Closet Doors...

Her eyes sprung open. Wide awake. Disoriented for a moment. What woke her? 

She looked around the room in a panic. Did she hear a noise? An echo of a noise?

She could almost imagine it. What had woken her up. There had been a scratching. Or a creaking. Or...

She looked toward the closet doors. Was that a crack? She was sure she had closed them before she went to bed. She never slept with them open. She couldn't. Not since she was a child. She knew it was ridiculous. The fear of the thing in the closet, but she still couldn't sleep with them open. Not ever.

But that was a crack. 

For sure that was a crack.

She sat up in bed now staring at the door. Would it open more? 

Probably not. Not while she was awake and watching. 

She'd have to get out of bed and take care of it. 

There was no way she'd be able to get back to sleep with the door cracked open. 

But that meant leaving her warm bed. Her safety nest of pillows and blankets. Walking across the chilly room to get to the closet. 

Putting her foot on the floor next to her bed. 

Which she also didn't normally do at night. 

She stared at the door. The crack hadn't opened wider had it? Surely not while she was laying there looking at it. 

Now her imagination would run away with her so she had to take care of it. 

She carefully slide one leg out from under the blankets putting her foot on the floor.

Listening closely for any sounds. 

The other foot followed and she slowly walked toward the closet.

She walked as quietly as she could. Almost sneaking up on the door. 

She reached the door and stood listening for a moment then flung the door open reaching in and pulling the chain on the light at the same time. 

Nothing. 

She sighed and softly laughed to herself. Silly. She was so silly.  Of course there was nothing there to be afraid of, not since she was a child. 

She shut the door and went back to bed. 

Her breathing got deeper and more rhythmic as sleep came for her again. 

Slowly, softly, carefully the thing under the bed pulled itself out and across the floor. Moving as quietly as it could toward the closet. Hoping again that maybe tonight, tonight would be the night they could escape. They had been trapped here since the thing in the bed was a little girl. Even with broken legs and mangled wings they had tried.

Their family in the closet opening the door for them just a little bit, enough to let them know they hadn't forgotten them. 

Please let it be tonight...