It was early evening in the springtime, so it was still light out. Teddy sat in his room, his legs unfolded before him, playing with his toy trucks. A fire engine darted from his right ankle to the inside of his left knee. Its siren rang loud.

In the kitchen, Teddy's mother was peeling carrots and listening to the radio. Earlier that afternoon, the earthquake had claimed the lives of thirty-six people in San Francisco. "What a shame," she said. The sounds of Teddy's sirens and explosions made their way into the kitchen, emerging in the gaps between the news reporter's words. Teddy's mother smiled to herself. She walked down the hall to his room.

"Honey," she said. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Okay, Mommy," said Teddy. "Can we have dessert?"

"We will have to wait for our desert, Sweetie."

One of Teddy's trucks rolled past his reach and collided with the wall. "Pkoooh!" exclaimed Teddy. He looked up at his mother. She was watching him closely. "I love you, Teddy," she said. Teddy giggled.

She finished peeling the carrots as the sun began to set and a voice on the radio listed the names of various politicians and movie stars. Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

When Teddy heard the knock, his heart leapt in fear. He was worried that the monster was there. "Mommy!" he cried. "Mommy, come, hurry!" His mother came running into his room and scooped him up into her arms. She whisked him out of the room and into her own room.

"The monster is here," she said. "Quickly, Teddy, you must hide." She set him down on the yellow rug that covered her floor and left him alone in the room. From the kitchen, Teddy could hear another rapping at the door, louder this time. He ran to his mother's closet. It was a large rectangular walk-in space. He went in, pulled the door shut, and made his way underneath the hanging coats and dresses to the back. He heard another knock very loud. It shook the back wall of the closet. Teddy crouched down in darkness and silence.

In the kitchen, Teddy's mother threw away the peeled carrots. She turned off the radio, went to the door and opened it.

From inside the closet, Teddy heard her speaking very softly through the wall.

"He's hiding in my room," she said.