A ndy was at a friendâs house for a sleepover, so the toys had the whole night to themselves. âWhat do you feel like doing?â Woody the cowboy asked the other toys.
âHow about a spelling bee?â suggested Mr. Spell.
âNah, you always win,â Hamm the piggy bank replied.
âWhat about a game of hide-and-seek?â asked Slinky Dog.
âIâd rather not,â Rex the dinosaur said nervously. He didnât like small, dark places.
Suddenly, rain began pelting the windows. A streak of lightning lit up the sky.
Rex shuddered. âOh, no!â he cried.
âReminds me of the newest Buzz Lightyear video game,â the space ranger said. âIt starts with a storm forcing me to crash-land on a hostile planet. You donât even want to know what happens next.â
âYes, we do,â said Bo Peep. âTelling scary stories is the perfect thing to do on a stormy night.â
âOkay, then,â said Woody, âscary stories it is. Gather around, everybody.â
âThere I am, trapped on a planet filled with six-headed aliens,â continued Buzz. âThe creatures close in on me. They are ready to blast me with their laser guns. But at the last minute, I activate my jet pack and blast straight up into the sky. Instead of hitting me, the rays from the aliensâ guns bounce back off the rocks and stun my attackers while I make a clean getaway.â
âOhhhh!â said the Little Green Aliens.
âSorry, fellas,â said Buzz. âBesides, the aliens in the video game are evil, not nice guys like you three.â
âMay I go next?â asked Rex.
Rexâs story was about the most ferocious dinosaur on Earth. âHe had enormous pointy teeth and a fierce roar,â Rex said. Then he roared himself. No one jumped or screamed.
âDid I scare you?â Rex asked his friends.
âSure,â Woody replied. He winked at the other toys. All the toys knew Rex was the least ferocious dinosaur around. But they didnât want to hurt his feelings.
Rex told the other toys about the creatureâs bad breath, big eyes, and supersharp claws. âHis jaws were like a steel trap!â Rex exclaimed. âHe could crush dinosaurs twice his size!â Then Rex shivered with fright.
Woody volunteered to tell the next scary story.
âDid I ever tell you guys about the time Andy and I went to a haunted house?â he asked.
The toys all shook their heads. âWell, there we were, walking by a house that was all decorated. Suddenly, these ghosts rose up out of the lawn! Andy ran for the front porch and rang the bell. But a vampire answered the door and he was holding a black cat that had bright yellow eyes.â
âW-w-w-what happened next?â Rex asked.
âThen a monster chased us back down to the sidewalk,â Woody answered.
He noticed that the other toys looked afraid. Bo had clutched Woodyâs arm and Hamm was shaking so much that his coins were clinking.
âDonât worry, guys. Andyâs brave. And Iâm here to tell the tale!â Woody said. âIt was all fake!â
âI knew that,â said Rex. But Woody could see that his arms were still trembling.
âThe people who owned the house set everything up to scare the trick-or-treaters,â Woody said. He rubbed his chin. âMaybe that one was a little too scary.â
âAll right, gang,â Woody continued, âI think weâve had enough stories for tonight. Letâs get some sleep. Andy will be home bright and early tomorrow morning.â
Woody had just fallen asleep when he felt a nudge. He moved over a little, but then he felt another small shove.
âWoody! Woody!â Rex whispered.
âHuh?â Woody said groggily. âWhat is it?â
âI heard something,â said Rex. âItâs coming from under Andyâs bed.â
âYou must have been dreaming,â Woody
Learning to Kill: Stories