*This is entry #1 of a self imposed challenge to post something everyday for 30 days straight. It's a short story written by Hussain Al-Khalil. Leave some feedback and come back daily to see what he posts for his month long challenge*
A young boy lays is his bed, his eyes wide open. Staring at his closet door. The shadows of the trees creep into the room, resting over the closet door. The wind blows past the tree and the shadow shakes in his room.
The young boy screams, leaping under his covers. His mother runs in hearing his yell. She says, "What's wrong Mark? What happened?"
"The Monster is back again. He's in my closet this time," Mark says.
"Not under the bed this time," His mother asks him with a smile on her face.
Mark shakes his head. His mother goes to the closet door and opens it. Nothing but clothes and empty hangers.
"Everything is fine honey."
"Can you leave the light on for me?"
Marks mother hesitates. "Tonight I can, but you'll have to know there isn't anything in there that's going to hurt you."
She closes the door behind herself as she leaves. Mark sits back in his bed looking at the closet then at the wall.
Through the floor he hears his mother talking to his stepfather.
"What was the problem with him this time," his step father asks.
He hears his mother explain what it was. "You gotta stop babying him, next time I'll talk to him if he has a problem with it."
"He's not comfortable with you yet to do that, just give him some time", his mother says.
"A couple years ain't long enough? You must be telling him something bad about me again if he doesn't trust me. You don't even trust me!"
Mark tenses up.
"I didn't say that", his mom says.
A loud slap echoes, followed by a thud of Mark's mother drops to the floor. His stepdad puts down his drink and slowly comes up the steps. He opens Mark's door and turns off the lights.
"You gonna grow up soon enough. Ain't no such things as monsters."
His step father closes the door, leaving Mark sad and scared of the closet, and the house he lives in.
Later in the night as he sleeps, the closet door opens slightly. Harsh red eyes glare from the shadows within the closet. Mark opens his eyes, seeing the pair of red eyes through his blurry vision.
He jumps up and turns on his light and sees nothing. He wants to call for his mother, but doesn't want his step dad to hear it and get upset. He lays in bed with the light on, worried for his safety. More ways than one.
The sun rises and morning comes. Mark's mother comes in his room to wake him before she heads to work. As he wakes up he notices the bruises on her neck and arm. She moves away from the bed, so he couldn't see.
"make use of your day, ok? That monster can't follow you outside can it? It's the summer, enjoy it till your back sitting at a desk all day."
As she walks downstairs, Mark goes back into his bed to sleep more. When he wakes up he goes downstairs and sees his stepdad. Must be his day off.
He walks silently into the kitchen and gets a bowl of cereal. His stepdad stays in the living room.
"Ay! Mark" , his Stepdad calls him into the living room.
Mark leans against the wall as he enters the room. "How are you big guy? I heard you got a problem with a, uh, monster in your closet. Is that it?"
Mark nods.
"You know they don't exist right?"
His stepdad stares him down. Mark looks back at him, wondering how they don't exist when he's staring at one right now.
Mark looks at the ground saying nothing.
The night comes again, Mark in his room. Keys jingle in the door as his mother comes home. Mark runs out his room to the landing of the stairwell to greet his mom. His stepdad still on the couch. His mother hugs him as she comes in the door.
"What did you do today?"
Mark looks away, "Nothing really."
"You didn't go outside or anything?"
"No."
Mark looks at his mom and than at her neck again.
"What happened there mommy?"
Marks mom looks away from him now, away from her husband.
His stepdad looks at both of them in disgust.
"You happy now? You got him scared of me too now huh?"
Mark's mom turns toward her husband.
"I didn't do any of that. You did"
Mark's stepdad looks at mark.
"I did do that, for good damn reasons. You keep looking at me like that boy you gonna get hit too."
Mark's stepdad raises his hand and swings, hitting Mark right on the cheek. He falls tot he floor easily, his mother covering him from another hit.
"You still scared of monsters in your closet boy! Don't you dare look at me like that in my house."
Mark's mother raises up and pushes him out the way, instructing Mark to go to his room. "Go upstairs Mark."
He runs up into his room, before hearing the hollering and yells from downstairs. As midnight comes closer Mark is still awake, crying in his room. Fearing more than just his closet he doesn't even notice the red eyes out the closet staring at him.
His parents stomp up the stairs, bringing there argument with them.
"I think you should leave", Mark's mother says. The house goes quiet.
" I can't have my son around this, and I refuse to let--"
His mother is cut off my his stepdad, pushing her to the ground.
"You gonna kick me out my own house! And you refuse to what? I don't choose to hit you! You, you require me to do it cause you don't fucking listen! You or your son. If you gonna stay in this house, which you will! You gonna follow and do what I say, as I say, and when I say it."
Mark looks up, tears still running down his face. He sees the eyes staring at him from his closet. He borrows his head in his hands.
"I wish! I'll be your best friend forever, if you just help us. To let me be left alone."
Mark sobs.
The closet door squeaks, till the door is wide open. A large shadow crawls from out his closet, standing in front of him. It steps back toward his door leading to the hallway where his parents are. The door opens. His Stepdad turns around.
"Go back to bed boy! I don't have time for --"
His stepdad turns around fully, only to be met by a large shadow and sharp glowing red eyes. The shadowy monster stands taller than 6 and a half feet. Mark's mother and stepdad are in shock. The monster grabs his stepdad and throws him down the stairs. The monster looks at his mother, before heading down the stairs after his stepdad. Mark comes out his room toward his mother.
"I told you mommy, I told you there was a monster in my closet!"
"I thought he scared you."
"He did! But I told him I'd be his best friend if he protected us and got us to be left alone."
His mother looks at him in shock. Screams from the kitchen echo through the house.
A WEEK GOES BY
Mark's mother turns her key and comes into the house. She puts her things down and walks toward the back porch. Outside Mark is playing with his soccer ball as his aunt, his mothers sister watches him.
"Thanks for watching him for me."
"It's not a problem. You son has a wild fascinating imagination though! I love his stories."
They watch him as the sun goes down, setting over the trees in the neighboring yard.
"What, what did he tell you?"
"About his imaginary friend. That's who he's playing with now. How he's gonna protect you guys, and teach Mark to be strong like him."
Mark's aunt smiles.
"Yeah, that's my son", Mark's mom says.
"It's good to see that man hand't taken his creativity with him when he ran off on y'all", Mark's aunt says.
"Yeah, I think it's better we just close that chapter though. Me and Mark should be fine.
"Honey, it's time to come in now, its gonna start getting dark soon. Me and your aunt are gonna make dinner."
"Ok mom, I'm almost finished playing now, but I think he still wants to play a little more"
His aunt walks back into the house. Mark's mother looks past the bushes in their backyard. Behind them she sees the same red eyes that she saw that night.
"Ok Honey. Just, be careful."
"Don't worry mom, he'll make sure I'm ok"
Mark's mom looks on with a worried smile on her face. She turns around back into the kitchen.
Mark kicks the ball into the bushes. The soccer ball rolls back out toward him as he continues to play.