Who is in my house?

Scratch-scratch…is the sound from within Rudolph’s cupboard. It is pitch dark and he starts to tremble quietly while lying in his bed. He sees all kinds of things in his imagination. Maybe it is a big bad bear that climbed through his window.

He quickly jumps out of his bed to see if the windows are closed. Wow! Luckily, they are closed and he can relax again.

Scratch, scratch… he hears the same noise again. His dad always says he must be very strong when he is afraid, and he must not cry for no reason. But he feels the tears in his throat. He now feels like crying.

He decides to pull the blankets over his head. Maybe then he won’t hear the sound anymore. For a while all is well. He doesn’t hear anything and nearly falls asleep.

Scratch, scratch… there is the sound again. Rudolph decides to call his dad. “Dad, Dad, I am terribly afraid! Come and help me!”

“Oh please, Rudolph, go back to sleep. We all know there is nothing strange in the house!”

Rudolph starts crying softly in his pillow. What must he do? Nobody believes him. He decides to investigate on his own. He is going to switch on the light and see what the problem is.

He takes the flashlight which is on his bedside and walks step by step to the cupboard. He pulls the cupboard open and flashes the light around. His legs are lame with fear, but he grits his teeth and prepares himself to see this huge monster.

He starts to laugh softly! In the corner of the cupboard is a big beetle! He is trying to get out of the cupboard. His feet make the scratching sound as he is struggling to climb out of the cupboard.

“Oh no! How can I be so dumb? This is why Daddy always says one must not be afraid of anything and must investigate first before upsetting other people. He lets the beetle climb onto his hand and walks with it to the window. He widely opens the window and lets the beetle free. The beetle flies into the night air and Rudolph gets underneath his blankets to sleep.