"I won't get taken by goblins," I whispered, but she gave me a sad smile in return.

"Here, have a cookie for listening and get a good night's sleep," Grandma said, rising up from her chair with the cracking of old bones before setting the book down on the seat. "Don't let the goblins bite tonight!"

She reached into her pocket and produced a cookie before handing it to me with a smile. It didn't make up for all the strikes to my noggin, but I took it. I wasn't about to make my grandmother cry because I didn't accept her cookie. She patted down my hair and then ruffled it before turning to walk away. She only paused once, listening to the silence room on the way out.

She blew out the candle at the door, leaving me in almost complete darkness. Only a single crack let in candlelight from the hallway outside my room. I took a few bites of the large cookie she had left behind before I sat it down on the bedside table next to my bed.

I would eat the rest in the morning after a good night's sleep.