

Lily did not like broccoli. She thought it was green and yucky. She only wanted to eat cake and candy. When her mom gave her a plate of broccoli for dinner, she made a face and pushed it away.
"No, no, no!" she said. "I don't want broccoli. I want cake!"
Her mom was sad and angry. She said, "Lily, you are being selfish. Broccoli is good for you. It makes you strong and healthy. Cake and candy are bad for you. They make you sick and fat. You have to eat your broccoli, or you will get no dessert."
Lily did not listen. She threw a tantrum and kicked her chair. She said, "I don't care. I hate broccoli. I hate you. I want cake!"
Her mom took away her plate and said, "Fine. If you don't eat your broccoli, you will go to bed without cake or anything else. Maybe then you will learn to be grateful and polite."
Lily cried and ran to her room. She slammed the door and lay on her bed. She felt hungry and sorry. She wished she had eaten her broccoli. She wished she had been nice to her mom.
She heard a noise outside her window. She looked and saw a big, scary monster. It had sharp teeth and claws and red eyes. It growled and said, "I smell a selfish child. I'm going to eat you up!"
Lily was terrified. She trembled and screamed. She wished her mom was there to protect her. She said, "Mom, mom, help me! There's a monster!"
Her mom heard her and ran to her room. She opened the door and saw the monster. She said, "Don't worry, Lily. I'm here. Go away, monster. Leave my daughter alone."
The monster laughed and said, "No, no, no. I want to eat her. She is selfish and rude. She doesn't deserve cake or broccoli. She deserves me."
Her mom said, "No, you are wrong. She is not selfish and rude. She is sweet and kind. She made a mistake, but she is sorry. She loves cake and broccoli. She loves me. And I love her. You can't have her."
The monster was confused and curious. He said, "Really? She loves cake and broccoli? She loves you? And you love her?"
Her mom said, "Yes, yes, yes. She does. And I do. And you know what? We love you too. You are not a monster. You are a friend. You don't have to be scary and mean. You can be nice and happy. You can have cake and broccoli too. If you want."
The monster was surprised and touched. He said, "Really? You love me? You are my friend? I can have cake and broccoli too? If I want?"
Her mom said, "Yes, yes, yes. We do. We are. You can. If you want."
The monster smiled and said, "I want. I want to be your friend. I want to have cake and broccoli. I want to be nice and happy. Thank you."
He hugged her mom and Lily and said, "I'm sorry. I was selfish and rude. I made a mistake, but I'm sorry. I love you. And I love cake and broccoli."
They all hugged and said, "We love you too. And we love cake and broccoli."
They went downstairs and had a nice dinner. They ate their broccoli and their cake. They laughed and talked. They were happy and grateful.
The end.
