At first glance, the strange shadow creature huddled under the bed looked similar to a fox, except that its ears were too big, its tail was too fluffy, its claws and teeth were way too long and sharp, and foxes don’t normally have neon blue eyes. Ezekiel tossed a stuffed animal at it and, after some sickening tearing sounds, watched the fluff spew out from under the bed along with the stuffed animal’s decapitated head. Ezekiel backed away just as a clawed hand swiped out where he was just standing. Myrtle and Ace, his two 8-year-old children, waited in the doorway, “I-told-you-so” smirks on their faces.
“Well,” Ezekiel said, coming to stand by them, “It’s, uhh, it’s a monster alright.”
“Can you get rid of it?” Ace asked hopefully.
Ezekiel watched the clawed hand snake out again and grab the stuffed animal’s head, dragging it back under the bed. More fluff erupted into the room. “How would you normally get rid of one?”
They shrugged. “That’s the parents’ job, dad.”
The monster snagged one of Myrtle’s shirts and stole it away. Further ripping noises ensued and scraps were tossed out. “Hey, Ace, go to the laundry room and bring me the bottle of bleach, will you?”
Ace hesitated, and then raced off to do as he was told. Myrtle looked to her father with wide, watery eyes, “You’re going to poison it?”
“I have to,” Ezekiel replied.
“Poor thing,” Myrtle said as Ace came back with the bleach.
Ezekiel took the bottle from his son’s hands and listened to the violent snarling and growling coming from the creature. “Yeah, poor thing,” He muttered sarcastically.
Ezekiel knelt down and rolled the bottle towards the monster’s outstretched hand. The creature immediately grabbed it and pulled it to the darkness, ripping its claws at the bottle's side. There was a strange gurgling noise and the sound of water being poured out of a jug. After a few moments, the monster sprang out, screeching and falling to the ground. It was drenched in bleach and it clawed at itself, trying to get the liquid off. The monster convulsed in the middle of the room, thrashing and screaming so high pitched that it made Ezekiel's ears hurt. Myrtle and Ace shrieked as the monster leapt at them, fell, and had a seizure at their feet. Soon, the thrashing stopped and the monster exploded in a cloud of thick smoke. The children opened the window, coughing, and waited a few minutes for the room to clear. Once the smoke was gone, there was no sign of the creature ever being there, save for the shredded items. After a few tense minutes, they relaxed.
"Alright," Ezekiel said as calmly as he could, "Back to bed. You have school tomorrow."