Once, there was a girl whose name was Ann. Now, each night when Ann was in her bed, two beasts would come to see her. They had no feet, and no arms; just necks. One beast wore a ring; and he was the worst of them, so Ann said.

Those beasts would snort and gape and drool. At last, one or both of them would munch the bumps in the bed. Ann would shriek and fight with them. Or she would teach one of them to bite his pal. She would catch the one who was the most bad and choke him. He would cough and die, but it was fake. She knew, for he would laugh at his own trick. Then there would be more fights. Or, he might be dead; then his pal would come and sniff him, and eat him all up. Then he would burp in Ann’s face. “Gross!” she would yell, and choke him too. Of course each time, Ann won in the end.

Ann is a big girl now; and she lives far off. But, now and then, she goes to see the beasts; or they go to see her. Then Ann and the beast with no ring each raise a glass and laugh at their old time war.