What was that

Childhood is a time of wonder and excitement, learning, play, and exploration. However, for many, the light of the day brings joy and happiness. The dark of the night brings mystery and even terror. Below are two stories that touch on two childhood fears to drag them out of the deep dark places of our minds. Tonight I bring for your reading terror. Our first tale is titled What was that? The second story of terror is titled Inside my closet. Remember, it is never too late to read with the lights on.

What was that?

What was that? My heart is pounding, and the back of my neck screams danger. I just heard a sound, and I do not know if it was in the dream I was just in or if it was something in my room. I dare not turn on the lights if it truly is something I do not want, whatever it is, to know where I am and that I am aware of its existence. However, if nothing is there and I turn on the lights, I will never get back to sleep. I'm not too fond of this. My imagination always runs to the nightmare side every time I eat before bed, but that pizza was good.

What was that? The sound again, this time closer. Maybe if I curl up into a ball and pull my covers closer, I will be safe. A chill just ran down my spine. I could not move even if I wanted to right now. The edge of my bed just sank like someone sat down. I feel a chill breeze against the back of my neck. My heart is pounding, fit to burst. I want to scream and turn over, but terror has taken hold. I cannot move; I cannot shout.

What was that? Sitting straight up like a post, I wake from the nightmare. Jumping from the bed, I rush for my light. The flood of light illuminates my room and hurts my eyes. My heart is pounding. I can still feel the terror the dream had left. I'm looking around, twisting my head from side to side, staring at every corner of my room, the desk where I work, the empty pizza box from earlier tonight, my bed, the covers tossed aside, and pillows on the floor. A sigh of relief for the terrors are gone. My heart is calm as I pick up the pizza box and head for the trash. I give the box a shake a note flutters out. My heart skips a beat. I don't remember any messages with my pizza, but I grab the piece of paper. Turning it over to read what it said, my body was frozen as I read what it said. What was that?

In my closet

A monster lives in my closet. He stays hidden and sleeps during the day because he cannot survive if hit by sunlight. At night he wakes and leaves his home deep inside the walls of my closet. I leave my socks just outside the closet door to feed his hunger for a little while. The worse they smell, the better. My parents do not believe me when they ask why I never have socks when it is time to go shopping. The monster drags them into the closet and eats them in his stew. Once he is done with my socks, he comes out of my closet again, only to find that I have laid out a ring of Lego bricks. Sometimes I hear the cries, and he steps on them and retreats into the darkness. My defenses work most of the night. However, they only keep him at bay for so long. My last line of defense is the teddy bear. He watches over me as I sleep every night, patrolling my bed late at night doing battle with the monster early in the morning, just before dawn. My teddy bear wins. That is why I am safe each day. However, I fear for the day that the monster wins or my teddy bear is not there to save me.