%20by%20Rachel%20Poli)
I recoiled my hand away the moment I touched… was it fur? I wasn’t entirely sure what it was, but I knew I shouldn’t have been touching it. I backed away slowly holding my hand with my other hand as though it had been burned on a hot stove. I tilted my head back up and the eyes were staring at me again.
The first pair of yellow eyes, the eyes that have been there every night, stared at me normally. The other pair of yellow eyes looked narrower now, almost as though it was glaring at me.
I thought I was closer to the first pair of eyes, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe I touched the monster that looked scarier and meaner?
The growling had stopped.
I looked into the first pair of eyes. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem angry at me for being curious and going right up to it. It didn’t seem as though it was going to do anything.
It just continued to stand in my closet. It continued to stare at me and watch my every move.
“Dad!” I screamed again from the middle of my room. I didn’t take my eyes off of the four eyes staring back at me. I wanted to watch them and see where they went when Dad came into the room. There was no way they were going to try to escape this time.
After just a few minutes, Dad opened my bedroom door groggily. I continued to stare at my closet, but as soon as Dad turned my light on, both pairs of eyes disappeared.
I gasped.
“Maria? What are you doing standing in the middle of the room?” Dad yawned.
I frowned at the clothes hanging in my wide open closet. “There was another thing in my closet… There were four yellow eyes instead of two this time. But now that you turned on the light, they’re gone.”
Dad sighed. “Maria, I told you. There are no such things as monsters. Whatever you see in your closet is just your imagination playing tricks on you because it’s late and you’re tired.”
I turned around and looked at the clock. It was already midnight. I went to bed three hours ago. How was this night going by so quickly and yet so slowly at the same time?
Dad walked over to me and pointed to the inside of my closet. “I don’t know what is in here that looks like a couple of eyes staring at you, but you’re fine.” He closed the closet door all the way allowing it to click shut. “Now, come on. You have school in the morning and I have to go to work. I’m tired, you’re tired, it’s time to go to sleep.”
I released an exasperated sigh as Dad gently pushed me towards my bed. I climbed back in and he tucked me under the covers for the third time that night. I continued to stare at my closet. The door was still closed tight. I wasn’t able to see inside and nothing will be able to see outside.
Dad kissed me on the forehead once more. “Goodnight, Maria.” He said gently.
He walked over to the other side of my room and turned off the light. He smiled and winked at me. I forced a smile back at him as he closed the door again.
I lied back down rolling over onto my side. I closed my eyes lightly willing myself not to look over at my closet. Dad closed the door and he checked inside the closet twice. There was nothing there. It was just my imagination because I was tired.
Yet, I couldn’t help myself. I needed to double check that the closet door was still closed and that the monsters hadn’t come back. Surely, they must have been tired too, right?
I immediately regretted looking over my shoulder. I shot straight up in my bed gaping because not only was the closet door back open, but now there was a pair of deep red eyes staring back at me as well.
Words: 687
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