Under the Stairs

A Story by Kody Reavis

Late at night, little Riley fears the eerie noises coming from downstairs... What is it?

Under the Stairs.

“Mom…” Riley whispered. Riley’s mother didn’t answer. “Mom…” Riley slightly nudged his mother as she slowly opened her eyes from her deep sleep and looked up at him standing next to her bed in the dark.

“What is it hon? It’s late,” she said.

“He’s back,” Riley whispered. Riley’s mother noticed the slight tremble in his breath. She sat up with a sigh, “Honey, for the last time, it is just the house settling in,” she said. “It makes noises sometimes.”

Riley’s eyes teared up a bit. “But it came from under the stairs again,” he whispered.

“You know your dad and I keep that door locked anyways,” she said, trying to comfort him. “You need to learn to ignore it,” she said as she stood off the bed. “Get some sleep. I’ll take you back to your room and tuck you in.”

Riley’s mother walked him back to his room and Riley got under the covers in his bed. His mother gently kissed him on the forehead and said, “Goodnight dear.” She quietly walked out of his room and shut the door.

Riley looked around his room with his blanket held firmly against his chin along with his teddy bear tightly locked in his arms. The creaking sound of wood sounded all around downstairs. Riley thought it sounded like somebody was walking around and it terrified him.

He kept his teddy bear and quickly jumped out of bed, then silently turned the knob on his door. He tiptoed down his stairs while cautiously listening for sounds from the man under the stairs. Riley turned the corner and froze in fear. The door to the basement under the stairs was open a crack. The door was supposed to be locked, Riley thought.

His hands now shaking and teeth chattering, Riley slowly stepped towards the door. He slowly reached for the knob and pulled it open. The tension was building as Riley stared into the pitch black area inside.

Suddenly, the light bulb above flicked on and a mop on the wall in front of Riley fell to its side, causing Riley to jump and lose grip of his teddy bear. The stuffed bear fell to the ground and tumbled down each step until it stopped down at the bottom on the basement floor.

He stuck his head in the doorway and looked down at his bear. Riley wanted his bear back, but he was too afraid to go down. He stood at the top of the stairs for a few minutes, deciding if he should go down and grab it.

He took one step down. The light bulb above his teddy bear at the bottom flickered once. Riley quickly stepped back up. He waited another few minutes until he bought himself a little more courage. He took a step down and the light bulb flickered. His heart was racing. Each step frightened him even more.

He took another step. The light bulb above his teddy flickered. He took another step, and another. The light bulb flickered with every step he took. He eventually reached the last step. He looked left and right, seeing nothing but boxes and containers surrounding. He stayed on the last step and reached out for his teddy bear. He was struggling to grab a hold of it and almost did, until he lost his footing and fell to the floor with the teddy in his arms. The light bulb above him burned out causing the basement to be pitch black and the door upstairs slammed shut. Riley lost his breath to terror. Tears ran down his cheeks. He wanted to scream, but he was unable to. He felt a presence in the basement coming closer. Riley quickly scooted himself back to the staircase. He finally got his breath to scream. “MOM!” Riley’s shout sounded throughout the basement. He continued to scream for his mom as the black mass was approaching. He felt the warmth of a breath on the back of his neck.

“Riley,” a calm male voice sounded behind him. Riley stopped shouting as he recognized his father’s voice. He quickly climbed the stairs to the top and opened the door. Without shutting the door, he made his way to the stairs that lead up to his and his mother’s room.

When he reached the foot of the staircase, he noticed his mother standing up at the top with a frightened expression.

“Riley, what in God’s name are you screaming about? Are you ok?” she asked. Riley took some deep breaths to calm himself down. He then pointed and said, “The door was open, I dropped my teddy down the basement, so I went down and grabbed him. All the lights were off and I heard someone coming towards me so I screamed, it was just dad though.”

Riley’s mother went pale.

“What do you mean it was your father?” she asked with wide eyes, “he’s up here with me.”