Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Monster Blogfest and Christine Rains Fearless release

Christine Rains is hosting this awesome blogfest - What was your childhood monster? - 
in celebration of her new book Fearless. Click on her cover below for info. 
Congrats, Christine, on this! 
Can't wait to check it out!


And now for the blogfest... Click on the pic below for more info if you'd like to join in on the creepy fun! You can find my story below.








Closet monster...

When I was younger, I had a canopy bed draped in shades of pink and white with blue Holly Hobbie print on it. (Do you know who that is? If not, dayam I'm old.) 
I used to think the canopy was my protection, like a shield. As long as I was under it, no one or thing, could harm me.

I also had a walk-in closet... we had a love/hate relationship. 

In the daytime, it was fun to play in it, like it was my own little retreat. I'd go in there to read, have tea parties, and a place to get away from my three pesky brothers. 

At night, that closet came to life.

After I'd get ready for bed, I'd shut my closet door then fold down my comforter. I'd turn off the room light and sprint to my bed, praying that nothing grabbed my feet. I'd dive in and cover myself up to my eyeballs because - remember - as long as I was under my canopy nothing could get me. The blankets were just a bonus, in my mind. But even with my canopy and blanket, I was still scared.

One time, I did my nighttime routine, but it wasn't until I peeked out from under the blankets that I saw light trickling out from underneath the closet door. A few moments later, shadows moved around inside. I could see them from under the door because I'd left that stupid light on!   I. Was. Terrified. To make matters worse, we had hardwood floors so every creak of a board intensified the already creepy feeling.

I stared at the door for hours, or that's what it felt like anyway. It was probably more like ten minutes. Then, I got worried. What if one of my brothers was in there? What if they got stuck in there trying to play a joke on me and now the closet monster was hurting them?
I panicked, jumped out of bed, and opened the door to find no brothers. Just my clothes hanging there. I looked up at the string dangling from the closet ceiling. (That's what I'd use to pull the light off or on.) It swayed on its own. I freaked out, shut the door, and got back into bed.

The next morning, I told my dad, so he "investigated" like parents do and told me that a draft caused the string to move on its own and the creaky floors, well, that was the house's way of settling. Yeah, right. At the time, I thought he was nuts. But here I am alive to day, so he must have been right...  or was he? 

Did you have any childhood monsters that made you lose sleep?


33 comments:

  1. It's crazy how kids' minds work, isn't it? :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. I couldn't share my childhood monster fear. It would be too embarrassing:(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. aww, I won't laugh. Hello? I had a closet monster.

      Delete
  3. ooh, I can imagine your horror! I grew up in an old house, with creaky floors and branches scratching the windows. I wonder how I ever got any sleep... It was an old house, with odd things, like a hidden hinged step on the old staircase. I know who Holly Hobbie is, lol :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank God, I didn't have branches scratching my windows! That might have put me over the edge! LOL

      Delete
  4. The jumping thing is definitely something I did. Make sure that witch who hid under my bed didn't grab me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did your brother or mom scare you like that? Like grab your feet from under the bed? I can't remember who, but one of my friends had someone scare them like that, and I thought it was you.

      Delete
  5. I would've told my father the string has got to go - I want a lightswitch!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did tell him... and I did get a light switch... years later, as a teen. LOL

      Delete
  6. Great story! Yeah, I third the lightswitch option on that. I think the house settling reason is just adults' excuse to disbelieve! Thanks for sharing your story and for helping to promote my novella. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've always fantasized about living in a haunted house or staying in a haunted room in a haunted hotel, but I'm not so sure I'd feel the same if I actually saw, heard, or felt ghostly stuff like that. Aliens scared the daylights out of me from the very first time I saw pictures of them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think visiting a haunted room/house would be amazing and scary at the same time.

      I liked aliens until I saw the movie The Fourth Kind. I had nightmares for weeks.

      Delete
  8. 1. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Dude, you must've had a rough night! How did you ever manage to sleep???

    2. I TOTALLY remember Holly Hobbie! :-) Though I wasn't ever cool enough to sport any of her gear, I don't think.
    Some Dark Romantic

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know if I did sleep that night. LOL

      Yay to another person remembering her!!!

      Delete
  9. I was always scared something would grab my feet too! You never know what might be lurking under the bed.

    Allison (Geek Banter)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, a monster... or a pesky brother! LOL Mine liked to play tricks on me and scare me. To this day, they will hum parts of music from horror movies... like Halloween and Friday the 13th.

      Delete
  10. Do all parents use that 'the house is settling' excuse for monsters? I still tell myself that at night when the house makes noise.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't used that excuse on my kiddos. They'd probably look at me like I've lost it. And my twelve-yr-old would debate that house settling theory and tell me why it's not possible. hehe

      Delete
  11. Great bed! I loved Holly Hobby. The dreaded closet and the wonderful safety of our beds. Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I never trust the parent "inspection". It always comes out negative. Humph. Clearly children are just better at detecting these dark forces...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ohh. Hollie Hobby. I loved her. I never had a closet monster. In face, I think I slept in it a few times, much to my parents amusement. It wasn't a walk in, just a regular long narrow closet with sliding doors.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Holly Hobbie / Hollie Hobby (can't remember which one's right)--I *loved* her! Had a whole bunch of stuff from hers, including a lunchbox I think. Ha! Hadn't thought about that in a looooong time. No, we're not OLD--just oldER :D

    What a creepy story, Jackie--I would've been freaked out, too. Drafts shmafts, eh? Well, monster or no I'm glad it didn't get you--now I get to follow your blog! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad it didn't get me either! LOL Thanks for following!

      Delete
  15. great story with a nice mysterious ending! scary movies could get to me. loved my night light!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Tara! I didn't have a night light as a child, but I have them now. :D

      Delete
  16. I had to keep my closet door closed, too. Had I not had my doberman sleeping in my basement room, two floors below the rest of the family (I was the oldest), I think the last thread of my sanity would have snapped inside that walk-in closet!

    My monster: http://thewarriormuse.blogspot.com/2012/08/childhood-monster-blog-fest.html

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me happy. So do photos of Adam Levine... <3