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Judy forced a smile. “Thanks.”

“No problem, ma’am.” Chipper skipped away.

“I swear, if she calls me ‘ma’am’ one more time…”

Monster chuckled. “Ah, she’s just a kid. Give her a break. She’ll have plenty of time to get bitter and angry.”

Judy found some consolation in that possibility. Not that she was optimistic about it. Some people went their whole lives without getting their hopes crushed.

She hated those people.

A terrible racket rose from the kitchen. It sounded as if the chef had dropped every pot and pan then smashed all the dishes. A busboy came running out of the swinging doors, leaped over the counter, and landed hard on his face. Wiping the blood from his nose, he continued to flee.

“There’s a giant dog in the kitchen!” he screamed. Something howled. It didn’t sound like a dog. “This sausage is really good,” said Monster.

Half the customers had risen from their seats and were moving toward the exit. The other half were uncertain, waiting to see what would happen.

“This place is really great,” said Monster. “Don’t know why I haven’t tried it before.”

More kitchen staff fled in a mad rush, and by now most of the other customers had gotten the idea.

Judy fixed him with a stare. “What?” he replied. “I’m off duty. Let somebody else handle it.”

Someone in the kitchen screamed.

“At least let me finish my eggs,” he said. “They got the yolks just right. I mean, look at these yolks. Do you know how hard it is to find a place that makes yolks like I like them?”

The unidentified creature thumped the wall and roared. Almost like a lion’s roar but with a strange warble at the end.

Monster pushed his plate away. “Okay, okay. I’ll take a look.”

Another person filtered out of the kitchen. “Oh my God! It’s going to eat Chipper!”

“There’s no rush,” said Judy.

Monster was already up and heading toward the door. Judy decided to follow.

The kitchen was in a shambles. Pots, pans, and broken dishes were strewn everywhere. The sink had been crushed and was gushing water. There wasn’t much room, and the giant beast took up most of the space.

Though it had a dog’s head, it wasn’t a dog. It was huge and black, with scaly skin. Its body was that of a walrus, complete with the thick tail, but it had legs, four of them. Each foot ended in a wide paw.

It had Chipper cornered, but its bulky body was wedged between the fryer and the grill. The waitress had climbed atop a refrigerator and was safe for the moment. The beast’s tremendous size kept it from reaching her.

“You should do something about it,” said Judy. “Use one of your magic letters or something.”

“Until I know what it is, anything I try will probably make it worse,” he said. “Do me a favor and get my reference guide from the car.”

While Judy retrieved his guide, Monster watched the creature menace Chipper, edging closer and closer. It lashed out with a large paw, nearly knocking over the refrigerator and sending Chipper toppling into its jaws.

“Hey!” he said. “Hey, you dumb thing!”

The creature turned its head, eyed him, then returned its attention to Chipper.

Against his better judgment, Monster grabbed a nearby fork and flicked it at the beast. The creature failed to notice, and the refrigerator teetered after another swipe. Chipper screamed.

Monster pointed one finger at the creature’s tail end. He narrowed his eyes and forced out a lightning bolt. Just a little one.

“Ouch.” He sucked his finger. “Son of a bitch, I hate that.” The beast turned from Chipper and threw another annoyed glare at Monster. It bared its teeth and uttered a growl.

The beast paused, unsure whom it wanted to eat more. Trapped by its cramped quarters, it went back to Chipper, the easier snack. It managed to tip the refrigerator. The results didn’t please anyone, the beast included. The refrigerator crashed onto its head. Chipper tumbled onto its back.

The first thing in the manual was to remove any civilians from the area of risk. Monster didn’t usually follow the manual, but he didn’t need another casualty on his