The Closet Door

Writing Challenge: Oct 14, 2017

Prompt: Write about a scary, or not-so-scary monster in a closet or under a bed

“Don’t leave the closet door open” she warned.

I had just moved back in with my Grandparents when my roommate left me in the lyrch to pay for a 2-bedroom apartment on a “just above-minimum wage” paycheck. I shrugged it off and didn’t think much of it. My grandmother was a particular woman who had all-sorts of oddly specific rules. A request to keep the closet door of my out-of-the-way, basement bedroom was hardly something to be concerned about.

“Alright. No problem.” I agreed, knowing it better to play along than to ask questions as to why. Usually, she didn’t have an answer anyway.

The first few months I complied to the request easily. It didn’t bother me to have the door open or closed, so the minimal effort it took to make sure the white door latched after getting dressed in the morning wasn’t an issue, but as schedule grew more hectic, my carelessness began to mount.

“You left the closet door open yesterday.” Grandma confronted me one morning as I practically ran to my car.

“Sorry. Won’t happen again.” I chirped back with my backpack hanging off one shoulder and a piece of fruit in my hand to eat on the freeway as I drove to class. “Running late. Love you. Bye!” I said closing the front door behind me.

I started laying out all my clothing, school books, and work-supplies at night. This could save me 5-minutes in my all-too-rushed mornings. Coming home so late, and leaving so early in the day meant that every second was a valuable slot of time. No matter how tired I was, I tried to make sure to latch the closet door before I fell asleep- accept one night -I didn’t.

As I drifted off I heard a creaking sound. This was not unusual at night when houses settle. My body and mind were too heavy to care- I snuggled deeper into my blankets. I heard the soft swish of the a piece of wood rubbing against carpet. My tired mind perked for a moment. I heard the muffled thump of a foot stepping on carpet. My grandparents were upstairs where all the floors were tile. I heard breathing coming from across the room. No one was here before I went to bed. My eyes snapped open.