CHAPTER 24

Teo

Teo was not allowed to watch R-rated movies. He wasn’t even allowed to watch PG-13 ones. His parents had very strict rules about what he could and couldn’t watch on TV and at the movies.

“I don’t see what the big deal is!” he argued with his mom and dad. “So there’s a little bit of violence. Or maybe a few bad words. Or maybe some naked people. Who cares?! Eventually, I’ll see and hear all that stuff anyway, right?”

His mom and dad shook their heads. “The answer is NO!”

So when Teo became king, he knew exactly what law to make. He walked to the royal podium and tapped on the microphone. “Is this thing on?”

All the reporters nodded. “I am changing the law. No more age restrictions on movies! Kids can see whatever movie they want—and parents can’t stop them!”

“King Teo, sir,” said one of the reporters, “I don’t think that’s an actual law.”

“Try to tell my parents that,” Teo said.

“No, really, it’s not a law,” said another reporter.

“Exactly,” Teo noted. “Not anymore.”

When Teo got home, his parents both said, “You’re still not allowed to watch R-rated movies.”

“I’m the king!” he shouted. Then he rode his bike to the movie theater with all his allowance money. He watched every single R-rated movie they had showing.

He saw an adult spy movie with lots of blood and guts. (It made Teo barf in his popcorn.) He saw an adult romantic comedy. (He didn’t get any of the jokes.) And he saw a foreign film. (He didn’t understand a single word.)

Then he watched all the horror movies. One was about an alien that ate people. The next was about a monster that ate people. And then he watched one about a crazy clown… who ate people.

As Teo left the theater, he realized he had to ride his bike home alone. Everything seemed darker than usual, and all the shadows looked like aliens and monsters and crazy clowns. So he called his parents and asked if they would come pick him up.

“Are you okay?” his mom asked.

Teo wasn’t sure. That night, he couldn’t sleep. His head was filled with too many scary thoughts. Every time he heard the wind blow, or the house creak, or a mouse walk across the floorboards, he sat up and tried not to scream.

The next morning at breakfast, his sister asked, “How’d you sleep?”

“Sleep?!” Teo asked, shaking and looking around the room for aliens or monsters or crazy clowns. “After what I saw, I’ll never sleep again.”