Everyone’s closet is different.
Some are big, while others are small.
Some are empty, while others are full.
Some are cluttered while others are organized.
Many people ignore their closets for years, not wanting to deal with the mess inside. Instead, they stuff all of their personal baggage in the closet. It’s the one place they can sweep things under the rug and no one will notice. It’s a refuge for trash that they don’t want others to see. But what they don’t realize is that over time, nasty things creep into each crack and crevice. If left unchecked, pestilence takes over.
For me, it started out as small annoyances, buzzing about. At first, I tried to ignore them, hoping they would go away. Instead, they just pestered me more. Eventually, the situation grew out of hand. When I finally looked in my closet, I found skeletons piled high. Every dream I allowed to die, stared back at me through hollow eyes. In the shadows, the ghost of who I used to be wailed and moaned. The demons within tormented him. I knew they would end up destroying me if I didn’t do something. So I decided to rid myself of them.
First I tried to confront them, but the little devils knew exactly how to evade me. Next, I attempted to drown them out with alcohol. When that didn’t work, I resorted to manipulation. But even that wasn’t enough. Eventually, I ran out of options. So I did, the only thing I could do.
I created a monster.
And it consumed everything.
Every regret.
Every unhappy memory.
Every hurt.
I grew fond of my new friend and named him Control. Having Control in my life was glorious. He did his job well. In fact, I kept him in the closet, and continued tossing my problems in there, one feast at a time.
But there was only one issue with Control.
He had an insatiable appetite.
Because of this, Control grew exponentially. Doubling, and then tripling in size. Within a year he was almost too big to fit in the closet. His fangs grew sharp; his claws jagged. If I ignored Control, he got violent. I tried to lock the beast up, but he had grown too powerful. I was forced to feed him my trust, my dreams, and my love. Like scraps from the dinner table, he snatched them while my back was turned. After gorging himself, Control left droppings of insensitivity, apathy, and indifference everywhere. He stripped me of my feelings, and the numbness made me indifferent to the world.
Things were a mess.
I was a mess.
Foreseeing disaster, I panicked. I shut everyone and everything out of my life. No one was permitted access. I had to protect them from the monster within.
Despite my best efforts, Control consumed everything in my life. My friends, my family, my children. Sometimes I would be in Control, sometimes I would be out of Control. After awhile I no longer knew who I was.
Who was the man and who was the monster?
If there even was a man left...
Paranoid of being recognized for what I was, I disguised myself. Shrouded in cloaks of half-truths, I concealed my intentions in a makeup of lies. Unless someone got close, my masks could hide any blemish. So I kept everyone at arm's distance.
It wasn’t difficult to maintain the façade though.
Like vehicles, people prefer appearance over integrity.
The only problem about wearing masks is that they’re uncomfortable. They become difficult to bear over time. Wear them long enough, and eventually, you’ll exhaust yourself.
It just so happens that on one such an occasion I was visiting my close friend, Faith.
I‘ve always looked to Faith for guidance during tough times. Lately though, it was difficult coming to terms with Faith. She wanted me to put her first. She wanted me to open up. Faith required my attention. But to do that, meant relinquishing Control.
It was more than I could give.
Faith wanted to know what was on my mind. She asked me about the past, Present, and Future. Truth be told, I spent more time thinking about them than Faith. But I wasn’t about to tell her that. Instead, I misled her with smokescreens of half-truths and convoluted reasoning. Faith realized something was amiss and persisted. She navigated through the fog of uncertainty until she stumbled upon the root of the problem.
Faith found the closet.
She noticed how unusually tidy it was. As a matter of fact, it was nearly empty. However, when she peeked behind the curtain she noticed something odd. A single box stood in the corner. She tried to peer inside, but chains prevented her from opening it. Unbeknownst to her this was a prison, where Control kept its most cherished possessions; my inner demons. When Control caught her snooping, he lashed out. Later she confronted me about it and I urged her to forget what she saw. After that I went inside my closet and tried to lock things up for good. But for Faith, things didn’t add up. So she continued to poke and prod until eventually, I became unhinged.
With nothing to hold them back, my inner demons broke free from their chains.
Nothing could have prepared Faith, for what happened next. Everything that had been pent up for so long, rushed to the surface. An explosion of emotions. A maelstrom of reality. A tidal wave of hurt. The foundation on which Faith had built everything upon, crumbled. Without support, Faith faltered. She reached out, trying to grab at a strand of hope, but none existed. Instead, Faith descended into the pit of despair. Plummeting deeper, and deeper into the abyss, shards of pain rained down upon her. They cut her deep. So deep in fact, they ripped the heart right out of her. By the time Faith hit rock bottom, her will had shattered completely.
I tried to pick up the pieces. But it was too late. The person I knew was gone.
I had lost Faith forever.
Nothing would ever be the same.
Despite the best of intentions, despite numerous precautions, despite my best efforts, I had failed.
Failed.
Failed to maintain Control.
Failed my Faith.
Overwhelmed at the enormity of my loss, I gave up. The charade was over. No longer would I pretend to be something I wasn’t. No longer would I hide what I was. I removed the curtain. I discarded the masks. I let down the façade.
And I let everyone see me for exactly what I was.
A monster.
But then, a funny thing happened.
Just when I thought all hope was lost, my inner demons gave up Control. The beast was brought to his knees. Finally, it was for the villain to atone his sins. I drug the monster into the light; forced him to look into the pool of tears he had created. Terrified by his own reflection, Control ran away. But he couldn’t escape the hole he had dug for himself. Instead he slipped and fell into the deep-end.
Like wax to the flame, he melted away into nothingness.
Within moments I had lost Control.
At the time I didn’t understand what had transpired. But now I realize that while I was hiding in the shadows, I was protecting the monster from what he feared most... The Truth.
And the Truth is, no one is perfect.
It’s okay to have problems. It’s natural to hurt. Sometimes we don’t have all the answers. The point is, our imperfections are what make us human. And we as humans require interaction with others. Our problems demand we open up. They demand trust, intimacy, and love.
To allow someone into the deepest, darkest crevices of our soul takes a great deal of courage. It leaves us extremely vulnerable. However, if we grant them access into our innermost sanctuary, what we gain is a partner that will help ward off those inner demons, repair old wounds, and paint over the regret that has tarnished our relationships for so long. I would be lying if I said things are back to normal. As a matter of fact, I don’t even know what normal is any more.
But at least now when I look in the mirror, I actually resemble a man, and not a monster.
More Scary Stories
If you're looking for even more scary stories to read this season, you should check out the horror section of our catalog. We have several books to choose from. I would highly recommend Spooky Stories To Tell In The Dark (seen below).
It has 22 stories and is split into four different sections.
Science Fiction Frights
Paranormal Provocations
Traveling Terrors
Holiday Horrors
I personally like the "Gas Station" story. I get the chills just thinking about it...
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