I Knew I Shut the Closet Door - I Knew I Shut the Closet Door

I’m afraid of my closet. It’s a walk-in with a lightswitch inside – a major selling point for me when I moved in.

I only turn the light on when I’m in there putting away clothes, changing, or organizing. When I’m done, I flip the light off and shut the door. No particular reason why I shut it. Just habit, I guess.

One night, I came home from visiting friends. I went to open the closet to put my day clothes in the hamper and slip into my pajamas.

But I paused. In the miniscule space between the door and the floor was the glow of light. I had that suffocating surge of adrenaline. I never leave it on. I never forget.

I felt my ears straining. My eyes hyper focused on the strip of light, searching for a disruption. I took a step back. In the back of my mind, I questioned myself. My paranoia was ridiculous. I should just open the door and prove to myself that I made a dumb mistake, nothing more.

But I couldn’t. I stood paralyzed. I hate to give into fear, but I left my room, checked that my phone was still on me, went outside, and called the police. They came to investigate and left with a stranger in handcuffs.

I had every assurance that it wouldn’t happen again. I don’t know how they got in. I’m the only one with a key, everything was locked, and there were no signs of a break in.

Enough time passed that so did my fear. Although I did become more vigilant. I paused outside my closet door each time I left, stared at it, and said aloud, “The light is off. The door is shut.” It helped me stop second guessing myself.

Once the closet is shut, it stays shut until I open it again. It latches in place so it won’t creep ajar.

Then one night, I came home to find it open a crack. I’d repeated to myself before leaving for work in the morning, “The light is off. The door is shut.”

The memories of adrenaline seized me. I told myself it’s just a memory. I could walk away and call someone to investigate again, but what plausibility did I have?

On the intruder’s part, leaving the light on in the first place was a dumb idea. Too unlikely to happen again. Whoever wanted to hide would do everything in their power to make sure they weren’t caught. This was too obvious. Clearly my paranoia talking. I made a simple mistake, that’s all.

I raised a hand, ignoring my pounding heart, and gently pushed the closet door shut.

That’s when, behind the door, the screaming started.