小丹尼斯害怕床底下有可怕的東西，不敢去睡覺。當然，丹尼斯不怕怪物，因為他自己就是個小怪物。他很害怕他睡覺後，人類會偷偷躲在床底下，再爬出來抓他！雖然媽媽告訴他，人類是故事裡編出來的，世界上根本就沒有人類，但是他一點兒也不信。
經過和媽媽的一番「鬥爭」，丹尼斯終於獲得了睡在床底下的機會。他想：這下安全了，就算有人類來了，肯定也想不到來床底下來抓我啦！
但是，丹尼斯睡在床底下，就真的安全了嗎？
圖/文：Jeanne Willis/Susan Varley
Never go down to the Withering Wood!
The creatures who live there are up to no good:
There are gnomes that are nasty and trolls that are hairy,
And even the pixies and fairies are scary.
千萬別去枯樹林！
邪惡妖魔和鬼怪，
長毛巨人矮子精，
所有妖怪住那裡，
甚至仙女也很壞。
Oh, never go down there, unless you are brave,
For you might wander into the dank gloomy cave
Where a monster named Dennis resides, with another
(And much larger!) monster who's Dennis's mother.
就算進了枯樹林，
千萬別進山洞裡！
洞裡黑暗又陰森，
住著怪物丹尼斯。
For a monster, young Dennis was very polite.
He tried very hard not to bellow and bite.
But one night he bellowed, "I won't go to bed!
I'm frightened! I'm frightened!" the wee monster said.
怪物丹尼斯平時都很有禮貌，
不吼不叫不亂咬。
一到晚上要睡覺，
他就會大鬧：「好怕！好怕！我不要！」
His mother said, "Why? There's no reason to fright.
I'll give you your bear. I won't turn off the light."
"The humans will get me," cried Dennis. "They'll creep
Under my monster bed while I'm asleep."
「怕什麼呀？」媽媽問，
「有泰迪熊陪著你，還有燈的開關在這裡。」
「人類會來抓我的！等我睡著了，就會爬進床底下！」
"Oh, no, dear," his mother replied. "That can't be.
Humans are only in stories, you see.
Because they're not real, they won't trouble your rest.
Get into bed now, dear. Mama knows best."
「噢，不會的！世上哪有人類呢？
那都是故事裡編出來嚇唬小怪物的。」媽媽說，
「來，乖乖上床，親親睡吧！」
But when she bent down to kiss Dennis, he chose
to fasten his fangs round her warty old nose.
He tied up his toes in a knot round her knees.
"Led go of be, Deddis, you're hurtig be, please!"
"Promise the humans won't get me tonight!"
"Yes, dear, of course," said his mother. "Sleep tight."
但是，當媽媽彎下腰去親他的時候，
丹尼斯卻用尖牙狠狠地咬住媽媽的大鼻頭兒，
緊緊纏在她身上。
「縫（放）開我，丹尼斯，你弄凍（痛）我了，擺多（託）！」
「不要！除非你保證沒有人類來抓我！」
「好好！我保證，我保證！」
He took off his pillows and blankets, and said,
"From now on, I plan to sleep under my bed.
If I'm underneath and a human comes near
It won't think to look for me, safe under here."
「把枕頭和毯子給我，我寧願睡在床底下！
要是有人類來，就找不到我了。」
So there Dennis lay, staring up at the springs,
Thinking of birthdays and chocolate and things.
這回，丹尼斯安心地躺在那兒，
望著床底下的彈簧，
想著好吃的生日蛋糕和巧克力。
Now, a bad little boy had played hooky that day
And gone into the woods, where he'd soon lost his way.
這時，一個逃學的小男孩兒迷了路，
走進了黑暗的枯樹林——哦，這個小傻瓜！
Too cross and too tired to walk anymore,
He came to a cave and went in through the door.
他累得實在走不動了，在山洞前停下，然後走了進去。
There was a bed, and he needed some rest -
So he threw down his satchel and quickly undressed.
他看到一張空空的床，真想休息一下。
於是，他甩掉書包，脫下外套。
But somehow he didn't feel sleepy. He said,
"If my mother was here, she'd check under the bed
In case there's a monster (or goblin or elf)."
Since his mother was not there...
小男孩兒躺在床上，害怕得睡不著覺。
他真希望媽媽能給他一個晚安親親，
幫他檢查一下床底下有沒有怪物啊。
可惜她不在這兒......
HE DID IT HIMSELF!
他只好自己來——
From now on, dear reader, you'd better behave.
Don't go to the woods, or to Dennis's cave,
Or you might meet his mother - just think how you'd feel
If she were to tell you that you are not real!
從現在開始，親愛的小讀者，你最好乖乖的。
別獨自闖到森林裡，到丹尼斯的家去，
萬一遇上了丹尼斯的媽媽——想想看，
她會告訴你，你是不存在的！
打賞碼在此：
開媽——Julia，美籍華人，Kyle's Family的女主人，也是一個8歲小男孩的媽媽。Julia初中即移民美國，直至獲工商碩士學位後，回國居住。