“Slumber party at my house!" That’s what Mia, one of my 4 best friends, said to us. Mia was throwing a slumber party for all of us. We’ll be sleeping in her cabin by the lake. I know it’ll be like camping indoors.

When the night of the slumber party came, we all went into the living room. Then we put on our pajamas, spread out our sleeping bags, and got our stuffed animals. Mia had her yellow bunny Honey, Andrea has her lamb Lulu, Abigail had her blue puppy Boris, Sally had her pink kitty Miss Meow-Meow, and I had my brown teddy bear Fuzzy-Wuzzy. We were ready to have fun!

We ate pizza and popcorn as we watched our favorite movie; we listened to music from our favorite bands and singers; we played Mario Party on the Wii; and then we did the part that I really don’t like: spooky stories. I didn’t want to tell them that I’m afraid of spooky stories. The girls might laugh at me and Sally would tease me with Miss Meow-Meow and call me a scardey-cat. But I wonder why none of them ate the pink popcorn we had. Maybe they knew the flavor unlike me.

As we began spooky stories, Mia turned off the lights and held her flashlight under her chin.  It certainly will make the story scarier. Oh, joy. Mia told us the story of… The Pink Nightmare. The story was scary and long, so I don't remember everything, but I remember some of the parts of the story The Pink Nightmare was a sleepyhead monster who wore pink pajamas, an eye mask on her forehead, and carried a pink pillow in her left arms. The Pink Nightmare invades houses with unsuspecting kids. The lights turn off and she grabbed their stuffed animals and takes them away. Then, she devours the children. I held Fuzzy-Wuzzy close to me. The story was really scary. A monster that steals stuffed animals from kids and then devours the kids? I’m too young and scrawny to be a meal.

After Mia finished the story, Mia’s mom came in and told us that it was time to go to sleep. We got into our sleeping bags and cuddled with our stuffed animals as Mia’s mom turned off the lights and turned on Andrea’s nightlight. She has a fear of the dark, but at least that’s easy for her to admit. She’s 2 years younger than us and we’re in 4th grade. The other girls were sound asleep, but I just lied in my sleeping bag. Will the Pink Nightmare strike us? I hope she’s not hungry. Speaking of which, my stomach hurts; it might be that I’m scared to my stomach or that yucky pink popcorn. Pretty soon, I couldn’t keep my eyes open and closed them.

Suddenly, the nightlight turned off. I opened my eyes and got up. The other girls suddenly woke up too. We heard footsteps and someone laughing. The sounds were coming closer and closer. Pretty soon, the footsteps and laughing began to fade. Mia got up and turned on the lights. “Boris!” screamed Abigail. We all looked at her. Her puppy was gone. I knew it. I just knew it. The Pink Nightmare is real! But Mia thought that her pesky little brother Moe was playing tricks on us, so she left to check on him. Maybe it was him. That pest is always messing with us.

But right after she left, the lights turned off. The footsteps and laughter were heard again. The footsteps sounded hard and rumbling. They must be big feet. Then the laughter and footsteps faded as the lights turned on. “Lulu?! Lulu, where are you!?” panicked Andrea. We noticed that her lamb was gone. This is just what scares me. First the Pink Nightmare picks off our stuffed animals, then, she’ll pick us off one-by-one.

Then Mia came back in. She said that she couldn’t find her family anywhere. Oh no! The Pink Nightmare has gobbled up her entire family! Oh, Moe! If your spirit can hear me, I’m sorry I called you a pest! Now a living room with three 4th grade girls and a 2nd grade girl are the only life forms left in this house. Oh, and a man-eating, toy-stealing, sleepy-head monster is still around here somewhere.

Then the lights turned off again. Does this Pink Nightmare have low patience or is she really excited to eat us? We heard the feet stomping and the laughing. It sounds like one of those crazy female villains from the princess movies. Then the laughter and feet stomping faded as Andrea’s nightlight turned on. Mia tried turning on the big lights, but the lights didn’t turn on! I noticed that I was still holding on to Fuzzy-Wuzzy, but both Honey the yellow bunny and Miss Meow-Meow the pink kitty were gone.

The girls all grabbed their flashlights and searched all over the house for their stuffed animals and Mia’s familiy. I was really afraid now. I can’t tell them that I’m scared. They’ll tease me. Right then, I decided to hide in the closet, so I grabbed my flashlight and hid. I had to feel my way to the closet. My friends were so busy looking, I’m sure they wouldn’t notice that I’m hiding there. It felt like I was in there for hours, but then I realized that I had to use the bathroom, so I walked out of the closet and turned on my flashlight as I crept over to the bathroom. But after I used it and walked out, I couldn't hear my friends or their footsteps anywhere. It was all quiet, not a thing going bump in the night. That Pink Nightmare has devoured my friends too!

Suddenly, I heard the stomping and laughter again. I turned around and saw her right in front of me…. The Pink Nightmare! I wasn’t going to become her supper too, or let her have Fuzzy-Wuzzy. I began to run away from her, but she chased me. I ran as fast as I could, but she was always right behind me. I tried to hide behind the curtain, but she was right there right beside him. Suddenly, I found myself trapped in a corner. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The Pink Nightmare began to approach me as I flinched and held Fuzzy-Wuzzy close to me.

“Samantha,” a voice rang out. The Pink Nightmare knows my name? Wait a second, that’s sounds like…. Mia? “Samantha! Samantha! Samantha!” three voices rang out. They sounded like Abigail, Andrea, and Sally. Suddenly, I opened my eyes. I was in my sleeping bag with Fuzzy-Wuzzy held close to me. My red hair was a big mess. My friends were around me. I looked out the window and saw the morning sun rising into the sky.

“Samantha, are you all right?” asked Mia. I told them that we were haunted by the Pink Nightmare, but they all looked confused, like nothing had happened. Does this mean… it was all a dream? Well, they didn’t laugh at me when I told them the story, so I guess I should tell them the truth.

“Girls,” I began, “I don’t like spooky stories. They scare me.” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” asked Mia. This was really a shock for me. They aren’t teasing me? They aren’t laughing at me? Sally’s not waving Miss Meow-Meow in my face and calling me a scardey-cat? “If you had said something last night, we could’ve told a different story,” said Sally. Why would I say something? Oh, wait, she means if I had said something about being scared of spooky stories. Boy, was I wrong about my friends. I guess I was afraid to tell them that I was afraid. It was way more scary than the story, the Pink Nightmare, or the flavor of the pink popcorn last night.

Wait a second! I was the only one who had that pretty-looking but bad-tasting popcorn last night. Mia said that her pesky brother Moe gave us the popcorn. He said that he added a ‘special’ ingredient. That’ll give anyone nightmares. This slumber party helped me learn my lessons today. Never eat pink popcorn given to you by a pest, it’s okay to say when you’re scared, and there is no such thing as a Pink Nightmare. … Wait a minute. There is no such thing… or is there?

The End