. But even if it is possible, will this blood-thirsty, half-crazed, basement-dwelling brute possibly consider such an outlandish solution?”

Ogre: (Had stopped preparing the soup and has been paying attention to the idea. He is now thinking it over.) “Hmmm…” (Smiles and agrees) “Yeah, okay!”

Kitty: (Smiles and cheers) “Yeah!” (Carrie and Owen, having heard the whole thing, also cheer.)

Sanders: (Smiles) “Gets us home by six, works for me!”

Macarthur: “Okay.” (Sighs with slight disappointment) “There goes my monster trophy.”

Emma: (Gasps with joy. Hugs Noah) “Isn’t that wonderful, Noah!”

Noah: “Yeah, looks like everything’s gonna be okay after all.”

Josh: (Sighs) “And so, this dramatic stalemate sadly concludes without any of the gunplay or monster-slaying we’ve come to expect and, in fact, pathetically need.” (Smiles) “But stay tuned for this movie of the week, based on this incident, with a much more exciting ending, and ratings. Good night, everyone!”

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(A day later, Kitty and her two friends were already back in the house with Emma and Noah, as the ogre was very happy with Kitty’s idea that he decided to let her and her friends go. Right now, the five had everything strapped and taped in place so nothing would fall or break as the house was being moved from the spot where the ogre lived and to another spot, this time unoccupied. Kitty was enjoying the ride, though Emma and Carrie held on and were nervous. But then, the moving stopped.)

Carrie: “Well, I think that did it!” (To the Sisters) “Well, welcome to your new area.”

Emma: (Sighs with relief) “Phew! Good! And thanks, Carrie.” (To Kitty) “You sure had one quite of an adventure, Kit!”

Kitty: “Yep, I sure did!”

Emma: “Kitty, I’m sorry for not believing you.”

Kitty: “That’s okay, Emma. I’m sorry I’ve kept you up at night.”

Emma: “It’s alright. Family comes first after all. But I wonder how will we explain our house being moved here to our parents?” (Nervous) “Did they even watch the news?”

Kitty: “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll figure a way to explain it to them and if they did, I’m sure they’ll understand. But I sure hope that ogre gets his swamp shaped back to the way it used to be.”

Noah: (To the construction workers) “Thanks a lot, fellas!” (To the girls and Owen as he and Owen enter the house) “Well, house moved, crisis averted, and everyone’s happy.”

Owen: “Yep, and everyone’s alive and in one piece! Hey, everyone, I think we’ve learned a valuable lesson from all of this.”

Noah: “What’s that, Owen?”

Owen: “Gather around, everybody.” (Everyone gathers) “I’ve learned that if someone panics and tells you something, no matter how far-fetched or wildly improbable it may seem, you should believe that person because he or she is always telling the truth.”

Emma: “Owen, that’s” (Annoyed) “ridiculous! That’s a very stupid lesson!”

Noah: “Yeah, Owen. I have to agree. No offense, but haven’t you read or heard of the boy who cried wolf or Chicken Little?”

Kitty: “Yeah, I even thought that I was going crazy for saying that a monster was in my closet.”

Owen: “I was just saying, I mean there was a monster in Kitty’s closet, well it was really an ogre…”

???: (Frantic and terrified) “RUN!” (Everyone was taken by surprise by the shout and saw it was Shawn as he appeared by the window, with fear in his eyes.)

Owen: (To Shawn) “Hey dude, what’s going on?”

Shawn: (Hysterically frightened) “Zombie scarecrows! They’re coming to take over! They’re really heading this way! It’s an invasion! Run, everyone, RUN!” (Runs off, continuing screaming with horror about zombie scarecrows.)

Owen: (Shrugs) “Okay, so I guess I was wrong.”

Kitty: “That’s okay. I think the really important lesson is that whenever you’re looking for a good spot to build your home, make sure it’s not on top of someone else’s.”

(Everyone smiles, with some good laughs, and agrees with Kitty, though they were unaware that there really is an army of zombie scarecrows heading towards where the house is.)

The End?