The Babysitter

Shadows make noise

Sander stopped for a moment.

Bum Bum.

"The basement?" Sander asked hoping he heard wrong.

"Yeah, the basement" Tiffany said smirking while flipping the grilled cheese on the pan.

"Y-you got it! No problem!" Sander stuttered.

Sander made his way out of the kitchen and into the living room. He looked down the hall and saw his destination. The basement door.

Bum Bum.

Ever since they moved in, Sander hated that basement. His family used it for storage but for Sander, it was storing nightmares. He hated everything about the basement, the look, the silence, the smell, and the creatures that waited for him. The boy slowly made his way to the basement door, every step getting harder to take. Finally, he reached the door. He gulped as he reached his hand toward the doorknob, his hand trembling. He tightly shut his eyes as he swung the door open, as if he was ripping off a band aid. He dreadfully opened his eyes when he felt the cold air from the basement escape.

"I'm brave. There's nothing to fear Sander, nothing." Sander said  trying to reassure himself but failing.

Bum Bum.

He took a sharp inhale as he extended his leg to touch the first step. One, two, three steps down the stairs. "C'mon you loser it's just the stairs." Sander quietly stabbed at himself.

Four, five, six steps down the stairs. He lost his balance for a second and grabbed the railing to stay up straight. Sander took a deep breath and continued.

Seven, eight, nine, the fear started to annoy him, ten, eleven steps down.

He was at the last step, twelve. Sander looked around the dark basement. The smell of dust filled his nose as he breathed heavily. He never comes downstairs, so he has no idea where the light switch could be. He took blind steps into the darkness. One, two, three steps into the darkness when he suddenly heard a strange sound. Sander became paralyzed with fear and forced his ears to make out the sound. The noise is repetitive, low, and grumbly. Sander started to imagine what it could've been and the only thing he can picture is a large monster breathing in the darkness ready to tear him limb by limb and eating his torn apart body.

Sanders eyes started to fill with tears of fear and his vision became blurry. In his own blurry panic, he swore he saw movement in the darkness which is enough of an invitation to leave the basement. The boy turned around and stumbled quickly to the stairs. He grabs the third stair from the bottom with his hand and desperately crawled up the stairs on all fours attempting to escape the darkness close on his tail. Sander reached the top of the stairs and slammed the door behind him. He rested against the door behind him breathing as if he just ran a marathon and remembered why he went downstairs anyway, napkins.

Sander walks into the doorway of the kitchen feeling embarrassed not wanting to face Tiffany. Tiffany turns to Sander, smiles and says, "Did you get them?"

"Actually, can I go out and play on the swing set?" Sander asks hoping she won't be mad. She laughs a bit and replies, "Go ahead soldier." Sander salutes her and runs out to play.