Rowley and the sleepover

108.Once upon a time, there was an 11-year-old boy named Rowley Jefferson, who had been labelled by many as unusually dim-witted. One day, Rowley was invited to a sleepover at his friend Darwin's house. Darwin, unlike Rowley, was a fish with a peculiar thirst for water.
Rowley's mother had to drop him off as her angels were still tending to Rowley's father. For, you see, in their fantastical universe, when someone is dead, angels come down to fix them ( unless it’s Jess the cat) . And Rowley's dad had unfortunately suffered a mishap earlier that day - his head had popped in space of all things!
Upon arrival at Darwin's, Rowley was greeted by Darwin's mother, Nicole Watterson. Rowley's mother quickly recited the rules to Nicole, gave Rowley a hasty kiss on the forehead, and left. She looked surprisingly relieved and content that evening, her first night alone since bearing Rowley.
Once inside, Rowley found the Watterson family busy with their typical evening routines. Gumball, Darwin's brother, was entranced by the latest episode of American Dad. Anais, the little sister, was busy solving equations that would baffle even the most accomplished scientists, all with her mouth agape from constant thirst. Darwin, ever attentive and eager, was unfortunately too parched to participate in any of the activities.
When the time for bed arrived, Nicole helped Rowley into his pajamas and led the children to their rooms. However, things started to take a turn for the surreal as darkness fell.
First, Rowley began to cry. He had pooed his nappy and was seeking his comfort dummy. But when Nicole changed him, he started crying all over again, missing his old nappy. Then Gumball decided to liven up the night by telling a 'true' horror tale about a monster who preyed on people named Rowley. Strangely, instead of being afraid, Rowley expressed interest in meeting such a monster.
To comfort everyone, Darwin shared a vision where the world was completely at peace. Oddly, the picturisation of a calm and serene world scared Rowley so much that he screamed out loud. But the scariest part of the night was yet to come. Rowley began to share a story about a giant man who only preyed on kids named Gumball and lived in their very house!
Gumball, and Anais laughed at the absurd narrative. Yet, they were silenced when a humongous arm crashed through the window, grabbed Gumball and vanished. The sounds of crunching bones gave way to a chilling silence.
After that bone-chilling encounter, the creature reformed his ways and took up a job as a training coach at the local school. But Darwin and Anais were never the same again. Despite the horrific events of the night, Rowley was seemingly unaffected. At breakfast, he was cheerfully eating away, while Darwin and Anais sat stunned.
As if to top off the strange events of the night, Rowley's dad arrived - fully restored and good as new after his space mishap. Rowley was picked up and left, leaving behind a house filled with a sense of eerie surrealism.
From then on, their saga of the terrifying sleepover was told and retold, enthralling audiences with its creative monstrosities, captivating heroes and moments of heart-pounding fear. And central to it all was the tale of Rowley and the sleepover, a story that was as bizarre as it was intriguing.