A Chain of Daisies

Closet Monsters

Snow fell gently in the night, the sky clear and cold. Frozen tendrils snuck through window panes and under door cracks, prompting the need for extra blankets, even with the furnace on. Audrey and Seymour lay snuggled close together, blankets pulled up around them. Audrey's head rested on Seymour's chest, and his chilled nose was buried in her hair. Across the hall, Lily lay snuggled under the covers, and the notebook she dozed off drawing in had fallen closed beside her. Everything was quiet . . . Except for in seven-year-old Nate's room.

He sat with the blankets pulled up to his nose, staring at the mysterious shadows in the doorway of the Jack-and-Jill closet he shared with Lily. The door that led to her room was closed, as his should have been. But for some reason or another, it had been left open. In the darkness, outlines of innocent clothing morphed into slinking beasts and monsters waiting to gobble up a small little boy.

Nate had noticed them a few minutes after his parents had shut the door. But just as he was about to get up and tell his parents, he made a very important revelation. That's just what they want me to do, he realized, They want me to get up so they can catch me before I get to the door! With that, he dove back under the covers and decided to wait it out. He knew he couldn't fall asleep; he'd be too vulnerable. So instead, he grabbed a book and a flashlight from the nightstand and attempted to read. However, he was constantly interrupted by a little twinge of fear prompting him to peak above the covers again — just to double-check.

He spent the night like this, trying to distract himself while not falling asleep and resisting the urge to get up. He wished someone would come and find him, and help him get rid of the monsters, but everyone was fast asleep. It was around one in the morning now, and Nate's eyelids felt like they were made of steel. Only, he couldn't go to sleep, not with the monsters in his closet! But he had to do something.

He couldn't yell, that would possibly anger the monsters and wake Lily up. He didn't want the monsters to eat her either. His only choice was to get up, cross the room, go down the hall, and into his parents' room before the monsters could get him. It would be a very risky mission.

Tentatively, Nate pulled the cover back and crawled out of bed. He stood alert, formulating a plan. Glancing around the room, he spotted an umbrella near the door to his bedroom. It would suffice as a weapon if need be. Nate took a deep breath, like an Olympic sprinter before a race. He peeked behind him at the closet again.

Suddenly, the shadows seemed to reach out to him. Four-eyed snakes, giant hairy beasts, and eight-legged monsters creeped out of the closet. Hideous laughter filled the room and blinking eyes surrounded him. Letting out a yelp, Nate fled from the room, grabbing the umbrella on his way out. He raced down the hall, as fast as his little feet would carry him. He prayed he wouldn't trip up — as he was prone to doing. He flung open his parents' bedroom door and ran inside, slamming it shut behind him. At the sound, Audrey jerked up with a yelp. Seymour sat up, groggily fumbling for his glasses.

"Audrey? What's wrong?" Seymour mumbled.

Nate launched himself onto the bed. He wiggled between Audrey and Seymour, pulling the covers up over his head. Audrey put a hand on her chest and took a deep breath, draining the adrenaline that had so suddenly filled her body. Seymour gently pulled the covers back and peered at his son. He lay curled up in a tight ball, his chest rising and falling rapidly and the little umbrella still clutched in his arms. His eyes were squeezed shut and he trembled slightly.

"Nate, baby, what's wrong?" Audrey cooed, concern etched across her face.

Nate whimpered, "They're outside the door!"

"Who?" Seymour asked, glancing at the bedroom door. The hallway seemed still and he couldn't hear anything.

"The monsters!" Nate cried, "They're gonna come get me!"

"Honey, nothin's gonna come get you," Audrey snuggled under the blankets with Nate, wrapping her arms around him.

"Yes, they are!" Nate exclaimed, burying his head in Audrey's chest, "Go look! And here, you'll want to take the umbrella with you . . ."

Seeing there was no other way to calm him down, other than to defeat the monsters, Seymour took the umbrella from Nate and got up. He slowly opened the door and peered into the hallway. It was dark, but through the light, Seymour could see Nate's bedroom door flung open. But other than that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Seymour returned to Audrey and Nate, setting the umbrella down on the floor.

"There's nothin' out there, Nate," Seymour said, climbing back into bed. He wiggled down to where Audrey and Nare lay, curled up together. He rubbed Nate's back gently, helping to calm him down.

"They probably went back to the closet . . ." Nate shivered, cuddling closer to his parents.

"Honey, there's nothin' in the closet," Audrey reassured him.

"But you weren't there!" Nate countered, "They're there, in the closet . . ."

The trio laid there for a few minutes, and soon, Nate began to calm down. He still insisted that there were monsters in his closet, and for that reason, he couldn't go to sleep. Audrey suggested that he sleep with them for the night. He eagerly accepted but claimed that none of them could sleep until they had truly made sure that there was nothing in his closet. So, the group went to Nate's room, Audrey holding Nate and Seymour brandishing the umbrella — per Nate's request. He investigated the room as Nate directed him from his perch in Audrey's arms. They found nothing, and Nate was finally satisfied. Audrey and Seymour still let him sleep with them. They snuggled together, wrapping each other up in blankets. Snuggles, kisses, and giggles were shared, but Nate's eyes soon began to droop. Nestled in the loving arms of his parents, he was safe. No one could ever hurt him here.