Suzie Q pressed her nose into the thick green bus seat as her class rumbled toward New York City. At seven years old, she was excited and a little nervous about her annual field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her teacher, Mrs. Kapp, said it held the greatest art in the world—and that greatness required rules.
Anne, Suzie’s assigned partner, slumped beside her, her backpack spreading wide like it owned the seat. Anne was bossy. Anne didn’t listen. And Anne wandered wherever she pleased.
“The museum is crowded,” Mrs. Kapp warned. “You will stay with your partner at all times. Anyone who wanders off may get lost.” She paused. “And anyone who gets lost may meet the Museum Monster.”
Suzie laughed softly. Anne rolled her eyes.
When the bus parked, the class lined up beneath towering stone columns. The doors were still closed.
“Everyone hold hands!” Mrs. Kapp called.
Suzie reached for Anne—and grabbed nothing at all.
“Anne is gone!” Suzie cried.
Inside the museum, security pointed them toward Lost and Found. A weary woman stood behind a mountain of umbrellas, scarves, hats, and gloves, all tagged L-O-S-T.
The lights flickered.
The pile moved.
Out of the shadows rose a creature stitched together from forgotten things—umbrella claws scraped the floor, scarves slithered like snakes, and a chest of backpacks rose and fell with a hollow growl. Its eyes glowed pale and watchful.
“Lost is lost,” the Monster rumbled.
Suzie swallowed hard.
“Lost is lost,” the Monster repeated.
“I am the Museum Monster. I keep what wanders.”
“Do you… eat children?” Suzie whispered.
The Monster leaned closer. “No. I keep them. Until they remember how to listen.”
A closet door creaked open.
Anne stepped out, trembling, her forehead stamped L-O-S-T in dark blue letters.
“I’m sorry,” Anne said. “I tried to sneak ahead in line and get inside first.”
Mrs. Kapp pulled her close. “You are now F-O-U-N-D,” she said sharply. “And you will stay that way.”
The Monster’s claws snapped shut. “Lost is lost,” it warned Anne softly.
Anne nodded. She did not roll her eyes.
For the rest of the day, Suzie enjoyed the art—the towering sculptures and glowing paintings. It made her want to take a painting class. All the while, Anne stayed glued to Suzie’s side. She did not wander. She did not argue. She did not let go.
On the bus ride home, Anne whispered, “Worst field trip ever.”
Suzie smiled. Some lessons are learned in museums. Others are learned from monsters.
And no one who meets the Museum Monster ever wants to be lost again.
Copyright 2015 Jennifer Waters
LOGLINE
On a school trip to a famous art museum, a rule-breaking child who wanders off comes face-to-face with the Museum Monster—a terrifying guardian made of lost things who ensures that anyone who gets lost learns to listen before they can be found again.
PITCH
On a bustling school field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, cautious Suzie Q is paired with Anne, a bossy classmate who never follows rules. When Anne wanders off despite clear warnings, she disappears into the museum’s Lost and Found—where a shadowy creature stitched together from forgotten umbrellas, scarves, and backpacks waits in the dark. The Museum Monster doesn’t eat children, but it does keep those who are lost until they remember how to listen. Marked L-O-S-T and thoroughly frightened, Anne is finally returned—changed for good.
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