"Look, Mommy, my shadow has a monkey tail!" Sophia giggled, pointing at the dark shape on her bedroom wall.
The afternoon sun slanted through the window of their Dallas home, stretching Sophia's shadow into a funny, long shape. Mom, sitting on the floor by Sophia's toy chest, smiled. "Maybe the shadow monkey wants to play hide-and-seek!" she said playfully.
Sophia, all of four years old and already dreaming of being a doctor, gasped. "A hiding monkey? In our home? That's spooky!" she whispered, her eyes wide.
"But maybe he's a friendly spooky monkey," Mom said, her voice soft like a warm blanket. "Maybe he wants to learn about growing up, just like you."
Sophia scrunched up her nose, thinking. "Do monkeys grow up?" she asked.
"Everyone grows up, silly!" Mom chuckled, tickling Sophia's tummy. "Monkeys, girls who want to be doctors, even mommies."
"What was it like when you were little, Mommy?" Sophia asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Well," Mom began, her voice taking on that special storytelling tone, "when I was little, I was shy, just like you sometimes. But I loved stories, just like you!"
Sophia's shadow danced on the wall as she wiggled with excitement. The monkey tail seemed to wiggle too!
"And I had a special hiding place, just like you might have a secret hospital someday," Mom winked.
Sophia gasped. "You had a secret hospital too?"
Mom laughed. "Not a real hospital, silly goose! A pretend one, under the kitchen table."
Suddenly, the room felt colder. Sophia's shadow monkey seemed to grow longer, stretching across the wall.
"Mommy," Sophia whispered, snuggling closer, "I think the shadow monkey likes spooky stories."
Mom hugged her tight. "Maybe he does," she whispered back. "But even spooky monkeys like to feel loved."
Just then, the sun dipped behind the neighbor's house, and Sophia's shadow monkey disappeared. The room felt warm and safe again.
"See?" Mom smiled, "No more spooky monkey. Time for bed, little doctor."
As Sophia snuggled under the covers, she thought about growing up, spooky monkeys, and her mommy's stories. Maybe growing up wasn't so scary after all, especially with a little bit of imagination and a whole lot of love.
And as she drifted off to sleep, she could have sworn she saw a mischievous shadow, with a very familiar-looking tail, waving goodnight from the corner of her room.
