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"Zippits", by Lisa Teiber Wright
Copyright ©
When little boys and little girls
Play everyday in their little worlds
Sunlight shines and Sunlight dances
But when bedtime comes with frightened glances
Toward darkened closets and under beds
Where broken toys are to defend
The forgotten games which left unplayed...
Little boys and little girls must go to sleep...
it’s the end of day.
And with the tip of the sun alerts the eyes in the room
And with the eyes in the room which belong to the gloom...
only known as Zippits...
This is Jake and he is playing with his very best friends at the park. They are flying a kite, petting a cat, and playing baseball. The ice cream man comes and offers them their favorite flavors. Together they are laughing and having a wonderful time. They notice the sun going down...suddenly startled, they remember it’s almost time for dinner, which can only lead to time for bed. They share the same look of nervousness and fear.
Jake’s mom approaches and tells them it’s time to go. They pile into the car and are taken home. Along
the way, as they pass the school and the grocery store, each child dreams of the day they can go to bed quietly and unafraid.
It’s dinnertime at Jake’s house. While thinking about eating peas and smashing his carrots, Jake tries to listen to his dad talk about his day at work and watches while his mother takes some more potatoes. Jake can only think about them.
"Momma, I can’t possibly eat. I’m too busy thinking," Jake exclaims. "Thinking about what Jakob? Eat your food and stop smashing your carrots," replies Jake’s mother. "The eyes in my room!" Jake continues. "I see them and so do all my friends!" "Jake," interrupts his father, "It’s all in your imagination. There is nothing in your room but YOU, now EAT!"
Jake changes his clothes for bed. He brushes his teeth and plays with the dog in the family room. He
visits with his mother in the sewing room while she mends his gym socks. Anything to keep from going
to bed. Knowing this, Jake’s mother tells him it’s finally time. He has to go to bed. Watching from over
his newspaper, Jake’s father smiles as Jake is lead to bed, with the dog following. Jake insists that the dog
sleep with him.
"Why do you want ol' Red to sleep with you?" Jake’s mother asks. "He has his OWN bed to sleep in." During his prayers, Jake asked God to bless Mommy and Daddy and to keep them safe and to keep him safe from the Zippits! "Zippits!" Jake’s mother said. "What are Zippits?!"
Jake climbed into his bed, covered with airplanes and clouds, and very seriously told his mother that
Zippits are the glowing eyes he sees up in his closet, under his bed, from his shelves, and from the floor
everynight when the lights go out.
"I’m not the only one, Momma," He says. "All my friends see Zippits too!"
To make sure there were no Zippits in the room, Jake’s mother turned off the lights, kneeled on the floor to look under the bed. Then she went to the closet and looked through his things. Finally, she looked through the shelves and told Jake there was nothing in his room and that it was ok to go to sleep. Even though she searched high and low, Jake still sat there with covers up to his eyes, waiting.
As his mother left the room, closing the door behind her...there they were...pairs of glowing eyes...from the shelves and from the closet...and from under the bed! They popped up one by one. Jake covered his head with the sheets. When he can’t see them, they can’t see him! Ol’ Red was not bothered by the eyes. He rolled over on his side and groaned.
Another scene like the day before, children playing and sun was shining. This time when the moon came
out and bed time was near, the phone in the kitchen rang. It was Grandma. She wanted to talk to Jake.
"Jake, honey...tell Grandma about the Zippits," she asked. Jake went on to explain to his grandma all
about the Zippits and how they stare at him from the darkness of his room night after night. Then Jake’s
mother took the phone and continued to explain how every night she must check the closet, the shelves,
and under the bed so Jake can go to sleep.
Grandma had an idea. She wanted to talk to Jake again. Jake took the phone and nodded his head up
and down and told her he understood.
The next day wasn’t exactly like the day before. When Jake was getting ready for bed, he asked his
momma for some dolls high on top of his shelf. "But Jake," she said, "You haven’t played with those dolls in a very long time." "I know Momma. I would like to play with them now," he said.
She took them down and Jake played with them for some time. Finally it was late enough and Jake had to
go to sleep. His momma got down and checked the bed, then she checked the closet. Just as she
was about to check the shelves, Jake stopped her. "That’s ok, Momma," he said, "You don’t have to check the shelves. I’m not scared." Very confused, his mother made sure he said his prayers, then kissed her son goodnight and closed
the door. Jake pulled the covers up to his eyes but was still afraid. The Zippits appeared in the closet,
then under the bed...but mysteriously not on the shelves!
They had gone!
The next day when Jake saw his friends, he shared with them the secret his grandma told him. He told them what to do and if they did it, the Zippits would go away. It was almost nighttime and the phone
rang. It was Grandma again. She wanted to talk to Jake. Jake’s mother and father just smiled and watched as Jake listened to her instructions. When it was time for bed, Jake pulled some old games
from under the bed. They were dusty and the playing pieces were broken. He carefully taped them
together with tape from his father’s desk and placed them back in the box where they belonged. Jake
picked up the game and put it in on a stack of other games in the hallway.
That night after brushing his teeth and playing with the dog, Jake went to bed. He told his momma that
she didn’t have to check under the bed anymore and she didn’t have to check the shelves...but she DID
have to check the closet!
That afternoon when Jake saw his friends, they were very excited. They played with their old toys and
the eyes of the Zippit went away...but not all the way! Jake shared with them the next secret. So that
night his friends were sure to try it. Anything to get rid of the Zippits!
When it was late and close to bedtime, the phone rang. It was grandma and she told Jake the final secret.
Later that evening, Jake was busy in his room. He was making so much noise that his momma and
dad went in to see what was happening. They found Jake standing on a chair, pulling old toys and
broken dolls down from his closet and putting them in a big box marked Good Will. His momma
and dad smiled at each other when Jake asked if they could take the box to those children who don’t
have any toys.
The next day, after dropping off the box, Jake saw his friends in the park. They were very happy and
very excited to learn how to get rid of the Zippits. Jake was a hero! All the kids in town showed up
at the Good Will store to drop off their boxes of old toys and broken games.
That evening, Jake’s grandma came to visit. He was so happy, that he couldn’t eat his dinner! He
just talked and talked about how he wasn’t scared of the Zippits anymore. "That is just wonderful!" she told him as she presented him with a gift. "This is for you, child. For your generosity. Play with it and love it just as you played with and loved your other toys." Jake opened the package to find a baseball glove. He thanked his grandma and went to his room, followed by ol’ Red. Singing and carrying on with his new gift.
Later that evening, it was once again time for bed.
Jake did everything he always does. His momma kissed him and closed the door. It was very dark and
very quiet, yet Jake was not afraid. As he drifted off to sleep little did he know a teeny, tiny, pair of eyes
glowed from underneath the baseball glove...waiting...Just waiting...
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