The closet creature

The Closet Creature

by Kelly Hashway

Bump! Bump! Adam opens his eyes and pulls the covers up to his face. He looks around his room, searching the darkness for the thing that is making those scary sounds. The closet door moves as something knocks on it from the inside. “Who’s there?” Adam asks. He feels afraid.

The closet opens slowly. Adam jumps out of bed and runs to the closet door, slamming it shut. He gets his desk chair and places it against the door handle. Then he runs out of his room and down the hall. His brother’s door is open, and Adam jumps on David’s bed. “Adam?” David asks in a sleepy voice. “What are you doing in here?” Adam holds David’s arm. “There’s something in my closet!” “You probably had a bad dream. Go back to bed.”

Adam gets angry. “It wasn’t a dream. I was awake, and the closet door started opening by itself!” David is tired, so he agrees. “Fine. But if we don’t find anything, you have to promise to leave me alone for the rest of the night.” Adam nods. David gets a flashlight from his desk drawer. Then they go to Adam’s room. Adam stops in the doorway. He can hear something scratching his closet door.

“Do you hear that?” Adam asks. David nods. He walks over to Adam’s bed and pulls the case off one of the pillows. He opens the pillowcase. “You open the door very slowly, and I’ll get whatever it is.” Adam takes the chair and opens the closet door just a little. Something bangs against the door, trying to open it. Adam takes a deep breath and opens the door a little more. A small furry creature runs right into the pillowcase.

= Pillows

= Pillowcase

“I got it!” David says, closing the pillowcase and holding it in the air. “What is it?” Adam moves closer as David takes a look inside. David puts the pillowcase on the bed and an orange cat gets out. Adam takes the cat. “Apricot? How did you get inside my closet?” David laughs. “The poor cat. If I was inside your closet with your smelly shoes, I’d be desperate to get out, too!” “Poor, Apricot,” Adam says. “You were probably more scared than I was.”